The Nissan Patrol four-wheel-drive has been upgraded with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – making it one of the last few vehicles on sale in Australia today to get the smartphone mirroring technology.
By EFTM’s calculations the only cars without Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are the base model Suzuki Jimny GL manual three-door (the cheapest one in the line-up with black steel wheels and a basic AM/FM radio) and the Tesla Model 3 sedan and Tesla Model Y SUV (Tesla has shunned Apple and Android connectivity from day one).
Chinese car maker LDV has Apple CarPlay on all models but not Android Auto.
And until recently the base model Mitsubishi Triton single-cab two-wheel-drive “traffic controller” also lacked Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but that variant has been discontinued with the arrival of the new generation Mitsubishi Triton.
All MY24 (Model Year 2024, in car industry speak) versions of the Nissan Patrol – the Ti, Ti-L and flagship Warrior – will start to receive the upgrade as they arrive in Australia from this month.
The upgraded infotainment system for the Nissan Patrol Ti and Ti-L is a port fit accessory (before the vehicles are trucked to dealers) while the Warrior gets the upgraded infotainment system during its transformation by Premcar in Melbourne.
Unfortunately for current Nissan Patrol owners, for now there is no plan to make the kit available to retro-fit existing models.
Indeed, the MY24 Nissan Patrols have been configured at the factory to arrive in Australia without the standard infotainment screen (instead there is a blank piece of plastic).
This makes it easier to complete the port-fit upgrade (or Premcar in the case of Warrior) and eliminates waste of the original system.
The change coincides with other upgrades such as digital radio, USB A and USB C charge ports, a 15-watt wireless smartphone charging pocket, a switchable digital rear view mirror, and a chilled centre console.
The 10.1-inch screen also has the capacity for an integrated Hema Maps subscription, the highly regarded off-road navigation tool that plots remote bush tracks right across Australia.
Prices for each model have risen by $3000 to account for the upgrades, however the Nissan Patrol still undercuts the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series by a significant margin.
* RRP before on-road costs such as stamp duty, registration and any arbitrary dealer charges.
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Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, most of that time with Fairfax (The Sydney Morning Herald), News Corp Australia (Herald Sun and News.com.au), and most recently Drive.com.au (owned by Nine Media). He is also a World Car of the Year judge, has won numerous journalism awards, and test drives up to 200 cars per year.
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