Nissan Patrol Y61 bows out with Legend Edition

The oldest and most off-road-focused version of the Nissan Patrol is bowing out with a final, limited model called the Legend Edition.

Nissan Australia had been expected to end sales of the Y61 Patrol, which would have required significant investment to bring its 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine up to modern emissions standards.

Driveaway pricing for the Legend Edition is $57,990 for a five-speed manual gearbox model, or $60,990 for the four-speed auto alternative. Just 300 units will be available.

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Both are $8000 higher than the driveaway pricing for the Nissan Patrol ST on which the Legend is based, though Nissan has added a range of accessories valued at $10,000 to give buyers a $2K win.

The accessories include a heavy-duty steel bull bar, electric winch, snorkel, tow bar, roof rack, navigation, reversing camera, Legend Edition decal, and a soft external spare-wheel cover featuring ‘Legend Edition’.

More than 100,000 units of the Y61 Patrol have been sold since this generation of the workhorse Nissan was released in 1997.

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It leaves the SUV-style and more luxury-focused version of the Patrol, the Y62, which debuted a few years ago but was given significantly revised pricing in late 2015 – cutting almost $20,000 from its starting price, to $69,990, and adding more equipment.

The Y62 Nissan Patrol features a more sophisticated suspension compared with the Y61 that uses an old-school live-axle rear suspension. It’s powered exclusively by a 5.6-litre V8 petrol engine, meaning the Patrol will no longer be available with a turbo diesel that is traditionally more popular for off-roaders owing to better fuel efficiency and driveability.

The V8 is notably thirsty, with an official consumption of 14.5 litres per 100km. The auto-equipped Y61 Patrol, on the other hand, consumes 11.8L/100km on average.