[jamesrothwell]

Hi,

Back to this forum again after a long absence....
Sold my GU a long while ago and have since moved from UK to UAE.

I'm planning a bit of a road trip, not until late July/early August NEXT YEAR but I'm one of those people that needs to have everything worked out in their head.

The idea is drive from Dubai to Ulan Bator (Mongolia) and back in 8 weeks.
My route is just over 20,000km. Mostly driving on paved surfaces, a fair bit of offroad driving in Mongolia as not many actual roads. Some sand driving in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan and high altitude (4,500+ m) in Tajikistan over the Pamir Mountains on gravel roads.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAABFA/AomdnAaGGqQ/w910-h466-no/outbound.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAAABFQ/NevFXvt77YA/w881-h537-no/inbound.jpg

Looking to buy the vehicle to do the journey in the next 4/5 months (again, long time away I know) I actually had discounted the Y62 as I had decided that it would be a 200 series Landcruiser or if the budget wouldn't allow then a 150 series Prado. The only thing I don't like about the Landcruisers that I can afford is that I can only get the 4.0 V6 and not all of them have rear diff lock, if you can believe that. So I started looking at the Y62, I think it will do what I want it to do. Comfortable, powerful, great on road and off road, good range on the tank.

The only down side is that the car isn't sold in the countries that I will be going to. Is there anything that I should be bringing with me, spares etc, that are common items to wear/fail and once worn renders the vehicle undriveable?

I can't afford the 400bhp and 7 speed AT version, just the 320bhp one with the 5 speed AT gearbox. I've driven the 320bhp a few times and I thought it was plenty, hurtled around the desert up and down dunes in it and climbed to the peak of the highest mountain in this country in the same day. Although fuel economy wasn't a strong point, I put that down to the driving and on a cruise it should be fine.

Wasn't planning any mods, just put BFG AT tyres on it, would love some additional driving lights but no where to mount them.

Would really like to know your thoughts on anything I should in preparation, what I should bring with me, common things that go wrong, any limitations of the engine/gearbox (poor fuel?), any mods that would be useful.

I'm not loyal to any brand in particular. I've driven both the 320bhp Y61 and the 4.0 V6 200 series and I like them both. The entire time I had that Patrol not once did I get it stuck on the sand, where as I did get the 200 series stuck twice (I managed to free it once myself and the second one required a pull), now that might be because different days, different routes, perhaps I was concentrating more but I did feel the Patrol was easier to drive on the desert sand.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for reading!

 

[Trav_Patrol]

wow i had no idea the 200 series came out with a v6 overseas!
over here we only get the 400hp and 7 speed version, i don't think anyone has had any mechanical issues that i can think of, couple of minor electrical bugs like it holding gears on overtaking and the electric windows playing up, we do have a few members on here from the middle east though, they get all the different models and have had a few more years of them on the market too.

 

[jamesrothwell]

wow i had no idea the 200 series came out with a v6 overseas!
over here we only get the 400hp and 7 speed version, i don't think anyone has had any mechanical issues that i can think of, couple of minor electrical bugs like it holding gears on overtaking and the electric windows playing up, we do have a few members on here from the middle east though, they get all the different models and have had a few more years of them on the market too.

Yes, here we get the 200 series with the 4.0 V6 (auto or manual), 4.6 V8 and 5.7 V8. In most GCC countries the distributors don't bring the 4.5 diesel one apart from I believe Kuwait.

We over 100 views but so far nobody from this region has piped up with any advice or info.
Hopefully someone will sooner or later, especially would be useful to ask someone who has used a Patrol in places where the fuel quality isn't so good, the V6 in the Prado and 200 series seems to be okay with rubbish fuel, but being that the Y62 is designed for AUS/US/ME markets where fuel is generally quite good I wonder how well the engine stands up.

I'm not sure of the mechanical differences between the 400bhp version and the 320bhp, maybe it's just detuned so less stressed? Would love the 7 speed gearbox though, it's really nice.

 

[kyrgyznomad]

Just came over after your post on my thread and checked your route. Looks like a great run through Kyrgyzstan. If I'm not mistaken you're taking Kazarman pass toward Song Kul then heading out through Kegen? Very nice run! Let's grab coffee or something if you get a chance on your way through.

Also, a lot of parts are available here or in a short trip up to Almaty, Kazakhstan if you were to need them.

 

[DVG]

Your trip sounds bloody awesome, quite the adventure. How many of you going on this trip?

I live in the UAE and cover lots of miles in my Y62 LE (400engine and 7speed box). I reckon the car would go anywhere you wanted to point it. But so would the LC you are talking about. Some cars will do it more easy that others and I think it merely comes down to your preferences.

I have tried a range of the fuels available here and if you are here, you know we have varying levels of good to crap fuel. There is some difference with the power and limited range using the low quality fuels plus, you can hear a bit of pinging (pre-detonation).

Bang for buck; my choice would be the v8 patrol over a v6 LC. Prado for that trip, no thanks.

 

[DVG]

I'm not sure of the mechanical differences between the 400bhp version and the 320bhp, maybe it's just detuned so less stressed? Would love the 7 speed gearbox though, it's really nice.

