Nissan Patrol vs. Toyota Land Cruiser: Full-size SUV Big Test | Top Gear PH

Although we waited a while for Nissan to launch the all-new Y63 Generation Patrol it didn’t take long to arrive in the Philippines And now we finally have it for a proper comparison This is not a Toyota Motor Philippines marketing unit They have never had a marketing unit on the Land Cruiser There's no need to market a Land Cruiser —they sell themselves It's still going strong after four years but now we finally have one thanks to our generous donor We'll help you find the perfect premium SUV First a shout-out to Aaron's dad and of course to the Auto Complex for letting us film at their location But anyway this is Leander And this is Dinzo And this is The Big Test So we're now behind the wheel of the LC300 and both of these cars are powered by twin-turbo V6 engines The difference is here in the LC it's a 3.3-liter diesel engine While in the Patrol it's a 3.5-liter gasoline engine Interestingly torque outputs are identical—700 Nm But the LC produces only around 300 horsepower while the Patrol has over 100 more horsepower than the LC and the difference is obvious when you're driving There's just a bit more punch when you press the throttle but that alone doesn't mean better overall performance For me it's all about the overall driving experience Now my issue with the Patrol is that the twin-turbo takes a while to kick in It's almost irritating when you're stuck in traffic—it just feels a bit jerky with a noticeable delay before the power kicks in On paper it's better It's probably faster but this one just feels more responsive which is why I'm going to have to give the performance points to the LC300 Now when it comes to handling Actually it's a bit hard to say which of these SUVs handles better— probably because the oscillations in the Patrol just feel a bit more wobbly There's significantly more movement when you're inside the vehicle while driving compared to being here in the LC which is why this feels a bit more grounded You always feel certain about where your car is headed and which way it's pointing and it feels more stable in that respect So in terms of handling I guess I'll have to go with the LC300 Personal preference will play a major role in your choice between these two as they're so similar I'm about 5 feet 11 inches tall My knees are slightly bent when seated Leander isn't a tall guy but I could use a bit more legroom The front seat feels very spacious I think that's the seat for you if you 're on the larger side For some reason it feels stiffer than the Patrol I don't know what material Toyota is using but Nissan's zero gravity has already been proven Activate the LC Toyota so we can get a better feel for the ride and handling But I think the Patrol is more comfortable for most situations though this isn't bad This isn't bad When it comes to interior quality which do you think is better On reputation alone I'd say they're evenly matched I'd give the edge to build quality and technology Clearly the Patrol The startup sequence is stunning—both screens deliver that wow factor The Patrol feels more modern not just in the displays but in its overall look and airy almost polar aesthetic It feels more modern I would call the LC Cabin utilitarian luxury The Patrol which has about a couple of years' lead over the LC in terms of newness and freshness It appears to have embraced the luxury side of this segment more The full panoramic sunroof much like the Aliwalas But it's cozy and not bad at all I actually like the point you made about it being a utilitarian luxury—it makes a lot of sense So fuel economy 9.2 kmpl for the Land Cruiser diesel 6.5 kmpl for the Patrol gasoline The winner is obvious If you can afford a Patrol or Land Cruiser you're not too concerned about fuel prices But when it comes to this particular factor the Land Cruiser takes the lead Judging just by the front row and the interior you'll immediately notice which car comes with more extra features But let's begin with the similarities Both the Patrol and the LC feature wireless charging pads USB-C ports in the front and second row a large storage compartment beneath the center armrest and cooling functions But this one features a much larger compartment that can actually fit an almost 2-liter bottle Both of these also come with ventilated and heated seats And both feature drive selectors with all your controls conveniently located right here I appreciate that despite being newer SUVs they still include tactile buttons and physical controls Now as for the differences between these two First off there's a significantly larger sunroof here and it's a power sunroof with a power sunshade In the LC you simply pull it open and there it is Now regarding the displays So the LC true to Toyota's style features a large a seemingly outdated-looking head unit on the dashboard Meanwhile in the Patrol you get two large digital displays integrated into a single panel that looks significantly more stylish And the screens are sharper The display is easier to see And this features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Now this also includes a Klipsch premium audio system which is actually much better than the JBL in the LC So we heard from a friend of ours that you can actually add an amplifier of sorts A plug-and-play accessory that enhances the sound system in the Land Cruiser effectively unlocking the JBL sound system's full potential But right out of the factory this one is just so much better And don't take it from us Take it from Aaron who drives that LC a lot And he says this one sounds better too I guess one thing the LC 300 has that the Patrol doesn’t is the head-up display But I suppose if you've got screens this good right in front of you while driving you're not really going to bother looking for a heads-up display anyway When it comes to extra features I have to award the points to the Patrol When it comes to cargo I think the Land Cruiser