ST spec, which was later renamed ST3.
The Patrol was updated in 1992, when the GQ Series II was
launched. Among other refinements, the 4.2-litre petrol engine
gained the benefit of electronic fuel injection (EFI), which
improved refinement but did little for the engine’s thirsty nature.
Other updates included the addition of side-intrusion beams in the
doors, tweaks to suspension and transmission, bigger brakes and
changes to the standard equipment list.
From 1989 to 1994, Ford Australia sold a rebadged version of
the GQ Patrol called the Ford Maverick, in both long- and short-
wheelbase models. Ford offered both the TB42 petrol-six (manual or
auto) and the TD42 diesel-six (manual only).
In 1994, a coil cab version of the GQ Patrol was added
to the Nissan line-up, which was
sold alongside the pre-existing cab-
chassis and pick-up models that
sported the leaf-spring rear-end.
The coil cab offered vastly superior
ride to the leaf-spring cab-chassis
variants, especially when unladen
or with only a light load on
board. And surprisingly, the
five-link, coil-spring suspension
arrangement added less than
$1500 to the price of the cab-
chassis Patrol, proving popular
with recreational four-wheel
drivers who didn’t need a
wagon. However, theleaf-spring
version was still a favourite
among rural/business buyers;
old-school thinking dictated
that only leaf springs were
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The GQ Patrol underwent another update in 1995, at which
point the RD28T 2.8-litre turbo-diesel six-cylinder engine was
added to the line-up, in both DX and ST trim levels. The boosted
engine produced the same peak power as the TD42 (85kW),
albeit at slightly higher revs (4400rpm as opposed to 4000rpm),
but couldn’t match the bigger, naturally aspirated engine for
torque output, making just 235Nm at 2400rpm as opposed to
264Nm at 2000rpm. Nevertheless, on-road performance was
similar thanks to significantly shorter gearing; the trade-off
being less relaxed highway touring. Only available with a five-
speed manual transmission, the RD28T’s gearbox was a lighter
unit than the one mated to the TD42, and it also missed out on
the latter’s excellent transmission-mounted drum parking brake.
Despite its shortcomings, the RD28T version of the Patrol
proved popular thanks to keen pricing – it offered a saving at
the time of around $4K compared to a similarly equipped TD42
Patrol. Nevertheless, the TD42 Patrol was the favourite among
outback tourers who loved this engine’s relative simplicity,
decent performance and legendary reliability. For those who
wanted extra performance, a number of Nissan dealers offered
the superbly engineered Safari turbo and intercooler kits as a
dealer-fit option.
Despite the big choice of engine/transmission/spec-level
options offered by Nissan, towards the end of the GQ’s lifespan
the Patrol was no longer a match for Toyota’s 80 Series Land
Cruiser, which was now available with a 1FZ-FE 4.5-litre petrol
engine, a 1HZ 4.2-litre naturally aspirated diesel engine, and a
1HD-T direct-injection 4.2-litre turbo-diesel engine. Nissan fans
had high hopes when a rumoured replacement for the GQ Patrol
was set to land in Australia in 1997 but, initially at least, many
would be disappointed.BU
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