The Y62 Nissan Patrol is now 10 years old, but it’s making life harder than ever for the Toyota LandCruiser.
With 670 reported sales, February 2022 came close to matching the Y62-generation Patrol sales record of 700 cars set in September 2021.
The Patrol also outsold the LandCruiser 300 Series and five-door 70 Series combined by 58 units, briefly flipping the script on a segment usually dominated by Toyota.
The LandCruiser outsold the Patrol by more than 14,000 units in 2021, and more than 12,250 units in 2020. With 1342 sold to date in 2022, the Toyota is currently 557 sales ahead of its Nissan rival in the sales race.
What’s holding the LandCruiser back? The answer, as is so often the case in 2022, is supply. The LandCruiser 200 Series is now gone from showrooms, and supply of the 300 Series and 70 Series will be tight throughout 2022.
Toyota last year apologised for the long wait times plaguing many of its models, including the LandCruiser. The brand’s Australian website is currently quoting wait times of up to eight months for the 300 Series, and up to 12 months on the 70.
Although you’ll still have to wait, Nissan says you’ll be waiting four or five months to get your hands on a brand new Patrol.
Demand for the Patrol and LandCruiser – along with ute-based SUVs such as the Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X – has spiked since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with closed international borders driving buyers keen to explore Australia towards adventure and tow-ready vehicles.
“Australians are obviously touring more at home this year, and what better way to tow a boat or caravan,” a Nissan spokesperson told CarExpert in 2020.
The Patrol was recently treated to a (very) minor update for 2022, with new badging and a new grille. There’s still no smartphone mirroring though, let alone the redesigned, more modern dashboard found in left-hand drive models.
A more major upgrade is coming, in the form of the Patrol Warrior off-roader. Developed by Nissan and Premcar, the rugged Patrol will follow in the footsteps of the Navara Warrior ute.
