Patrol
“The Land Cruiser's oldest sparring partner, and the one Americans mostly know from imported photos of the Outback. The coil-sprung GQ and GU are the reason Australians still argue about which Japanese wagon is tougher.”
Nissan has built the Patrol since 1951, which makes it the company's longest-running nameplate. The first 4W60 looked a lot like a Willys Jeep and was sold only in Japan. The 60 Series arrived in October 1960 in short- and long-wheelbase (G60) form, and between 1962 and 1969 it was sold through Datsun dealers in the US and Canada, the only time a Patrol was sold in North America until the Patrol-based Infiniti QX56 arrived for 2011 (and, from the 2017 model year, the Nissan Armada).
The 160 Series (sold in Australia as the MQ, then as the MK after its 1983 update) replaced it in 1980 on leaf springs, with straight-six petrol engines and the SD33 diesel. Then came the two trucks this site cares most about. The Y60, or GQ (1987–1997) was the first Patrol with coil springs at both ends, and it went toe-to-toe with the 80 Series Land Cruiser. The Y61, or GU (from late 1997) kept the solid axles, added the TD42 turbo-diesels and the infamous ZD30, and was still being built for the Middle East in 2024.
The Y62 of 2010 switched to independent front suspension and V8 petrol power. North America got it first as the Infiniti QX56 for 2011 and then, from the 2017 model year, as the Nissan Armada. A seventh-generation Y63 was unveiled in Abu Dhabi in September 2024. For hands-on owners, though, the Patrol that matters is still the solid-axle iron: big pushrod sixes, a two-speed transfer case, and front axles that Australians beat on for decades.