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Premcar and Nissan’s Warrior program has spawned a trio of capable, factory-backed off-roaders giving the Navara and Patrol nameplates some extra firepower as their eventual replacements approach.
Left ungoverned by sensibilities like value and user-friendliness, though, the Parol Warrior could have been a very different beast.
“For example, if Nissan came to us and said ‘we want to do 50 Patrols (and) we can charge $200,000 each’, that’s a totally different project. Then you’d supercharge it, put 37-inch tyres on and you’d homologate it in a totally different way,” says Bernie Quinn, Premcar Partner and Engineering Director.
The finished product – although more capable, powerful and drool-worthy – would not have had such broad appeal without the Warrior’s bang for buck, Quinn describes more changes than the existing car as ‘diminishing returns’.
“The very initial part of the program is called the affordable business case development, which is finding a balance between content versus cost versus volume, all of that stuff,” he said.
There are products readily available to boost the Y62 Patrol’s power output. A Harrop supercharger kit adds around 100kW and 150Nm at the wheels yet costs over $13,0000 – and that’s before installation or ECU tuning.
To retain its factory backing, the Warrior’s powertrain would then have to undergo some serious validation testing, which isn’t cheap.
Add some supporting mods on top, like an enhanced cooling system, beefier brakes and stronger driveline and the price will only climb.
The Warrior’s $104,160 (before on-road costs) price tag, however, gives it a leg up on newer rivals. Toyota’s LandCruiser 300 Series GR Sport is probably the better all-rounder with a more modern interior and greater capability thanks to a trio of locking differentials, yet it costs over $40,000 more today.
A circa-$100K price was no accident. “It’s part of this iterative development process and the affordable business case development”, explains Quinn.
“We’re working as partners to develop that: price point, volume, time to market, duration of the program. Then we put all of that into the mixing box and see what spits out the best set of numbers.”
Like the Navara Warriors that came before, there was no power increase for the Patrol and Bernie Quinn answered this as he has before. “I would say definitely, it’s possible, it’s just hitting that sweet spot? There are so many elements to it.”
With the next-gen Patrol confirmed as a twin-turbo V6, software-based tuning should be more affordable and achievable than it is with the naturally aspirated ‘VK56’ V8 engine, so watch this space.
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