The Nissan Patrol is of the old guard; one of the most recognizable nameplates in 4x4 that can breathe the same air with greats like the Land Rover, G Wagon, Jeep, and its arch-nemesis: the Land Cruiser.

The latest generation of Patrol, however, has diverged from that trend and chosen on-road luxury over outright 4x4 capability (or even more than). Why? That’s where the broader target market will be. Nice as it is to go off-road, going on-road is more of a priority.

Is that the case? Let’s check out the Patrol Y63.

On paper, the Y63 is just slightly larger than the Y62 that we’ve known since 2010 by about 35mm in terms of length and width. But when you walk up to it, the Y63 seems much larger than the model it replaced. Perhaps it’s because of the long boxy wagon look and the massive wheels that give that impression, so much so that the Y63 wouldn’t look out of place at a Cadillac dealership if they added more chrome and changed the sharp new Nissan logo for the coat of arms of Detroit’s founding father.

Yes, it is imposing to look at. Commanding, even. You really would look like either a tech CEO, old money, or even a politician while aboard this. But, since the vehicle we got was white with the optional blacked-out pillars and roof, I was on the receiving end of jokes from my friends. No, I’m not driving a hearse around.

The Patrol isn’t a crossover SUV. This is still a true-to-tradition ladder frame SUV. That’s why there’s a need for those side steps, because those of us who are vertically challenged would find it useful when getting into the Patrol. There is a useful feature, though: the Patrol has the ability to drop itself because of the air suspension for easier entry and exit, but it’s still fairly high, especially for lolo and lola.

The suspension will be the key to the Patrol, though. Up until the Y61, the Patrol really only had solid axle suspension for off-road capability. Enthusiasts swear by the articulation of live axles front and rear when dealing with tough terrain, and if both have locking differentials, it’s manna from heaven. But from the Y62, Nissan ditched the live axle formula and went full independent.

The rationale is simple: independent suspension, where the opposite tire isn’t affected by the motions of the other, is (all things being equal, like spring rates and dampers) going to be far more comfortable than two wheels on a solid axle. As such, the Y62 and Y63 have better behavior on-road but still retain much of their off-road capability, whereas the Y61 and older generations will be more capable off-road but retain some on-road comfort, albeit fairly limited. It’s a change in philosophy, and it’s the smart choice: more customers desire on-road manners as opposed to off-road potential.

That also translates to how Nissan specced the interior. Nissan, as of late, has been really levelling up their interior design and quality, and the Patrol is an exemplar of that progress. Everything looks proper and opulent from the materials selected, the build quality, panel alignment, leather material quality, and so on and so forth.

The third row is fairly spacious and makes the Patrol ideal for those who have fairly large families, especially since this is an 8-seater; that means 3 can sit there. Visibility there is actually good, and the cushioning is great, even for long drives. And if you’re concerned about third row A/C, well, there are vents there on the ceiling.

Those who would want to use the Patrol as a limousine won’t be left wanting, though. Admittedly, we would have preferred individual captain’s seats or even relaxation seats (with the retractable leg rests), but this Y63 does have really comfortable couch-like seats in the middle. There are also two screens mounted on the backrests of the driver and front passenger seats, which, by the way, have the ability to mirror your phone display so you can enjoy your content there and use the Klipsch audio system.

You won’t be able to enjoy those rear screens while you’re driving, but you will be greeted by a very tech-forward cockpit in the Patrol. It’s a full digital display that they call “monolith” as the two main screens almost combine as one. Nissan also changed up the center control panel to house the A/C controls, ventilation for the seats, and the terrain select system that gives the Patrol the capability to adapt to the surface you’re going to be on.

There are neat details all around, like the sand dune pattern on the wireless charger, the cooler box beneath the armrest, and the really nice 360 camera system that Nissan has upgraded from the one they have been using on a lot of their models, but undoubtedly, it is the feeling of suppleness all around. The steering wheel is just great in the hands, and the same goes for all the brown leather all around.

