Occurrences of the Nissan
Patrol in the U.S. are far and few between. For a short while, the vehicle met the criteria allowing import into the U.S. — just for model years 1987 through 1997. Otherwise, if you want to drive a Patrol, you’ll have to head to just about any other country on Earth. They’re available in Canada, South and Central America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East, where they are wildly popular for desert off-roading. You might have met the Patrol’s little brother, the Nissan Armada
. This model was made on the same platform as the Patrol, but meets American emissions standards and lacks some of the off-road features of the Patrol. If you want to know more about the popular Patrol, check out this guide from Jerry
, the super app
for car insurance
and car owners. Can the Nissan Patrol go off-road?
The short answer is yes, and some consider it the best off-road vehicle out there. It has a sturdy body-on-frame construction and offers unique features that you can’t find on its American counterpart.
Now let’s look at the long answer.
Namely, the Patrol has limited-slip or electronic locking rear differentials, additional special drive modes for sand and rock surfaces, and Nissan’s Hydraulic Body Motion Control (HBMC) system. This system enhances the comfort and ease of your ride while allowing the stiff suspension to handle just about any off-road condition — and none of these features are available on the Armada. The Patrol also features hydraulic body motion control, which isn’t on the Armada.
Oh, and did we mention? The Nissan Patrol boasts a 5.6-liter, V8 engine that gets 400 horsepower.
The Patrol’s starting MSRP is $82,160 — a price many are willing to pay for the model’s remarkable capability and luxury interior features. Following are some of the specs that make the Patrol a veritable beast for off-roading.
Ground clearance
First, we’ll look at the model’s ground clearance. This is one of the primary specifications to look into because it tells you the distance from the ground level and the lowest point of your vehicle’s chassis.
The Nissan Patrol has a ground clearance of 10.7 inches, which gives you an extensive range of objects that you can safely pass right over without scraping your car’s undercarriage.
For off-roading, the ideal ground clearance range is between 8.8 and 10.8 inches. For comparison, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport has an 8.4-inch ground clearance. The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee’s
ground clearance could be up to 10.9 inches, depending on the trim level and packages selected. Torque
Another major off-road spec to consider is the vehicle’s low-end torque. The low-end torque measures the amount of torque — that is, your engine’s rotational force — your car can achieve in lower gears and at a lower rpm.
Off-roaders like to see a high torque between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm, and the Patrol has it. It achieves 413 ft-lb of torque at 4,000 rpm.
Drivetrain
Some off-roaders find themselves bickering over which is better — rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. While they’re busy arguing, the true off-roaders are out hitting the extremes with four-wheel drive (4WD), which is what the Patrol offers.
The advantages of a 4WD include better stability and more traction on uncertain surfaces, like gravel, sliding rock, sand, and snow.
Angles
Next, let’s look at the Nissan Patrol’s angles. In particular, we’ve got specs on the approach angle and departure angle. If you’re not sure what that means, here’s a brief explanation:
Approach angle: This number tells us the highest angle of incline that your car can handle going up without interference on the underside.
Departure angle: This tells us the steepest angle of decline that you can descend with your car without scraping its underside.
The Nissan Patrol’s approach angle is 34.4 degrees and its departure angle is 26.3 degrees. These aren’t the highest angles in the off-road market, but they’re still enough to tackle some big dips and bumps on the road.
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Off-road rating: Trail Boss
Jerry
uses the DIRT rating system to grade the off-road readiness of vehicles. Here’s a breakdown of the grading criteria for you: | | |
|---|
| | Vehicles better suited to highway conditions |
| | Vehicles that can handle off-road conditions in certain circumstances |
| | Vehicles designed for casual off-roading |
| | True off-road vehicles capable of tackling a range of terrain |
The Nissan Patrol gets a T rating, which is the highest grade we offer. It’s rarely applied, but the Patrol is one of the few vehicles that have earned it because it can handle just about any off-road extreme.
Get rewarded for safe driving. Earn points and unlock benefits. Totally free.
Start earning nowThe best off-road alternatives to the Nissan Patrol
If you don’t plan on traveling abroad just to buy and drive a Nissan Patrol, there are some high-end alternatives available that you can get stateside. While nothing compares to the Patrol’s unique off-road performance specs, you can find a similar level of luxury and comfort with some off-road ability in the following models:
| | | |
|---|
| | | Audi’s largest SUV comes with standard AWD and features a 500-hp twin-turbocharged 4-liter V8. |
| | | BMW’s largest model comes standard with AWD and the X7 M50i has a 523-hp twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine. |
| | | The smallest and least expensive on this list, the Q8 has a 335-hp turbocharged 3-liter V6 engine. |
How to find affordable car insurance for off-road vehicles
There are a lot of things to love about off-roading, especially if you can afford to do it in something like the Nissan Patrol. However, the downside is that off-roading is a hobby that involves a lot of added expenses.
Off-road vehicles often cost more to insure. And if you’re driving something in the price range of the Patrol, that will drive up the cost of your coverage, too. Generally, the more expensive your car is, the more it costs to insure.
However, that doesn’t mean you’re destined to overpay for quality car insurance. You can find savings by using the Jerry
app. Jerry makes it fast, easy, and even a little fun to find car insurance. Just download the app, answer a few simple questions, and look over the list of competitive car insurance quotes that Jerry gathers for you. We’ll scour our network of over 55 top insurance providers to get the best policy and prices for your needs.
Once you find the policy you like, switching over with Jerry is easy. We’ll even help you to cancel your old insurance. And even better, the average Jerry user saves $800+ a year on car insurance!
“I just financed a new car and knew my insurance premium was going to rise. Jerry
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Compare insurance quotes from 50+ carriers with Jerry in under 45 seconds
Compare insurance quotes from 50+ carriers with Jerry in under 45 seconds
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