The Nissan Patrol is an enormous seven-seater 4WD SUV and my daughter was super excited when we were offered it to test for the week because it has DVD player screens for the second-row passenger in the back of the front headrests! So after a trip to the library for special DVDs for the occasion, we were set to find out how good it was as a BabyDrive…
I found the interior of the Nissan really spacious and it was surprisingly very nice inside compared to most big off-road vehicles. It has a lot of fantastic family-friendly features too, like the chilled esky in the central console with a lid that opens in both directions so that both front and rear passengers can open it.. genius!
Storage throughout the Patrol is great. There are cup holders in all three rows and ample space in the door bins and map pockets for headphones and iPads o be stored.
The DVD screens for second-row passengers are also a luxury to have in here.
There are air vents in all three rows of seating in the ceiling above the windows, which is so necessary in seven-seaters.
There are three top tether anchorages in the Nissan Patrol; one on the back of each of the second-row seat backs and one in the third-row seat back on the driver's side, meaning I was able to install three child seats. There was ample legroom with rear-facing child seats installed in the second row for a 182cm or taller driver.
BUT it was not straightforward as the top tether anchorages in the second-row are SO DIFFICULT to access. You need to climb through the boot to access them, which means putting the third-row seats down but when the third-row seats are folded, the top tether anchorages are then hidden below them and you can't access them. It was a very frustrating process.
I also found when installing the third-row child seat you have to be careful with the type of child seat you choose because with most I tried there was very little legroom.
Only with the Kid Guard Pro booster seat was there enough legroom for a child to sit there.
Boot space in the Nissan Patrol is excellent and with all seven seats in use I could still get all types of pram and stroller in the boot and a twin stroller fitted with three shopping bags.
The media system does let the Nissan Patrol down slightly as it is quite basic and doesn't have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and there are a lot of buttons on the dash below the screen that are integrated into the touch screen on most modern cars.
I forgive it this however because I found I was able to listen to my own music in the front of the car while my daughter watched her DVD in the second row… heaven!
The reversing camera visuals are quite small for such a big car but you do get different camera angles, which is good, and you can mute the parking sensors easily with a button on the screen.
The Nissan Patrol is a guilty luxury to drive! It doesn't have that tractor like feeling that most cars of this size and capability do. It is smooth and pretty quiet and very comfortable.
The Nissan Y62 Patrol has not been ANCAP safety rated. It has six airbags as standard including side curtain airbags that extend to the third-row. There are pre-tensioner seatbelts in the front seats only.
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How big is the boot of the Y62 Nissan Patrol?
The Y62 Nissan Patrol has an enormous boot. When you are only using five seats, it fits 22 shopping bags! That's the same as the Infiniti QX80, two more than the Lexus LX450D and four more than the Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series.

When you are only using five seats the Mountain Buggy Duet twin stroller fits with 14 shopping bags.

When you are only using five seats the Britax Flexx tandem stroller fits with 15 shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
When you are only using five seats the Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle single stroller fits with 14 shopping bags beside it.

When you are only using five seats the Mountain Buggy Nano compact stroller fitted with 18 shopping bags beside it.

Or you could fit an extra-large dog in there!

When you are using all seven seats the boot space is still excellent, fitting eight shopping bags.

Because of the height of the boot, the Mountain Buggy Duet twin stroller fits with three shopping bags.

The Britax Flexx tandem stroller fits with two shopping bags.

The Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle fits with three shopping bags.

The Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle single stroller fits with four shopping bags.

Or an extra small dog.

The boot floor is flat, which is good for an emergency nappy change. There is a 12V socket on the left side and bag hooks on both sides.

There is a shallow storage area under the boot floor too.

How good is storage inside the Y62 Nissan Patrol?
Storage is very good throughout the cabin of the Nissan Patrol; there are two cup holders in the central console that will hold a reusable and disposable coffee cup and a selection of small storage wells behind them that are good for coins etc and there's a 12V socket in there too. There's also another well behind the gear lever which I found was the only convenient place for putting my phone in when I had it plugged into the USB socket to charge.

There are two USB and a 12V socket on the central console.

