The surprising reasons why the 2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior isn't available with a Ti-L luxury version to better challenge the more expensive Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport

One of the more enduring mysteries surrounding the new Nissan Patrol Warrior is why it is not available on the top-of-the-line version.

When pricing and specification for the off-road-focused 4WD wagon, developed by vehicle engineering specialists Premcar, was revealed last month, it was assumed that the modifications would be paired with – or at least made available on – the flagship Ti-L that starts from $97,600 (all prices are before on-road costs).

And why not? After all, arch rival Toyota has no trouble whatsoever selling the more expensive versions of the LandCruiser 300 Series like the GR Sport from $142,101, with waiting lists said to stretch into years for some grades.

With buyers clearly having plenty of money to splash around, Nissan would also get in on that profitable slice of the luxury 4x4 wagon pie.

Instead, however, only the base Ti from $84,900 undergoes the $16,260 Premcar transformation, bumping up the price to $101,160. While that officially makes the Warrior the most expensive Patrol you can buy, it isn’t the best equipped.

Won’t consumers miss goodies like a sunroof, heated/cooled front seats, electrically adjustable steering column, premium audio, a powered tailgate, roof rails and more? Surely a Ti-L Warrior from around $115,000 or even more would make more sense in a top-of-the-line Patrol?

The flagship Nissan Patrol Ti-L starts from $97,600, before on-road costs.

Not necessarily, according to Nissan Australia Senior Product Manager, Matthew Baily, because while there might be sound commercial reasons to offer the most luxurious version of your most off-road-capable SUV, in the end, it all came down to practical considerations.

“During the planning stage, (a Ti-L version) was considered,” he revealed to the Australian media at the Patrol Warrior’s launch in Tasmania late last month. “But there were a few factors that came into play, and they centred around the demographic of the customer.

“So, the Ti customer has actually more of a propensity to want to go off-road, and want to tow. In terms of that capability, the Ti customer is skewing more towards wanting to do that kind of activity.”

Only the base Ti from $84,900 undergoes the $16,260 Premcar transformation.

But there are actual practicality-related reasons surrounding the product itself that counts against modifying a Ti versus a Ti-L, starting with the fact that the latter is 15mm taller at 1955mm versus 1940mm.

Among other changes, the Warrior’s suspension lift kit adds 29mm to overall height while a different wheel and tyre package pushes that up another 21mm to 50mm.

“And then there was some physical things with the vehicle,” Baily explained.

The Warrior’s new wheel and tyre package adds 21mm to 50mm, to the overall height.

“We wanted to make sure that driving the vehicle around town – particularly with things like underground car parks – we wanted to keep it below two metres. So, with the Ti-L, if we were to apply 50mm lift to that, it would take it above two metres, so that would leave us with minimal room, certainly for some car parks.”

Finally, the Ti’s front bumper is said to be less bulky than the Ti-L’s ornate item, which in turn provides precious extra degrees of approach-angle clearance when tackling off-road gradients.

“The Ti-L has more of a city-orientated bumper in terms of its approach angle; it’s not really geared up for that,” Baily said.

The Warrior shares the same 298kW/560Nm 5.6-litre V8 petrol engine with other Y62 Patrols.

As a result of these reasons, with Nissan needing the Warrior to appeal to as many hardcore 4x4 buyers as possible, using the Ti instead of the Ti-L as the basis for Premcar to modify is a no-brainer

“We looked at a couple of things,” Baily added. “(The Ti-L) was considered, but when we looked at the demographic of the customer and looked at the vehicle as well, we focused on producing the Ti as the Warrior.”

To refresh, the Warrior shares the same 298kW/560Nm 5.6-litre V8 petrol engine with other Y62 Patrols, but differs with the aforementioned 50mm ride-height lift and unique wheel/tyre package.

The LandCruiser 300 Series has waiting lists said to stretch into years for some grades.

Premcar also fits 40mm wider tracks, different springs, a retuned hydraulic body motion-control system, a beefier rear bump-stop, a stainless-steel bi-modal side exit exhaust, a front bash plate, blacked-out grille, plastic wheel-arch surrounds, redesigned bumpers, a modified tow bar, two rear recovery points, Alcantara door and dash inlays and more.

Do you agree with Nissan’s assessment, or would you prefer a more luxurious and better-equipped Patrol Warrior?

Let us know in the comments below.