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As the bog-standard vehicle of our three cape crusaders, the GU 3.0L direct-injection diesel made the trip relatively unscathed.
Words by John Rooth
Photography by Offroad Images
As Milo steamed into the caravan park in Cairns where our Cape adventure kicked off, all I had in mind was finding two new Nissans. It was midnight, nobody was up, the place was crowded and there wasn’t anything for it but to walk up and down the aisles of cabins and van sites looking for a couple of shiny Dattos.
While the ARB GU ute had been extensively equipped, this all-Aussie company tends to be very sedate when it comes to applying stickers. And I knew the wagon supplied by Nissan Australia would be a stocker. But it was very dark and you’d be surprised how many people drive newish-looking Nissans and even how new Prados and such can look a bit Nissan-ish when they’re poked into gaps between the palm trees. Looking about furtively, it occurred to me I’d better find the lads before the police found me!
I found Tripod Ellem snoozing in his swag before I spotted the ARB ute sitting under the trees. Next to it was the vague and unassuming shape of a light-gold GU wagon, low to the ground and looking very nice and new. I remember thinking, "What a pretty little truck. It won’t take long to trash that one up the Cape". It was such a contrast to the big purposeful 4.2 ute with its snorkel, fat barwork and seriously chunky rubber. In fact, next to the ute, the little wagon looked positively petite, like Kylie Minogue standing alongside Fat Kevvy. Not that that’ll ever happen, unless Kylie takes up darts, drinking beer and hanging out at the Mudflats.
The 3.0 Ti wagon is powered by Nissan’s ZD30, a 3L dual overhead camshaft, in-line four-cylinder turbo-diesel. This motor, unlike Nissan’s 4.2 six-cylinder steamer, runs direct injection, but that’s about all it’s got in common with the heavy truck-style diesels like Milo’s 13BT. In reality it’s a new-age donk, making superb power once it gets on boost at anything over about 1500rpm and pouring it on all the way to the engine-managed shutdown a poofteenth over redline.
I’d better come out and say it right here: Four-cylinder diesels turn me on! For touring purposes they make plenty of power but at a relaxed pace compared to the extra couple of pistons whanging up and down in a big six. They tend to be frugal on fuel, simple to maintain and easy to live with. If they knew how to cook mud crabs in cheese and avocado sauce, I reckon I’d marry one!
The ZD30 lived up to all my expectations on this trip, except that there’s no way anything this high-tech could be considered simple. We were surprised to find that the 3L wagon consistently out-dragged the 4.2 GU ute from a standing start all the way through to Tweedle Dee speeds. Even up there it kept on going when the old big-block ran out of breath.
Yet at idle, and while doing general chores, the ZD30 is as gentle and mild mannered as Clark Kent before he steps into the phone booth. It putters around at low speed, despite lacking the low-down torque of the bigger six, with the only flaw being the stupid fly-by-wire throttle. Sorry, I hate these things. But then I hated it when throttles went from simple linkages and bell cranks to those newfangled, unnecessarily complicated cables!
The throttle’s biggest problem, apart from turning a simple job into rocket science, is that it jerks around more than Ð well, they edited it out last time I mentioned schoolboys. Trying to keep the engine revs steady while clambering out of a rocky creek bed is an absolute bugger. But you know that because every tester worth his salt has already made mention of the ZD’s throttle surge.
That’s bad, but it’s about all that is. The ZD30 ran brilliantly throughout our 4000km of mostly dirt track route and returned fuel consumption figures much better than the bigger six-cylinder truck. In fact, from a driving perspective, the wagon was a better truck in almost every respect bar the brilliant ride over corrugations the ARB suspension added to the ute.
One thing I liked about the 3L was the feeling of compact balance it demonstrated on tight dirt roads and when hanging it out a bit at speed. The reason for this balance is the great, long fan shroud (the first thing noticed as soon as you flick the bonnet).
The basic principle of vehicle handling and stability has never changed: weight needs to be concentrated as low and as close to the axles as possible. The more this is so, the better a vehicle will feel when you chuck it around. Nissan’s four-cylinder donk is so much shorter than the big six that it needs another 10cm or so of fan shroud to reach the radiator.
Sure, the extra couple of cylinders probably don’t weigh that much, but it’s weight that’s exponentially noticed because it’s high and so far forwards. There’s no way to avoid it, the ZD30 feels much more nimble than its big brother and handles beautifully when pushed.
Evidence of this inherent stability wasn’t hard to find. On the way back to Lakelands, while punching along at humpty dump speeds trying to catch up with us after one of Tripod Ellem’s numerous photo stops, the GU’s stock Bridgestone tyre was shredded instantly. Only sheer high-speed-driving experience and a stable platform saved the day as Editor Pat managed to steer the wagon to the side of the road while dropping speed as quickly as he could.