I do think Nissan overdid it with the piano black; these are magnets for fingerprints and will make quite a few of us crazy wiping them down after every use. But by far, the most controversial thing here has to be the decision to go for a push-button transmission selector instead of a column lever, conventional console lever, or even a dial. It’s just odd, counterintuitive, and further reinforces the issue many would have with fingerprints.

So, how does the Patrol drive? As expected, it just gives you the feeling of power on the road.

Let’s be honest here: when a lot of people see a vehicle like a Patrol, Range Rover, G-Wagon, and so on, they tend to give a bit more space. Actually, we would contend that many motorists and riders steer further away from a Patrol rather than a Land Cruiser because the latter is a dime a dozen, and Patrol does have that fairly unique commanding presence.

There’s also the fairly light feeling of driving a Patrol. This is a behemoth of an SUV, but the engine responds well and quickly to inputs despite the fact that Nissan has downsized the engine from the thirsty (but powerful) 5.6L V8 gas to a 3.5L V6 gas. They did employ the help of two turbos to boost power to 431 PS and 700 Nm, and those numbers are very much at par with the V8, but I still miss the throatiness of the V8 engine.

There is an expectation of efficiency, but to be honest, there isn’t much of a difference there. Sure, a 9-speed automatic does help give the drive computer more gears to choose from to keep revs low, but there’s only so much you can do if you have to move almost 2.8 metric tons of a 4x4 vehicle along, and that’s before passengers. As such, the fuel economy we were getting was at about 9.5 kilometers per liter on the highway, and just a smidge over 4 km/l in the city. It’s still thirsty, and it begs the question of why Nissan didn’t see fit to bring out the e-Power system for the Patrol.

Of course, a Patrol customer won’t really care too much about fuel economy (except maybe if fuel scarcity becomes an issue), but what they will care about is ride comfort. As mentioned, the Patrol does have air suspension, and it has the ability to adjust height (albeit not override the computer, like if you want high ride height all the time) and adjust the damping for comfort (softer) or even for sport (firmer, for handling).

Now I had expectations from the Y63 of a ride that would be better than its predecessor, but that’s not what I experienced. What I found was that the Patrol did well on big bumps, like when you go over a speed bump (aka hump), but the suspension had trouble dealing with a constant stream of bumps and ruts. It’s not “absorbent” enough for my liking, and that’s in comfort mode. It’s not uncomfortable per se, but it just can’t live up to the expectation or even up to the Y62 I drove about a year prior that had standard steel coil spring suspension.

That was what I found surprising. When Nissan launched the Y62 in the Philippines 16 years ago as the Patrol Royale, we knew it foreshadowed what the Patrol was going to become: a luxurious vehicle that would have fully independent suspension for supreme comfort. And it did. But the Y63’s air suspension (from Continental, so we’re told) didn’t seem to perform as expected. Perhaps it’s because the Patrol was tuned and honed to suit places like the Middle East with smoother roads and soft sand instead of a rocky, muddy road.

Speaking of off-road, the Patrol did well on really slippery, muddy mountain roads that aren’t paved. The traction mode did do well to keep the Y63 on track despite having highway tires. We didn’t get on anything more extreme than that (unless we are at an event for specifically off-road driving), but we can tell this can move fairly easily, and the off-road high-ride mode does come in handy. But even on those rough, unpaved roads, I had to slow down significantly because it can get really bumpy. And also, I was a bit concerned about the large-diameter alloy wheels getting damaged.

So yes, the Patrol is a great vehicle for the expressway and very well equipped, but it needs some fine-tuning to meet the challenge of our bumpy roads to deliver the experience customers will expect of it. Granted, we are talking about a sample of one, and we didn’t load up the vehicle beyond two people on the road. However, the Patrol is expected to be comfortable as a limousine, which means only two people: the driver and the owner sitting in the middle row. The ride might need some adjustment for that fairly low payload.

Of course, if the vehicle gets upgraded with heavier armor, that may not be a factor anymore, but expect higher wear and tear. If it were me, I would spec the Patrol with standard suspension, offer a high spec (similar to this) and a simpler spec (no sunroof and rear screens), and drop the price from where it is now, at almost 5.4 million pesos.