The 320/auto version is the same config that has been used in the Armada and Titan for years, so I believe reliability has been well established. The 320/manual seems to be loved by all those I have spoken to that have one. The 400/7spd Auto has different heads and direct injection, which helps with the higher output and better all round performance.

 

[DVG]

Sorry for the multiple posts but doing this from my phone, so I go back to read your post again.

I am happy to discuss what parts I typically chew through. I am off-road virtually every weekend; off-road camping when I can; and some fairly rough roads through the back of Al Ain and Liwa.

 

[preacher]

Very exciting trip guys
good luck

 

[jamesrothwell]

Just came over after your post on my thread and checked your route. Looks like a great run through Kyrgyzstan. If I'm not mistaken you're taking Kazarman pass toward Song Kul then heading out through Kegen? Very nice run! Let's grab coffee or something if you get a chance on your way through.

Also, a lot of parts are available here or in a short trip up to Almaty, Kazakhstan if you were to need them.

I'm not sure of the names of the passes/roads, I just checked various maps and Google earth to see which roads looked like they have awesome views. Would be great if we could meet up, I'm sure you know a good place, which town are you living in?

Your trip sounds bloody awesome, quite the adventure. How many of you going on this trip?

I live in the UAE and cover lots of miles in my Y62 LE (400engine and 7speed box). I reckon the car would go anywhere you wanted to point it. But so would the LC you are talking about. Some cars will do it more easy that others and I think it merely comes down to your preferences.

I have tried a range of the fuels available here and if you are here, you know we have varying levels of good to crap fuel. There is some difference with the power and limited range using the low quality fuels plus, you can hear a bit of pinging (pre-detonation).

Bang for buck; my choice would be the v8 patrol over a v6 LC. Prado for that trip, no thanks.

Nice to find someone else in UAE! Yes, I agree both the Y62 and the 200 series are excellent, but I really prefer the extra power of the Patrol over the V6 200 series although the flip side of that is I was pretty amazed at the economy I was getting out of the Landcruiser, where as the Patrol hmm... Not so good but what do you expect, I took it all around the dunes on the Maliha Road towards Kalba, then cut across Fujairah into RAK and took it up to the very peak of Jebel Jais and then back to Dubai again, I think it was 28L/100km was the days average. But you know what driving on sand is like for killing economy.

There will be 2 of us the entire time in the car with a couple other people flying out enroute and joining us for 5 days or so, I don't expect the car to be filled to capacity or any need for a roof rack.

I quite like the Prado secretly, it's quite light and good power to weight ratio, decent range with the aux tank. But yeah, not my first choice. I really want to do this roadtrip and if that meant doing it in a Prado then I would do it because I had no choice.

The 320/auto version is the same config that has been used in the Armada and Titan for years, so I believe reliability has been well established. The 320/manual seems to be loved by all those I have spoken to that have one. The 400/7spd Auto has different heads and direct injection, which helps with the higher output and better all round performance.

I would love a manual SE but I don't think I will have the money for a new one and a year old one or so doesn't seem to exist but I will keep looking. I didn't realize it was the same unit as in the Armada/Titan, that's reassuring.

Sorry for the multiple posts but doing this from my phone, so I go back to read your post again.

I am happy to discuss what parts I typically chew through. I am off-road virtually every weekend; off-road camping when I can; and some fairly rough roads through the back of Al Ain and Liwa.

Yes would be great to know what wears through quickly or is prone to failing when offroad or even extended on road. I'm not expecting to be going through anything extreme on this roadtrip but corrugations worry me a bit as I really, really, really hate how they shake the car to bits, but for the snow/ice (potentially) in the mountains, the flat sands in the desert and the gravel/mud Russia and Mongolia I have a lot of confidence in a car like this, I'm not an expert but I do have a fair bit of experience and have learnt from numerous mistakes when driving offroad, and on for that matter.

By the way you mentioned you cover a lot of KM, I recently changed jobs and now am working in Abu Dhabi and still haven't moved house so everyday I'm driving from Mamzar to Mussafah!!

Very exciting trip guys
good luck

Thanks very much, it's something I've wanted to do for years and years. When I was living in the UK I was constantly on Euro roadtrips, think I've been to almost every European country by car apart from Portugal and Greece.

Thanks for the replies everyone!

 

[carlson]

Subscribed! Parts of your tour are on my planned route as well so I love to hear and see some details.

 

[jamesrothwell]

Subscribed! Parts of your tour are on my planned route as well so I love to hear and see some details.

Where abouts and when are you planning to do it?
I've done hours of research trying to find nice routes and interesting sites on the way. A big part of the fun for me though is the journey and the driving. A lot of people don't really get the joy of driving so far in a relatively short space of time.

 

[carlson]

Where abouts and when are you planning to do it?
I've done hours of research trying to find nice routes and interesting sites on the way. A big part of the fun for me though is the journey and the driving. A lot of people don't really get the joy of driving so far in a relatively short space of time.

I don't have a fixed date yet but it'll be quite a while until I start. Starting in Germany on a trip around the world.
I'm all in for the driving as well but of course my trip will be a little longer than 8 weeks.

