THE GU PATROL
WHEN the new GU Patrol (Y61) arrived in Australia in late-
1997, it boasted all-new sleek bodywork that was a far cry from
the dated and boxy-looking GQ, which could trace its lineage to
the MQ that first saw the light of day back in 1980. But under
the GU’s new skin lurked a familiar platform – the ‘new’ GU was
essentially a GQ Patrol with new clothes.
Despite the chassis, suspension and driveline similarities, the
GU Patrol was a big improvement over its predecessor, offering
a wider body that delivered much more interior space, greater
refinement, improved NVH (noise, vibration and harshness)
levels, better aerodynamics and a vastly more comfortable
interior. On the downside, the GU was significantly heavier
than the GQ, and when it first landed the GU Patrol was only
available with Nissan’s new TB45E 4.5-litre OHV petrol six,
mated to either a five-speed manual gearbox or four-speed
auto. And while the petrol six-pack offered decent performance
on the road and a good spread of torque (145kW at 4000rpm;
350Nm at 4300rpm), it was thirsty and not at all aligned with the
market that Nissan had previously cultivated with Patrol, which
in the latter years of the GQ model was heavily skewed towards
diesel sales.
Further limiting the chance of early sales success, the GU
Patrol was initially launched in just ST and Ti model variants;
there was no longer the wildly popular (and
affordable) RXversion, and the base-spec DX model was not due to appear
until around mid-1998.
The first of the GU Patrol oil burners was the RD28ETI, which
was an electronically injected and intercooled version of the GQ
Patrol’s 2.8-litre turbo-diesel six. Claimed power was up to 95kW
at 4000rpm and torque up to 252Nm at 2000rpm, but in the
GU Patrol the engine had to deal with an additional 230kg of
weight compared to the GQ. Unfortunately, the new turbo-diesel
was not the most refined engine around; performance below
2000rpm was wanting, and above that there was a sudden surge
as the turbocharger did its thing. Adding to the problem was a
light and overly sensitive throttle that made smooth progress,
particularly in bumpy off-road conditions, somewhat difficult to
achieve. The RD28ETI was initially offered in DX ($39,950) and
ST ($43,990) trim levels, with a five-speed manual transmission
the only gearbox choice.
When the TD42 4.2-litre naturally aspirated diesel version
of the GU Patrol DX was finally launched in mid-1998, Nissan
quoted slightly more output than the engine developed in its
GQ application (up from 85kW to 91kW at 4000rpm and from
264Nm to 272Nm at 2000rpm). However, with a heavier body to
lug around, performance was somewhat blunted.
This diesel was also offered in cab-chassis and coil cab
variants of the GU, and in early 1999 these utility
models were also the first to receive the new TD42T, a
turbocharged version of the TD42. The low-boost turbo
boosted output to a modest 114kW and 330Nm and,hDespite the smart new bodywork,
the GU Patrol carried over many of
the underpinnings of the GQ.Current GU interior
is a big step up from
the GQ.86 http://www.4X4australia.com.auHISTORY NISSAN PATROL