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| The 2014 Nissan Patrol is more efficient than the Land Cruiser |
NISSAN has upped the stakes in the battle for the toughest farm
bakkie with the launch of the 2014 diesel Patrol at the same retail price as
that of the Toyota Land Cruiser diesel — R476 900.
Aimed at buyers who want go-anywhere ability and engines that are
proven, rather than ground-breaking, these two big bakkies are also favoured by
farmers in SA who had learnt on their father’s knee how reliable these old
bone-shakers can be.
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| The Land Cruiser big block will not work as hard as the Nissan's, making it more effective. |
Not much have changed in the basic design of either these two
bakkies over the decades. Both 4x4s have big load bins on leaf springs and
double fuel tanks for distance.
Up front the two-seater cabins are clad in hard-wearing vinyl,
although these days one cannot just hose the interior down any more, as both
bakkies now boast air-conditioning, electric windows, remote locking and airbags
for the needs of UN Aid workers and farm managers in Dubai.
In fact, the latest Cruiser is getting almost luxurious, coming as
it does with a rake and tilt steering.
Very little separated the previous Patrol mechanically from the
Cruiser, with the 2013 Patrol 4,2 TD costing just over R42k less than the
Cruiser, but also making six kilo-Watts and three Newtons less than the Toyota.
The 2014 Patrol now has a smaller three-liter, 16-valve turbo
diesel engine that makes more power with less diesel, producing 110 kW at 3 600 rpm
and 371 Nm of torque between 1 800 and 2 400 rpm.
Nissan tested the engine for SA’s dirty 500 parts-per-million
diesel, on which the new Patrol Pickup averaged 9,1 km/l on the combined cycle.
(With two fuel tanks totaling 175 litres, this gives the Patrol a range of over
1 600 km.) The new Nissan also pulls a ton more on braked trailer than the
Cruiser and Nissan’s service intervals are 5 000 km further apart than what
Toyota stipulates.
Toyota drivers will be quick to point out that while Nissan may now
have the more efficient engine, the 1HZ diesel burner of the Cruiser has the
bigger block, which means it will work less and last longer to make it more
effective.
And they will say to get a million or more kilometres from a
bakkie, one has to change the oil more often, rather than less.
Time will tell how well the new Patrol, which goes on sale next
month, will handle the wear and tear of farm life compared to the trusted
Cruiser bakkie.
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| The Mahindra Bolero, a quarter of the price for almost the same power makes it the workhorse to buy. |
Meanwhile, to our mind, while these two big dogs fight, the Indian bakkies have all gone and stolen the bone, as our comparison here shows any of the Indian bakkies carry more weight and provide more Newtons per rand than either of these two -- dare we say "overpriced" -- legends do.
Top ten strongest bakkies for
| Nm |
Tata Xenon 3,0 Fleetline
|
300
|
Foton Tunland 2,8 Comfort
|
280
|
Mahindra Scorpio Pick-up 2,5 TCI Loader
|
258
|
Mahindra Bolero Loader
|
238
|
JMC Boarding 2,8TD
|
235
|
Mazda BT-50 2,5 SL
|
225
|
Mitsubishi Triton 2,4 GL
|
202
|
Nissan Hardbody NP300 2,0
|
196
|
GWM Steed 2,2 L Workhorse
|
190
|
Toyota Hilux 2,0
|
182
|
Patrol vs Land Cruiser
ZD30DDTi Engine
1HZ
4 in line Cylinders 6
in line
16 DOHC Valves 12
SOHC
2 953 cc Displacement
3 956 cc
2,02 Transfer gear ratio low
2,488
110 kW at 3 600 rpm
Power
96 kW at 3 800 rpm
371 Nm at 1 800 rpm
Torque
285 Nm at 2 200 rpm
2 150 x 1 800 mm
Load bin
2 235 x 1 600 mm
205 mm Ground
clearance 235 mm
265/70 R16 Wheel
size
265/70 R16
12,6 metres Turning
circle 11,8 metres
750 kg Towing unbraked
750 kg
2 500 kg Towing braked
1 500 kg
175 litres Fuel tanks
180 litres
16,9:1 Compression
22,4:1
2310 kg Tare 2 065
kg
1 090 kg Payload
1 135 kg
34° Approach angle
38°
30° Departure
angle 29°
700 mm Wade depth
700 mm
15 000 km Service
intervals 10 000 km
3 years/100 000 km
Warranty
3 years/100 000 km