 

[jamesrothwell]

I don't have a fixed date yet but it'll be quite a while until I start. Starting in Germany on a trip around the world.
I'm all in for the driving as well but of course my trip will be a little longer than 8 weeks.

Here's a question for you, I know it's an enormous area, maybe you have knowledge. Generally in Central Asia/Russia do folks use UHF radios, is there any point in fitting one for this journey?

 

[carlson]

Here's a question for you, I know it's an enormous area, maybe you have knowledge. Generally in Central Asia/Russia do folks use UHF radios, is there any point in fitting one for this journey?

Sorry I really have no clue. I'm going to fit a CB radio for sure don't know if Imll need it but it would be nice if you ride in a convoy or get stuck and someone outside needs to give you directions through a mobile without yelling.

 

[BigDutchy]

Hi mate, what a great plan!! Must be awesome!

I might be wrong and to be honest I have no idea about the countries you will be crossing but
you stated that you will only get some AT's or did I miss a bit...
Are you not looking at some front protection. The cars you are talking about are really great and will do the trip, no problem but there is a lot of stuff in the front that can be damaged. A bull bar might offer some protection.

Cheers

 

[jamesrothwell]

Hi mate, what a great plan!! Must be awesome!

I might be wrong and to be honest I have no idea about the countries you will be crossing but
you stated that you will only get some AT's or did I miss a bit...
Are you not looking at some front protection. The cars you are talking about are really great and will do the trip, no problem but there is a lot of stuff in the front that can be damaged. A bull bar might offer some protection.

Cheers

I wouldn't find fitting a different bumper but they don't seem common here and I'm not sure about the issues with registering a car with a modified bumper on it, I have to register in Abu Dhabi and they're a bit funny about mods even worse than Dubai sadly. Although nothing to stop me fitting it after registration and then putting it back to standard but that involves a lot of work.

For sure it's a great plan, does all hinge on money though of course, let's hope 2015 goes as planned (or better!) for us all.

 

[hedonist222]

Such an inspiratonal plan.

Id focus on really taking care of the air filter.

Clean it often and youll have a smoother trip. Not that theres any inherent problem but a clean filter makes for a happy car.

Also, if you do get a Patrol. Skip the City bumper.

Its useless offroad.

Ive scraped and bumped mine tons offroad. Its more for looks.

The Patrol is a beast.

I havent taken it on such long trips but im certain youll be fine.

Its been released in most of Asia by now, so you wont have any issues getting it looked at at major Nissan service centers.

I know its been in Russia (and former Russia) countries for years now.

ive asked a friend regarding the UFH. He'll get back to me.

But i know you need a license to operate it in the UAE. A friend has his confiscated at the border once for being unlicensed/unregistered. But hes a local. Expats passing through will probably be exempt.

 

[hedonist222]

https://www.google.ae/url?sa=t&rct=...D_-U6FFnofohiYFdw&sig2=1_E5wp2EKvPU0pTJ4LdWEA

 

[jamesrothwell]

Thanks for that link, very useful. I wouldn't install it for use here in UAE anyway, as we have cell phone coverage pretty much everywhere but I thought for overlanding it might be useful if others have them installed to find directions, road conditions, etc but obviously language will be a barrier.

For sure I will clean the air filter regularly, as you can really get a lot of grit and sand in there even after just one day off road.

I don't think we get the 'City' bumper here, maybe we do on the LE Platinum model but I can only afford an SE model which I'm sure will have the basic bumper, something I will look out for though.

I'm hoping that despite the length of the trip that I won't loose more than 3 days due to any mechanical failure, any more than 3 days unexpected downtown and I will have to forgo extra days planned in cities that I had hoped to spend time in. I have confidence that nothing will go terminally wrong with it, bound to get a flat or two on the road and perhaps some issues with low quality fuel but assuming I don't crash it or inflict damage to it myself then I should be fine, I hope!

I've pretty much decided that a Y62 is the vehicle I will get, unless a 200 series falls into my lap at an unfeasibly cheap price or my budget won't allow for a Patrol.

It will be a good journey I think, a lot of people tell me it's stupid to have a 'holiday' that involves that much driving but for me the journey is more fun than a lot of the destinations and there's no better way to travel than by a big, capable and comfortable 4x4.

 

[hedonist222]

Actually, the city bumper is installable on all models. I know people with SEs who got the city installed. Something to look out for.

My 2013 (or 2012?) has 130 thousand km on it today. Not a single mechanical failure.

One issue I have (but never got round to fixing) is my GPS system.

It'll show me that I'm in random places.
Sometimes it'll show me as being in the middle of the Arab Gulf, sometimes in the Empty Quarter.

What I suggest you do is learn how to reset the GPS system. I don't think I have a faulty unit.

I think it needs to simply be great or re-calibrated.

I'm certain the service center manager can show you how.

But I don't know if the installed map covers your route. Another thing to look into.
Perhaps you can get Nissan of Turkmenistan or India to supply you with the software map.

Also, I'd provision some fuel (at least 100 liters) in your storage. Just in case.
The tank capacity is approx 110 liters.