If you’ve ever been in a city car around a full-size SUV, you’re probably familiar with having all your sun stolen by the mountain of a vehicle next to you. Well, the world’s first Nissan Patrol Y62 (the extremely close sibling of the North American Armada) 6×6 does just that to the factory model. Then again, this custom contraption wasn’t built for urban dwellings, as it’s a part-truck-part-camper instead.
Before we get up close and personal with the overlanding nature of this creation, allow us to remind you that the current, second-generation Nissan Armada shares its Y62 platform, wheelbase included, as well as its 5.6L VK56DE N/A V8 and 7-speed automatic with what the sixth-gen Patrol that’s so popular in Japan, the Middle East and, of course, Australia.
Back in 2016 when Nissan North America introduced the Gen 2 Armada, it decided to keep the costs in check and boost refinement, which is why the Gen I Armada’s Titan pickup platform was shunned in favor of the said architecture. As with its predecessor, the current Armada is a body-on-frame offering with all-around independent suspension.
The 6×6 camper transformation goes deep
With that out of the way, we can focus on the extensive conversion of this Y62 Patrol, which was covered by Australian specialist Ontrack 4×4.
The chassis has been extended by 350 mm (inches) in the middle, between the first and the second axle. And while we’re on this topic, we should mention that the third axle is a carbon copy of the (factory) second one, which means we still get an independent setup.
However, the suspension has been heavily upgraded (e.g., dampers, control arms, air springs at the rear, etc.), as demanded by the not-subtle scale footprint increase: the machine went from 2.7 to 4.3 tons (5,950 to 9,479lbs).
The vehicle now rides on Fuel wheels that come in a 20×9-inch size and are shod in Mickey Thompson Baja Boss 37-inch tires, which demanded upgraded mudguards. This means that you can take pretty much any path toward your desired camping location.
And once you reach that destination, you’ll be able to use the rooftop tent, plus a generous list of amenities. We’re looking at a Bushman fridge, a pantry with an induction cooker, a generous water reservoir, and even a place for firewood, among others.
A supercharged adventure vehicle
As for when you wish to get moving again, you should know that the factory VK56VD 5.6L V8 has been gifted with a Harrop Engineering supercharger, with the only possible concern probably being that the fuel tank has kept its standard capacity of 140 liters ( 37 gallons).
The V8 now breathers through a pair of 5-inch snorkels, while the added real estate of the build means this got a side pipe with twin exits! Hey, everything is super-sized on this behemoth, even the winch.
As for the interior, the project kicked off with the Ti-L superior trim level, but the specialist still added a larger infotainment screen up front, two additional screens at the back, and redid the seats, which now sport a sharp-pattern leather finish.
Oh, and there’s a bit of Mazda in the world’s first Y62 Patrol 6×6, which you can guess without having to zoom in on the details, be they technical or not.
The all-professional look of this conversion commends respect, but if you’re more into an open-bed like the one on this 2022 Toyota Tundra 6×6, we get it.
