My "New" Patrol - first impressions

[Tunja]

Well I picked up the Troll on the way back home from the rig, detour to PE and got picked up by Fanie - a gentleman and a scholar! I had bought it unseen but tested by a fellow 4x4 Community forum member and first impression It's BIG...... Fanie asked if I wanted to drive it back to his place but I politely declined the offer, I hadn't paid and insured it yet and wanted to see how he handled it - he made it look easy

Did I mention it's big? - much bigger than anything I've owned before and Fanie gave me the once around, I kicked the tyre's - pronounced them good and so armed with a map from Fanie I headed back to the airport to pick the wife up for the trip back to the Cape.

The wife says " I've never seen anything THAT big - I don't know if I can use it!" which intitaly hurt my ego some what but then remembering we were talking about the troll I agreed with her and chucked the two bags into the back which looked a bit lost in all the space.

Well proceeded to the petrol station and told the pump jockey to "Maak om vul" but got a bit of a shock when the counter went over the R1000 mark frantic call to Fanie and he first calmed me down and said there was a supply of blood pressure pills in the cubbyhole for moments like this - only joking So 113L later both tanks full and off we go. Fanie reckons I might get 6km / L if I drive like an old tannie...... Dankie Fanie and I did get 6km / L all the way home just by keeping to the speed limit. Happiness is

Being the Oyster festival in Nysna, we had booked into a hotel and spent the weekend driving around the garden route, the troll felt solidly planted on the road and the wife kept saying I was too close to the side of the road or the middle line and on the Sunday I just stopped in the middle of nowhere and told her to drive.....

Well, she just loved the side step to get into the troll, she really battles with the lifted XJ Jeep being a "bietjie kort" and off we went. Started off below 80kms /hr but soon got some confidence when she realised she was way higher off the ground then everyone else and I saw the ego monster enter her eyes..... She had mentioned she noticed even the other 4x4's parked next to us in the hotel lot looked way smaller than the troll Ah well women and their incessant urge for big things....

Having plotted ALL the petrol stations between PE & CT..... Just in case you understand we headed home on the Sunday battling into a serious headwind - must have been a 40-50km/hr that laid the grass almost flat, so drove at 90-100km / hr and still got 6km/L. Pulled into S/West around 3pm and the wife reckons the troll must have the most comfortable / best seats in any vehicle we have every owned and I've had a lot of vehicles - no numb bum at all!

So to say the least she is very happy with the troll and reckons if I take it to AD and mess it up she WILL be up for murder

We are looking forward to hitting the long road one of these days to Nam - can't wait!

[Tinus lotz]

Very cool man! Best way to enjoy a patrol is to drive one!

[Herrie]

Ek is bly dat jy die Patrol geniet en dat jou vrou ook gelukkig is!! Nou het ons nog fotos nodig

[ChristoSlang]

It's not easy to "mess up" a Patrol! You may mess up AD though

[ricster]

awesome bud !!!!

[Peter Connan]

Nice Ernest, enjoy it!

[Izak]

You have got the gift of writing and in my opinion if you like the Patrol this much after one trip, I think you may be a "Scholar and a Gentleman" as well. The size is something you get used to, and I hope you stand the comparison well where your wife is involved.

I drive a Citroen C1 that is the town car and parking is no issue, lots of space between the lines, and then on the day that I use the Patrol, it fills a parking, white line to white line. When you stop at a Toll Booth, something we in Gauteng are used to, in the other cars, you look up at the attendant , but in the Patrol you will look the attendant in the eye.

Enjoy the Patrol, they are just in another league.

[beast]

Dont let the petrol worry you. It is the same as when you go overseas and you start converting money every time you heve to pay for something. Driving a Patrol is just the best and why the guys go on about the petrol I dont know. Speak to other owners and then you find they have the same problem if you want to call it a problem. The Jeeps are heavy as well as the FJs. The real issue that you and your wife will appreciate is when you get to an offroad day. My wife is now so confident in the Patrols ability that she is becomming very non- chalant when we get to the difficult areas. She even laughs at vehicles that get stuck[ that is not nice]. Keep us posted and hope we see you soon.

[Tunja]

Thanks for the kind words guy's - have really enjoyed the troll so far, will post pic's when I get home again - was home only a 4 days after being away for a month and was called back offshore so....

Yep my XJ is only about 1-2 L /100kms cheaper on fuel so it's not an issue - not my daily drive.

Looking forward to getting the bashplates I've ordered and have heard I need to pick up some fleecy jackets as its a bit cold in the Cape at the moment - but freezing everywhere else

Glad you enjoyed the read!

[martyn]

Hi, went with my wife and daughter to Nissan training day on Saterday. Mrs and Miss drove and tought me how things are done . If you let your Mrs loose in AD she will REALLY fall in love with how easy the "trol" does things