For thirteen years the Nissan Patrol has been the cheap V8 answer to the Toyota LandCruiser. That story ended on 27 August 2026 when Nissan Australia priced the all-new Y63 Patrol from $98,990, dropped the V8 for a 317kW twin-turbo V6 and lifted towing to 3,700kg. The LandCruiser 300 has not stood still either: a 341kW performance hybrid now tops the range. If you are shopping for a full-size 4WD wagon for the caravan, the big lap or a large family, this is the decision. Every price and spec below was checked against Nissan Australia and Toyota Australia on 4 September 2026, with the pricing basis stated for each car, because Nissan quotes list prices and Toyota now only quotes drive-away.
Price, grade for grade
Nissan has published manufacturer list prices for all six Y63 grades, before on-road costs: Ti $98,990, Ti+ $109,480, Ti-L $122,690, Ti-L+ $134,690, PRO-4X $137,590 and Ti-L Reserve $145,990. Budget roughly $7,000 to $10,000 on top for registration, stamp duty and dealer delivery depending on your state, because a $100,000 car sits in the higher stamp duty brackets everywhere.
Toyota no longer publishes list prices for the diesel LandCruiser 300 grades, only postcode-based drive-away figures. Using Toyota's own configurator for Melbourne (postcode 3000) on 4 September 2026, the diesel range is GX $110,064, GXL $123,412, VX $135,928 and Sahara $153,904 drive-away. For context, Toyota's April 2025 range update listed the GX at $97,990 and the GXL at $110,820 before on-road costs, so the entry Patrol Ti and entry LandCruiser GX are within about a thousand dollars of each other on list price. The two performance hybrid flagships do have published list prices: GR Sport $156,060 and Sahara ZX $156,810 before on-road costs.
The way to read this is that the Patrol Ti matches the LandCruiser GX on price but carries far more kit, while the mid-range is where the gap opens. A Patrol Ti-L at $122,690 list lands close to a LandCruiser GXL drive-away, yet brings dual 14.3-inch screens, a 12-speaker Klipsch system, a head-up display and adaptive dampers. Toyota answers with a badge that holds its value like nothing else in the segment.
Engines: petrol V6 vs diesel V6 vs hybrid
Every Y63 Patrol uses the same 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6, drawn from Nissan's VR engine family, making 317kW and 700Nm through a nine-speed automatic. Nissan says that is 19kW and 140Nm more than the old 5.6-litre V8, with peak torque arriving earlier. There is no diesel and no hybrid, and Nissan has not yet published an Australian fuel consumption figure for the Y63.
The LandCruiser 300's core engine is the 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel V6, 227kW and 700Nm, through a ten-speed automatic, with a combined consumption figure of 8.9L/100km on the GX. Torque is a dead heat with the Patrol at 700Nm, and the diesel makes it low in the rev range where towing happens. Toyota's new i-FORCE MAX performance hybrid, offered only on GR Sport and Sahara ZX, pairs a 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 with a single electric motor for a combined 341kW and 790Nm, which is the most powerful LandCruiser ever built. Toyota is clear that it is a performance hybrid, not an economy hybrid, tuned for acceleration, towing response and off-road torque rather than fuel savings.
If you want a diesel, this is a one-car decision and the LandCruiser wins by default. If you want the most powerful car, the hybrid LandCruiser wins, but at $156,000 plus on-roads. In the $100,000 to $140,000 band where most buyers live, the Patrol's 317kW petrol V6 out-punches the 227kW diesel LandCruiser by 90kW at the same torque figure.
Towing and touring
The Patrol now tows 3,700kg braked with a Genuine Nissan towbar, 200kg more than the 3,500kg every LandCruiser 300 is rated for. On paper that is the Patrol's headline win for caravan buyers. In practice the number that decides whether you can legally tow a big van is gross combination mass and towball download, and Nissan has not yet published the Y63's GCM or payload for Australia. Until it does, treat 3,700kg as a promise rather than a plan, and check the towing guide before you sign for a 3.5-tonne van.
Both cars bring proper hardware. The Patrol has full-time 4WD with a 4H and 4L transfer case, an electronic locking rear differential and eight drive and terrain modes on every grade, plus trailer blind spot warning standard and a factory electric trailer brake controller on PRO-4X and Ti-L Reserve. The LandCruiser has full-time 4WD with a locking centre differential and low range on every grade, Multi-Terrain Select from GXL up, a Torsen rear limited-slip diff on Sahara ZX and front and rear lockers plus E-KDSS on the GR Sport.
