Nissan Patrol (safari-LWB)or Prado-v6 or FJ cruiser

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Defragmantor
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C N Sreejith;41416 wrote:I drive a Patrol Safari LWB and I can tell you its pros and cons.

Onroad - bad vehicle. Not as comfortable as Prado (I don't know about FJ). If you have driven a Mahindra CJ series in India, Patrol Safari is its equivalent here. Yes, it has AC, power steering, power windows, wood-like finish on the dash, soft padding everywhere, commands excellent road respect, but it's not as comfy as the New Patrol or Prado. Steering wheel vibrates at high speeds. Fuel efficiency - 4-5kms per liter, mixed driving.

Offroad - the best! You don't get stuck easily, it forgives most of your mistakes, very stable, very powerful. You'll end up pulling out most of your buddies from tough situations. Because you don't get stuck easily, you'll take longer to learn. And when you get stuck, if you don't have all the tools and accessories, you'll need a bigger vehicle to pull you out [or @Defragmantor and his jeep :)]. I have spent approximately 2000kms off the road (current mileage 7000kms in 3 months) with my car on mountains, wadis and desert, got stuck 3 times exactly in soft sand. 2 times bad, once easy, guided out easily by experienced marshals.

In spite of the poor onroad comfort, I would still recommend Patrol Safari. And if you are buying this vehicle, go for the Manual Transmission (if you have the MT licence). Trust me, there's a big difference in offroad performance, especially in self-recovery situations and you won't find any big difference in onroad driving, especially if you have driven in India.

If you're planning to drive in the mountains and wadis, negotiate with Arabian Automobiles to give you AT tyres. The Bridestone HTs that they give with new vehicle is OK for desert but not good on rock and gravel. I cracked a sidewall once and had to crawl down a steep hill with a flat tyre as there was no safe position to change the tyre uphill.

The biggest drawback is that there is a waiting period of up to 2 months now. And no interesting colour options. Only white, black, silver and gold. I have a friend in Nissan to help you if you're planning to buy a new Patrol Safari. Do let me know.

Cheers,
Sreejith
Hahaha good luck finding me stuck . Rarely happens but when I get stuck I make sure I have at least two wheels in the air freely spinning :D
C N Sreejith
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[MENTION=5597]Defragmantor[/MENTION] i was referring to you pulling me out with your jeep when I got stuck at the fun drive.
adventure motox
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pato mwazi;41408 wrote:ever consider Xterra.....?....
I have been lately actually... I'm not the Original Poster though... Any thoughts?
I think I'll post this separately.
Romin
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I bought a 2015 FJ and my cousin got a Nissan Patrol 2015 4.8 SWB we both exchanged cars for a week.

The FJ is a lot more civilised on road rather than the Patrol. The Patrol is like driving a pick up with leaf springs, it's very sluggish, has terrible body roll, hates going above 100KPH in town, it's one of the thirstiest (petrol) cars you'll ever own, the parts are bit more expensive than the FJ, has a sound system from Nissan Sunny and that too it has only 2 speakers which probably came out of a van, has almost no options at all besides trip tronic, the engine is weaker than FJ at low RPMs but has more torque. Off road I'd say both are almost the same in terms of technical equipments, FJ has diff lock, patrol does not have it. It has carpet floorings.

The FJ has very poor visibility and tons of blind spots, the back seats are designed for 5ft person at most, the back windows are from a Commerical aircraft (sarcasm), the seats are made out of wood (water proof tho), the windshield is a stone guard for your roof, you'll probably crack your windshield few times a year because of road debris. Has 6 speed speakers as standard with AUX, USB and navigation, shorter wheel base than patrol, durable interior (rubber flooring), better mileage, bigger tank, cheaper spare parts, better resale value, more civilised on road, more boot space, folding rear seats, tons of glove boxes and places to store your stuff, more space for front passenger, a lot more civilised on road, a on board air compressor (gimmick).

I'd say FJ is a much more better car than the Patrol SWB in almost everything and as much as capable off road too. If you LOVE than patrol you'd get it otherwise you'd choose the FJ. By the way I owned a 2007 Nissan Patrol LWB.
Muhittin
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Romin;42500 wrote:I bought a 2015 FJ and my cousin got a Nissan Patrol 2015 4.8 SWB we both exchanged cars for a week.

The FJ is a lot more civilised on road rather than the Patrol. The Patrol is like driving a pick up with leaf springs, it's very sluggish, has terrible body roll, hates going above 100KPH in town, it's one of the thirstiest (petrol) cars you'll ever own, the parts are bit more expensive than the FJ, has a sound system from Nissan Sunny and that too it has only 2 speakers which probably came out of a van, has almost no options at all besides trip tronic, the engine is weaker than FJ at low RPMs but has more torque. Off road I'd say both are almost the same in terms of technical equipments, FJ has diff lock, patrol does not have it. It has carpet floorings.

The FJ has very poor visibility and tons of blind spots, the back seats are designed for 5ft person at most, the back windows are from a Commerical aircraft (sarcasm), the seats are made out of wood (water proof tho), the windshield is a stone guard for your roof, you'll probably crack your windshield few times a year because of road debris. Has 6 speed speakers as standard with AUX, USB and navigation, shorter wheel base than patrol, durable interior (rubber flooring), better mileage, bigger tank, cheaper spare parts, better resale value, more civilised on road, more boot space, folding rear seats, tons of glove boxes and places to store your stuff, more space for front passenger, a lot more civilised on road, a on board air compressor (gimmick).

I'd say FJ is a much more better car than the Patrol SWB in almost everything and as much as capable off road too. If you LOVE than patrol you'd get it otherwise you'd choose the FJ. By the way I owned a 2007 Nissan Patrol LWB.
[MENTION=10078]Romin[/MENTION]
this is very nice and funny analysis you post.:like:
does any of your relatives has wrangler, so you can exchange for another week, then you will update us about the comparison.
Regards.
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