takes the win—the floor is completely flat and even The Patrol is slightly lower and easier to get into but the floor has a slight incline Just a bit not too much I prefer the rear seat of the Patrol it's easier to get into But I can imagine the tan leather seats will get dirty more easily This offers a higher ground clearance lower seat or higher ground clearance which may imply better off-road capability but it's more practical If you're planning off-road adventures or trips to the provinces this option will serve you better It's more practical—remarkable to say for a car priced at Php 5.7 million So now we're going to begin the maneuverability test which might be the most demanding one yet as we'll be testing some of the largest vehicles we've ever handled So let's get started I already drove this route in the Land Cruiser earlier and now I'm in the Patrol It's actually just a bit wider than the Land Cruiser but the turning radius is improved Okay oh wow So the turning radius is better here in the Patrol and the steering is much lighter making it significantly easier to handle in tight spaces or urban environments The biggest advantage in the Patrol is the cameras and sensors You get a significantly better display here in the Patrol compared to the Land Cruiser which has a very VGA-quality camera Visibility is slightly improved in the LC thanks to the A-pillars The Land Cruiser's side mirrors are positioned a bit closer to the B-pillars or at least move a little farther this way So there's a gap here where you can see the cars or objects on my sides but aside from that it's so much more agile and far easier to handle in tight spaces And in any case you don't really need that kind of visibility when you've got cameras as good as these So yeah in this test it's a clear win for the Nissan Patrol All right So we're now down to our last test but before we continue just a quick disclaimer—I'm feeling a bit nervous So hassle you don't want it I can't do anything about it But anyway the LC stickers for a little over five point seven million pesos while the Patrol exceeds five million four hundred thousand pesos we're looking at over three hundred thousand pesos between these two And what do you think Sir Dinzo in terms of value for money It's not really the kind of category where value for money matters much That's true I'd hand it over to the Patrol To your point PHP 300 000 isn't that significant for this target market but it's still Php 300 000 and looks more premium the interior feels more luxurious thanks to the light-colored leather and it feels more open and airy—completely agree It also has a few extra features that the LC doesn’t have So it’s a bit tight but I’ve got to give it to the Patrol in this case So we're going to tally our test results now Let's start with handling and performance As I mentioned earlier the LC while not as powerful It actually feels more responsive and more stable especially since the Patrol exhibits significantly more oscillations when you're behind the wheel So I had to provide the LC with scores for handling and performance For both tests I gave it a 10.9 And Comfort you gave Patrol 10 points and 9 to LC Yeah it's just more comfortable in the second row The zero-gravity seats might be more comfortable and spacious So okay interior you also gave the Patrol 10 points and 9 to the LC It's just newer Just go ahead The startup is still fresh the two screens lighting up and displaying a graphic It really does feel more premium inside honestly Oo e Next up practicality You gave the LC the edge here The power third-row seats fold faster and lie completely flat May konti-angle yung Patrol Actually even if the Patrol has air suspension it's just to make loading stuff easier Even to me when we compare them side by side the difference doesn't seem that significant Yes it isn't Now regarding maneuverability I gave the Patrol 10 points and 9 to the LC—simply because the Patrol has lighter steering performs better in parking slots and features superior cameras Having large cameras is a big help when driving a big car The LC feels a bit narrower than the Patrol But wow the size of these cameras is really something With the 360 you can change the angles It makes navigating tight spaces much easier Additional features: I rated the Patrol 10 and the LC a 9 As soon as you step inside you immediately know what's new You have more screens larger screens even second-row screens in the Patrol But you mentioned kanina the LC has heated and ventilated seats Oh Then there's the LC also features a head-up display But as I mentioned earlier when you have screens as impressive as those in the Patrol You don't really need the HUD anymore Fuel economy is actually surprising Both of these vehicles have improved significantly over their predecessors But the gap is huge now People were saying LC2 used to be more economical back then because of diesel But Carlo kept insisting the LC2 actually guzzles a lot of diesel But now holy cow 9.2 kilometers per liter from the LC Light traffic in the city—very good I mean we could easily do two digits on the expressway The Patrol did 6.5 It's not funny kasi—the old Patrol gets only four less than that kilometers per liter in the city with such light traffic Massive improvement but the win still goes to the LC So yeah lastly value for money As we just mentioned we had to give it to the Patrol Smaller and more feature-rich So ten points to the LC nine to the Patrol The LC scored 85 points The Patrol scored 86 So the winner of this major test is the Nissan Patrol—by just one point It's that close And this isn't even an off-road-focused big test right now This is similar to on-road usage which is actually how most of the bike is used That's what we can do right now sorry PMP mag-activate na kayo The rain still pours hard storms upon storms Activate now prepare for one month Even just one month So I guess at least for this big test the Nissan Patrol comes out on top So