The PRO-4X is the first off-road-focused Patrol grade Australia has had from the factory rather than from Premcar, and it brings adaptive air suspension that raises for approach and departure angles, all-terrain tyres and a unique front bumper. Nissan's air suspension also drops automatically above 90km/h and rises again below 70km/h. The GR Sport LandCruiser has been the benchmark for that job since 2021, and its full locking diffs are still a trump card on hard tracks. For remote touring the LandCruiser's dealer reach and parts availability across outback Australia remain the argument nobody has beaten, and it is a fair one.
Seats and cabin
This is a clean Patrol win. Every Y63 grade seats eight across three rows. The LandCruiser 300 seats five in GX, seven in GXL, VX and Sahara, and five again in the Sahara ZX and GR Sport flagships, so the most expensive LandCruisers are the least practical for a big family.
Inside, the Patrol runs dual 12.3-inch screens on Ti and Ti+ and dual 14.3-inch screens from Ti-L, with Google built-in, tri-zone climate, a 3D around-view camera with an invisible bonnet view and ProPILOT driver assistance standard from the base car. The LandCruiser's 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, and JBL audio from Sahara up are competitive, but the cabin architecture dates from 2021 and it shows against the new Nissan.
Warranty and running costs
Nissan backs the Patrol with its Nissan MORE program: five years unlimited kilometres as standard, extending to 10 years or 300,000km when serviced at a Nissan dealer, with roadside assistance to match, flat $499 services for the first five years and 12 month or 15,000km intervals. Toyota offers five years unlimited kilometres, extended to seven years on the engine and driveline with on-schedule servicing, and capped price servicing on the LandCruiser 300 for five years or 100,000km at $450 per service on Toyota's published figures, but on six month or 10,000km intervals, up to ten services in five years. That is twice as many workshop visits as the Patrol and around $4,500 against $2,495 over the same period.
Fuel is the wild card. The diesel LandCruiser's 8.9L/100km claim is achievable on the highway and it drinks the cheaper fuel at most regional bowsers. The Patrol's twin-turbo petrol V6 will be thirstier, and the Y62 V8 it replaces was a 14L/100km car in real use. Until Nissan publishes a figure, assume the Patrol costs more to run per kilometre and buy it for what you save up front and what you get inside.
Safety
The LandCruiser 300 carries a five-star ANCAP rating from 2022 and the latest Toyota Safety Sense suite across the range, with pre-collision braking, lane trace assist and road sign assist. ANCAP had not published a rating for the Y63 Patrol when this guide was written; Nissan has confirmed ProPILOT, trailer blind spot warning and the around-view monitor on every grade, so the hardware is there, but the rating is not, and it matters for fleet and family buyers.
Which one for the big lap
Buy the LandCruiser 300 if you want a diesel, if you are heading a long way from a capital city, or if resale value is part of the maths. The GXL is the grade to have: seven seats, Multi-Terrain Select and wireless charging, for about $123,000 drive-away in Melbourne. Read our LandCruiser 300 review for the long-form verdict on the diesel.
Buy the Patrol if you want eight seats, the most power under $150,000, a longer warranty and cheaper servicing, and you can live with petrol. The Ti-L at $122,690 list is the sweet spot, and the PRO-4X at $137,590 is the one we would take off-road. Just note that first deliveries are early 2027 and Nissan expects long queues for Ti and PRO-4X, so if you need a car this summer the LandCruiser is in stock and the Patrol is a deposit.
If neither fits, the market has moved underneath both. The GWM Tank 500 now offers a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel seven-seater from $65,990 drive-away with a 3,500kg tow rating, the LandCruiser Prado covers most touring jobs for around $30,000 less than a 300, and the Ford Everest remains the best-driving ute-based wagon. Our best seven-seat SUVs guide covers the family end of the market, and the Lexus LX is the LandCruiser 300 in a dinner suit if the Sahara is not enough.
CarTell verdict
The Patrol has stopped being the value V8 and started being the technology leader, and at $98,990 for an eight-seat, 317kW, 3,700kg-towing Ti it sets the price of the segment. The LandCruiser 300 answers with diesel, a five-star rating, outback reach and resale. On the numbers the Patrol is the better car for the money. On the things that are hard to put a number on, the LandCruiser is still the safe money. Read the Patrol pricing announcement and our order books story for the full grade walk, and check both manufacturers' sites before you sign, because Toyota's drive-away prices move with your postcode and Nissan's on-road costs have not been published yet.
Prices and specifications verified 4 September 2026 against nissan.com.au (Patrol pricing release, 27 August 2026), toyota.com.au (LandCruiser 300 build and price, Melbourne 3000) and pressroom.toyota.com.au (performance hybrid pricing, May 2026; range update, April 2025).