The central console storage box is a really good-sized chilled esky which I found really useful and the lid opens from both sides, making it easy to access from the front and second-row seats which is sooo practical. I love it!

The glove box is a nice size too and I could get my wallet in there with the manual and some DVDs for the rear media screens.

There is a lined glasses case in the ceiling and lit vanity mirrors in both front visors. The visors are extendable, which really helps with blocking sun from the side windows.

The door bins in the front are long and will hold a large refillable water bottle.

In the back, the door bins are smaller but will still easily hold a large refillable water bottle and wallet or headphones.

There are nice big map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold and conceal an iPad.

In a fold-down armrest in the central seatback are two cup holders. They would hold my new reusable Luxey Cup and a disposable coffee cup fits in there too.

In the third-row there are two cup holders on both sides. They would hold my new Luxey Cup, a disposable coffee cup or my large refillable water bottle fit in them too.

BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the Y62 Nissan Patrol?
The Nissan Patrol is a surprisingly smooth and quiet BabyDrive, it is unusual for such a large and capable 4WD to not be tractor like and noisy.
The media system in the Nissan Patrol is relatively basic and easy to navigate. It doesn't have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

There are so many buttons on the dashboard that it is VERY confusing and you'd be forgiven for not finding the one you are looking for!!

There are DVD player screens in the back of both front headrests which I found fabulous to keep our daughter entertained for our week of driving. They come with a remote control and two sets of headphones but the best part is I could control the screens individually from the front media screen. I could also listen to my own podcasts and music in the front while the kids listened to their own entertainment in the back.

The reversing camera image is quite minimal for such a big car but you do get to choose between views and you can turn the parking sensor sound off with a button on the screen which is excellent.

The Sat-Nav in the Nissan Patrol is really nice and simple to use and to programme in your destination.

The indicators are nice and quiet in the Nissan Patrol too and wouldn’t disturb my sleeping baby.
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
The doors and windows of the Nissan Patrol open and close really nice and quietly which is surprising in a big car like this, they can both be locked from the driver's door control panel. You can come to a stop with the engine still running and get out of the car without sounding any alarms.

Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!
So this is a very important test as I have found that sometimes I have been held hostage by a cars BEEEEPING alarms when I have taken off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine is still running!! (I only stand outside the car, I am not a bad mother!!)
The Nissan Patrol is really nice and quiet to drive, which is so surprising for a big offroad seven-seater SUV, most of the competitors have loud tractor like engines and feel like that to drive too but the Patrol was actually very smooth.

There is a seatbelt removal alarm and display in front of the steering wheel.

There is also blindspot monitoring which is a beep warning but the Patrol does not feel like a noisy car to drive, I think because the road and engine volume is so good.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the Nissan Patrol ?
This is where Nissan has made a mistake with the Patrol!
There are two sets of ISOFix points, one pair in each of the outer second-row seats. They are not within plastic guides but are nice and easy to connect to.

The Patrol has three top tether anchorages; one in each of the outer seat backs of the second-row and another anchorage in the third row on the driver's side seat back.

The two top tether anchorages in the back of the second-row seats of the Patrol are really far down at the bottom of the backrests and the only real way to access them is through the boot.

BUT, when you put the third-row seats down to get to them through the boot, the folded-down seats cover the top tether anchorages so you can't access them. It is a frustrating predicament.
I found the best way was to raise and lower the third-row seats alternately to get in and attach the top tether straps but it really is much more complicated than it needs to be and climbing in and out of the third-row seats through the boot is not ideal either.

I also discovered that when fitting a child seat in the third-row seat you need to be careful which size seat you are fitting. I found the Maxi Guard Pro for example would not allow any legroom for the occupant.

But the Kid Guard Pro booster seat, for example, would allow good legroom.

