Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Has anybody done the Faces trip? I have a GRX 4.8 Automatic 2010 model. I was disappointed with the fuel consumption on this trip and would like to see if anybody else has done it so we can compare.

Andrew, that trip is on my bucket list, but not in my budget.

However, I have seen with the Auto patrols that how you use the gearbox can make a huge difference in consumption in sand. You need to change to low range early to prevent the torque converter from slipping and eating your fuel. It also helps with gearbox oil temps and thus life.

I have a 4.8 grx too please give us some more info so we can look at it?
There is a lot of things that can make ur feul go less or more
what tire pressure
what load were you carrying ?
Did you stay in auto
did you drive behind other people

Interesting on the low range comment, I was keeping it in high range as must as possible as I thought it used less fuel in high range. I did change it to low range alot as it was needed. This was maybe a big mistake ?

- It is a guided trip to you are not making the path the guide is.
- Tyre pressure 0.8 with the tyres warm so I guess it was about 0.6 cold.
- I never drive in auto when 4x4ing, normally I put it in manual 3rd but on this trip I was changing down to 2nd and even 1st alot as it is demanding in the sand.
- Was loaded I had three in the car, you have to carry everything except food, you also have to carry all your required water (including shower water) I had a 40l tank on the roof rack and I guess about 15l in the car for drinking, each car has to carry a further 20l for the kitchen. I only got rid of the 20L at the end of day 3.
- Fuel, you have to carry fuel for about 550 km so I had a further 5 jerry cans on the roof rack which I decantered as fast as I could, basically at lunch times and at the end of the day.
- Their advice is to calculate on 2.8 l/km for the big petrol engines, so I carried the 135L onboard and a further 100L on the roof rack this gave me a total of 235. Multiply that by the 2.8 I thought I had 658 kms.
- I noticed my consumption was worst than the 2.8, I limped into Windhoek well into reserve and was dreading running out as that would have meant getting towed in by a cruiser.
- We did 493 km in total and I used 221l of fuel this gave me a consumption of 2.23 l/km, you can see what I mean.
- As was the only Patrol on the trip I had nobody to compare with, however there were 2 cruisers 100 GX's manuals. The one used 2.6 l/km and the other 2.8l/km.
- So I am wondering if something is wrong with my Patrol or if this consumption is normal?

It is an expensive trip, I have also had it on my list for many years. However when you see what you get is is worth it. Two guided vichels with three guides come with. Thay also provide all the food which was lekker, for a change instead of spending much of the evening preparing food and washing up you had quality time once your tents were up. The trip its self, you forget all about the costs after the 1 km into the trip. A must do.

Your patrol has n low range for a reason I gess 5 gear low range will be pretty much the same as 3 in high . Your torque converter ate up your fuel and the driving in hot sand with the load must have eaten up your feul .you would have been the same as the oosers or better . I got 3.3 doing similar sand work in botz and moz . The trick is to keep ur revs up at mabe 2000rpm and drive with a light foot.i found my snorkel made a big diff.

Andrew, on a trip to Bots last year there were four Patrols in the group. My 4.2 petrol (Manual), a 4.8 Auto, a 4.5 Auto and a 3l TDI auto. There was also a Hyundai terracan Auto and a manual Hilux.

In the mud of the Moremi (we arrived in the rain) and the sand of the Savuti area, the two manual vehicles returned fuel consumption similar to what they give in town/traffic. All four the autos initially returned consumption 20-25% worse than normal.

The situation did improve considerably when they started using low range to keep the revs up so that the torque converters did not slip, and also when the drivers started driving more smoothly rather than trying to keep an exact following distance in the convoy.

So while autos are much easier to drive in thick sand, they do carry a penalty ITO fuel consumption under these conditions, and comparisons with manual cars under these conditions are in my view unfair.

Doing ther "FACES" trip with URI now in July -- Prado still "Waiting for parts from Toyota [laat EEN bliksem weer vir my se Tyota parte is oral beskikbaar ... ]

ALDUS - I had to get something else to go with __ PATROL GQ [manual] came home yesterday]

Will let you know what the fuel [is] was ... or are ??

I did the Luderitz to Walvis trip a couple of years ago with my Colt Rodeo 3L and the next year a trip through Botwana which included thick sand driving from Chobe through Savuti and Moremi with the same vehicle. My loads were similar but although the Botswana (sand) trip part is heavy on your consumption it's no comparison to the Namib dune's driving (re consumption) - Although you drive a lot with momentum and equal revs for a substantial part in the Namib you have to drop and accelerate a lot due to the dune surface and route the guides take - which in turn just eats up a lot of fuel. We had the saying that if you are nervous to see your rev counter going towards (and sometimes even in) the red rather put a sticker over it. Those dunes are huge and needs a lot of revs to clear - I did quite a bit of overlanding and 4x4ing but this trip really makes one appreciate the pounding these vehicles can take.

What is very true on the other hand is what Peter and Tinus said re low range - you will definitely save fuel keeping it in low range rather than high range and trying to keep the revs as far as possible on the same level - But boy o boy with all that power its a blast !!

This is just a absolute must do trip. Rob a bank, sell the wife's rings .... do whatever it takes - you won't regret it.

I must keep the low range in mind, I did have it in low alot as soon as it got stressfull I switched it over on one day it was in low range for almost the complete day. What I never did was keep the revs up and used all 5 gears by the sounds of it I should not go higher than 3. I still think the average comsumption of 2.3 is a hard pill to swollow.

The auto did make driving in the sand a pleasure I never got stuck once. You do get better and better each day and afer awhile it becomes a dawdle.