Nissan Patrol Overview: Generations, Specs and Versions (1951–present)

Nissan Patrol generations from 1951 to present: seven generations, 75–425 hp, body styles, gearboxes and notable versions with real figures.

The Nissan Patrol is a 5-door SUV built since 1951, with outputs ranging from 75 to 425 hp across seven generations. Anyone comparing nissan patrol specs will find two distinct characters here: utilitarian 4x4 workhorses with manual gearboxes in the early decades, and a large V8-powered luxury SUV in the modern era. Every generation in the data, without a single exception, uses 4x4 drive, which is a large part of the nissan patrol reliability reputation: the drivetrain layout never changed even as power grew more than fivefold. It suits buyers who want a full-size 4x4 for off-road or towing duty.

Nissan Patrol generations

1 generation (1951–1959)

The first Nissan Patrol was produced from 1951 to 1959 as an SUV cabriolet with 4x4 drive, a manual gearbox and 4 modifications spanning 75–125 hp. The most common version was the 4.0 MT (92 hp) with a 3956 cc engine, built 1955–1959, while the 4.0 MT (125 hp) topped the range with the same 3956 cc displacement and the same 1955–1959 production window. No automatic gearbox was offered at all in this era: every one of the 4 modifications was a manual.

2 generation (1960–1980)

The second generation ran for two decades, from 1960 to 1980, again as an SUV cabriolet, and it is the simplest lineup in the model's history: a single modification, the 4.0 MT with 125 hp from a 3956 cc engine, manual gearbox and 4x4 drive. The 3956 cc displacement carried over directly from the first generation, and the 125 hp output matched the previous range-topper exactly.

3 generation (1986–1994)

The third generation moved to a 5-door SUV body and offered 20 modifications from 93 to 137 hp — the first Patrol generation with an automatic gearbox option alongside the manual. The widespread 2.8 MT (116 hp) diesel with a 2825 cc engine used 13.0 l/100km, the petrol-range-topping 3.0 MT made 137 hp from 2962 cc at 15.2 l/100km, and the 2.8 MT (93 hp) diesel — built on the same 2825 cc block as the 116 hp version — was the thriftiest at 12.4 l/100km. All three notable versions ran the full 1986–1994 production span.

4 generation (1987–1997)

Built in parallel from 1987 to 1997 as a 3-door SUV, the fourth generation counted 17 modifications between 92 and 175 hp, with both manual and automatic gearboxes in the range. The 4.2 MT (116 hp) diesel with a 4169 cc engine was the volume choice; the 4.2 MT (175 hp) on the same 4169 cc engine reached 100 km/h in 13.8 s while consuming 12.4 l/100km; and the 3.0 MT diesel combined 170 hp from just 2953 cc with 11.2 l/100km and a 14.5 s sprint. A fourth notable entry, the 4.2 MT (165 hp), rounded out the 4169 cc family as the freshest addition to the lineup.

5 generation (1997–2003)

The fifth generation, a 3-door SUV with 22 modifications from 129 to 245 hp — the widest single-generation lineup of the whole model — offered both gearbox types. The 4.2 MT (160 hp) diesel was the mass version at 15.5 l/100km with a 14.8 s run to 100 km/h, the 4.8 AT (245 hp) with a 4759 cc engine hit 100 km/h in 10.9 s at 18.5 l/100km during its 1997–2001 run, and the 3.0 MT (158 hp) diesel was the most frugal at 10.8 l/100km with a 15.4 s sprint.

5 generation, restyling (2001–2004)

The first restyling brought 19 modifications from 145 to 280 hp. The 3.0 AT (160 hp) diesel led sales with 10.8 l/100km and a 16.3 s sprint, staying in production from 2001 all the way to 2010; the 4.8 MT (280 hp) with the 4759 cc engine crowned the lineup — the highest output of any pre-V8 Patrol; and the 3.0 MT (160 hp) diesel, built 2001–2005, dropped consumption to 9.9 l/100km with a 15.0 s sprint to 100 km/h. All three notable versions shared 4x4 drive, and the two 160 hp diesels shared the same 2953 cc engine.

5 generation, restyling 2 (2004–2010)

The second restyling narrowed the range to 4 modifications, all at 160 hp from the 2953 cc diesel, in manual and automatic form. The 3.0 MT (160 hp) accelerated in 14.8–15.2 s depending on version, the 3.0 AT (160 hp) took 16.3 s, and all returned an identical 10.8 l/100km. This makes it the most uniform Patrol range on record: one displacement, one output, one consumption figure across the whole 2004–2010 run.

6 generation (2010–2014)

The sixth generation returned to a 5-door body and dropped diesels and manuals entirely: a single modification, the 5.6 AT with 405 hp from a 5552 cc engine, reaching 100 km/h in 6.6 s at 14.5 l/100km. The jump from the previous generation's 160 hp ceiling to 405 hp is the largest single step in the model's history, and the 6.6 s sprint more than halved the best previous Patrol time of 10.9 s.

6 generation, restyling (2014–2019)

The 2014–2019 restyling kept the sole 5.6 AT version unchanged in its core figures: 405 hp, 5552 cc, automatic gearbox, 4x4 drive, 6.6 s to 100 km/h and 14.5 l/100km.

6 generation, restyling 2 (2019–present)

The current second restyling offers 2 modifications from 400 to 425 hp, automatic only. The 5.6 V8 4WD AT (425 hp), produced since 2021, is the mass version with the familiar 5552 cc engine — the highest output ever fitted to a Patrol, 300 hp above the strongest first-generation version.

7 generation (2024–present)

The seventh generation launched in 2024 as a 5-door SUV; detailed modification data is not yet listed, so no power, gearbox or consumption figures can be quoted for it here.

Which Nissan Patrol to buy

For a used purchase, the fifth generation and its restylings (1997–2010) offer the widest choice — 45 modifications combined — and long production runs mean many identical mechanical parts across those years. Simple manual-gearbox diesels dominate that range, which keeps the search for donors and spares straightforward.

Which Nissan Patrol to avoid

Within the 5 generation restyling 2 (2004–2010), the 3.0 AT (160 hp) is dominated on paper by the 3.0 MT (160 hp): identical 160 hp and 10.8 l/100km from the same 2953 cc diesel, but the automatic needs 16.3 s to 100 km/h against 14.8 s for the manual. If acceleration matters, the manual is the stronger pick at the same consumption.