In terms of space, I could easily fit two child seats in the second-row seats, either forward-facing or rear-facing. With rear-facing child seats installed, a 182cm passenger easily sat in the front and a 170cm passenger in the third-row. I could easily travel between two child seats fitted to the outer second-row seats.
But I did have to uninstall a child seat in order to access the third row.
Posting bub into their child seat from outside and inside the Nissan Patrol is really nice and easy because it is so spacious inside and the door openings are lovely and wide.
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
There is plenty of room to feed bub in the back if you only have one child seat installed.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the Nissan Patrol? And How good is the Nissan Patrol to drive?
In the front of the Nissan Patrol, the seats are very comfortable, they are ENORMOUS seats! I usually like quite small and hugging seats, these are the total opposite and are like an incredibly comfortable armchair instead! They are black leather with perforated central panels, which means they are harder to wipe clean and child crumbs and detritus get into the little holes.

The front seats are heated and cooled which is excellent and I made full use of them but the controls for it are so small for it they are hard to use when driving because you can't be sure whether you have actually turned them on or not.

I found I couldn't have a ponytail in the driver's seat.
I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!
For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the seats are super comfortable and I found I could easily sit in the central seat, there is so much seat space and legroom.

There is a low hump in the central footwell, which I found fine to rest my feet on or straddle.

For the first year of Tulsi’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Tulsi so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
In the third-row the seats are big and comfortable, they had plenty of head and legroom for me at 162cm and I think you would fit very comfortably up to 170cm passenger on a long journey.

The steering wheel was fully electronically adjustable in/out and up/down.

Cruise control is not that accurate in the Nissan Patrol, especially on slower, undulating roads where it really races away from the set speed. There is also no digital speed display in the Patrol which I found it really frustrating because I had less accurate indication of when the cruise control automatically slowed the car down or sped up. This makes it difficult with speed cameras too, compared with most cars that have digital speed displays nowadays.
The cruise controls are on the right side on the steering wheel and are lovely and simple to use.
There are four large, vertical air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; two central ones and one at either end.

There are ceiling air vents for both rear rows of seats, above both rear windows, which is excellent for all rear passengers in the Australian climate. There are also handles for both rear seating rows too which is great for hanging toys from.

The controls for both the front and rear aircon are within the media screen, they are nice and easy to reach and use while driving.

There are also controls in the back of the central console box for the rear aircon but you can overide this from the front.

The rear interior lights are located next to the airvents along the side of the ceiling above the rear windows. I could reach one side to turn it on or off from the driver's seat while driving!
I have found Tulsi does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.
Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!
It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.

Visibility in the Nissan Patrol is good because the windows are so big. For both forward and rear-facing passengers the higher seating position and large windows give a great view out. I did find with the Nissan Patrol it is so big that you do need to park it strategically because it completely fills a paking space so you have to make sure you can open your door once it's parked!
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Tulsi has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, the Nissan Patrol FILLED the parking space so it was tricky to park.
Aesthetically the Nissan Patrol looks and feels like a guilty luxury to have such a large, luxury and capable SUV with so much interior space.
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
How safe is the Nissan Patrol?
The Nissan Patrol has not been ANCAP safety rated, which seems crazy!
The Patrol has six airbags as standard including side curtain airbags that extend to the third-row. There are pre-tensioner seatbelts in the front seats only.
As standard, all models of the Nissan Patrol come with intelligent around view monitor with moving object detection, vehicle dynamic control (VDC) including traction control system (TCS), anti-lock braking system (ABS), and electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), hill descent control (HDC) with on/off switch and hill start sssist (HSA), intelligent cruise control (ICC), forward collision warning (FCW), intelligent distance control, lane departure warning (LDW), intelligent lane intervention, blind spot warning (BSW), intelligent blind spot intervention, intelligent brake assist (IBA), tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Tulsi’s asleep!
Hi I’m just curious if Nissan advised the three anchor points in the second row are legal? I am seeing a lot of comments on social media pages saying the middle seat isn’t legal in Australia due to it being off centre and that people are having to pay to have another anchor point installed/certified
Nissan haven’t been any help, even the dealership we purchased our 2013 Patrol from couldn’t tell us if it was legal.
Thankyou!
Nissan advised us it’s not officially an anchorage, per the note at the top of the article.
Did you need any teather extensions on the maxiguard pro to fit into the patrol?
I think forward facing seats were ok without, rear facing you would need one.