Denza B8 vs Nissan Patrol

As of 2026 the seven-seat Denza B8 7S opens at $99,586 driveaway, under the eight-seat Nissan Patrol Ti at $105,408. The six-seat B8 6S at $107,135 sits between the Patrol Ti and the $117,483 Ti-L. For the money the Denza hands you far more power, a five-star rating and a plusher cabin. What the Patrol holds is the thing a discount cannot buy a new brand: a proven driveline and a resale record. Then running costs tilt the Denza's way again, with longer service intervals and plug-in efficiency. Charge it and the B8 is the cheaper car to own; if certainty matters more, the Patrol earns its premium.

It does, which is the figure most buyers do not expect. The B8's 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine works with a motor on each axle for a combined 425kW and 760Nm, against the Patrol's 298kW and 560Nm from a naturally aspirated 5.6-litre V8. That is 127kW and 200Nm the Denza's way, from less than half the engine capacity, and it shows in a claimed 4.8 seconds to 100km/h the heavier Patrol cannot approach. The Patrol's reply is character, the atmospheric V8 soundtrack electric torque never reproduces. On outputs the challenger wins clearly; on the way it sounds getting there, that is a matter of taste.

On the headline they match: both tow 3,500kg braked and 750kg unbraked. The difference is the weight behind it. The Patrol pairs a 7,000kg gross combination mass with a 2,786kg kerb weight, so more of its roughly 714kg payload survives once a heavy van is hitched, and it publishes a 350kg tow-ball rating. The B8 has a slightly higher 7,174kg gross combination mass, but its 3,290kg kerb weight spends a 702kg payload faster near the limit. Both will pull a big van. The Patrol leaves a little more legal headroom for people and gear; the B8 answers with more gross mass to play with.

The Denza B8 carries a current five-star ANCAP rating, scoring 86 per cent adult occupant, 95 per cent child occupant and 78 per cent safety assist. Worth knowing, the rating drew on crash-testing the smaller Denza B5 plus extra front-end testing on the B8, which returned a 75 per cent vulnerable-road-user score. The Nissan Patrol has no ANCAP rating at all, because its platform predates current testing. It is not short of kit: autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and a 360-degree camera are standard. But buyers who treat a star rating as non-negotiable should know the Patrol does not have one.

Close to it. Nissan Australia has confirmed the current 5.6-litre V8 Y62 Patrol ended production in August 2026, with final stock filtering through dealers afterwards and an all-new generation switching to a twin-turbo V6. Order books for the replacement are open, with first customer deliveries expected early in 2027, so there is a window where the V8 is finishing and the V6 has not yet landed. Demand through the run-out ran hot. If a naturally aspirated petrol V8 four-wheel drive is the point for you, this is one of the last chances to buy one new. The Denza, by contrast, is at the very start of its life here.

The Patrol Ti seats eight across three rows, stepping to seven in the Ti-L, where the Denza B8 offers seven seats in the 7S or six captain's chairs in the 6S. For maximum headcount the Patrol wins. On measured boot volume the Denza is the one with published figures in our data: 147 litres behind the third row, opening to 920 litres folded. Nissan does not quote a comparable single boot figure for the Patrol in our data, so we will not put a number on it here. Both are genuinely large wagons. If a guaranteed eighth seat matters, the Patrol has it; if captain's-chair comfort appeals, the 6S answers.

The B8 arrives well armed on paper: 310mm of maximum ground clearance, 890mm of wading, a locking rear differential on every grade and a locking front diff added on the 6S, plus terrain modes. The asterisk is an electronically controlled low-range rather than a traditional transfer case, and 3,290kg to haul uphill. The Patrol counters with a mechanical dual-range transfer case, a rear locker, selectable drive modes and a reputation among four-wheel drivers for proven, repairable capability, with the Premcar Warrior adding a wider track and all-terrain tyres. The Denza tours brilliantly on its electric torque; the Patrol holds the hardware pedigree when the track turns technical.

This is where the Patrol's age becomes an asset. Nissan has sold the Patrol in Australia for decades, with a dealer and parts network reaching deep into the bush, which matters when you stop far from a capital city. Denza is BYD's premium brand and brand-new here, so it has no local resale record yet and a smaller, growing service footprint, leaning on BYD's dealers for support. The Australian press is consistent: the B8's value and engineering are real, but the unknown-marque and resale question is a genuine risk rather than a dealbreaker. If certainty of ownership leads your brief, the Patrol has the runs on the board; back the hardware and warranty, and the Denza makes its case.

It splits by what you value. If you will charge it most nights, the Denza B8 is the smarter daily and family buy: more power, a five-star rating, a loaded cabin and far lower running costs, for less money up front, with the 6S the pick for its front locker and captain's chairs. If you tow long distances into remote country, the Patrol's proven driveline, cleaner tow-and-carry maths and dealer reach still win out, and the eight-seat Ti is the value grade. And if you simply want the last naturally aspirated V8 before it is gone, the Patrol answers a question the Denza never asks.