Having seen the tyre and knowing that stretch, I reckon it was a tough call. Some of the credit, possibly the life-saving bit, belongs to the four-cylinder Nissan’s beautiful manners!
That was the only problem we experienced, despite the bone-shaking corrugations. Oh, there was a problem with wet carpet too, but when Tripod Ellem kept denying he had problems with Pat’s driving, we investigated and found that the air-conditioning evaporator was leaking back into the car. No worries, it was probably only a dust-blocked tube. And let’s face it, if this were a Toyota, it wouldn’t have come with air unless you’d forked over another three grand.
Nissan’s dust-sealing has improved immeasurably, but if it was ever going to be tested, Cape York this late in the Dry was going to do it. It’s still not up to the benchmark Toyota, but it’s damned close considering the price difference!
Throughout our trip the wagon was packing all the camera gear and a heap of personal stuff. I don’t know what that lot would weigh, but it was pretty representative of the average load a couple of blokes would carry Ð if they were carrying their spare beer in their mate’s Troopy anyway! At these weights the 3L’s suspension settled in perfectly, that extra load taking away some of the stiffness that’s noticeable when you drive them empty.
During our trek up through the northern parts of the Telegraph Track, where the craters get very deep and wheels have a tendency to claw for air, the Nissan’s stock suspension proved its worth by working away smoothly through its not inconsiderable travel.
Despite the pounding corrugations, the shocks didn’t break or leak, although they did tend to lose effectiveness after a severe pounding. It’s nice to know that the stock suspension’s so capable, but after testing the ARB sprung ute, I’d not hesitate changing over once the newness wore off if the 3L was mine.
Not much I could do about the other Patrol clanger, something mostly noticed while wheeling in and out of the really tight stuff. The turning circle is a metre or so more than a Landcruiser, and you can feel it, although that’s probably for the same reason the CV joints and front axle are so damned indestructible.
If there is another problem we noticed in the tight sections, it’s that there’s no real low-range gears. Bung in a dose of throttle surge and it made the 3L Nissan the toughest truck of the lot to poke slowly up a tricky bank or take on a log bridge. Not that Pat noticed much, he just compensated by blasting his way out!
We’d figured the lack of a snorkel might prove to be a drama even this late in the Dry, especially on some of the more liquid crossings through the Wetlands. Surprisingly, the Nissan didn’t even notice, proving its fording depth of 700mm is pretty genuine. Pat did find that the air cleaner element was quite wet when he checked it at Umagico, and I know for a fact that a snorkel would be the first thing I’d bung on if the 3L Patrol was mine.
Which it just about could be, to be honest. Not many new vehicles impress us blokes who own the real thing, but I came away from this trip pretty much convinced that the four-cylinder diesel Patrol is an absolute humdinger for my favourite sort of travelling: long-distance off-road work. Cheap to run, very relaxed to drive, fast, handles beautifully and all in a level of comfort that meant Tripod could play with his laptop computer while Pat was making a mile down some of the worst rutted tracks in the country.
While I was repacking Milo for the trip back to Brisbane the night we reached Cairns, I remember looking over at the little bronze wagon again. Coated with dust, armed with a shredded spare and wearing a couple of new scratches around its flares, the little Datto looked a whole lot tougher than it had 10 days before. Sort of more Alfie Langer than Kylie. Impressed? You bet.
BRIEF SPECS:
Nissan Series II GU Patrol
Engine: ZD30, 2953cc four-cylinder in-line turbocharged, intercooled, direct-injection diesel; DOHC and four valves per cylinder
Compression ratio: 17:1
Max. power: 116kW@3600rpm
Max. torque: 354Nm@2000rpm
Transmission: Five-speed all-synchro manual, two-speed transfer, part-time four-wheel drive, freewheeling automatic engaging hubs with permanent lock feature, limited-slip rear differential
Brakes: Power-assisted discs all around
Steering: Power-assisted recirculating ball, 12.5m turning circle
Suspension: Rigid three-link front axle, coil springs, hydraulic dampers, swaybar; rear five-link axle, coil springs, hydraulic dampers, swaybar
Weight: 2385kg
Ground clearance: 200mm
Approach angle: 37°
Departure angle: 31°
Fording depth: 700mm
Fuel capacity: 95L main, 30L sub (125L)
Average fuel consumption: 12L/100km (23mpg)
Estimated safe fuel range: 800km
Price: $46,540 (DX) - $56,990 (ST-L) (manufacturer’s RRP)
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