Safari has recently released their Dtronic range of ECU upgrades for new generation Diesels. Dtronic (Electronic-Diesel) is installed in conjunction with the factory ECU and can be installed / removed in about 15 minutes.

The current range includes the GU 3.0TDdi Patrol, Toyota's 1HD-FTE 4.2 Litre Turbo and the new Nissan Navara 3.0 TD with models for Holden Rodeo and Jackaroo, Landrover TD5, Toyota Hilux and Prado also available.

Having owned a 3.0TDdi Patrol for over two years with its very low torque figures at idle, I was anxious to see if the Dtronic did what Safari claimed. Previously I have had a 3" mandrel bent exhaust fitted to try to get better performance to turn the 35" tyres that I have fitted. Whilst this exhaust did make a difference, there was still room for more improvement. Safari claimed to be able to get 420nm at 2000rpm, which is a huge improvement on the original 354nm. The Dtronic also achieves the 354nm std. maximum at 1300rpm.

I contacted Safari on the day after release of the Dtronic range. I mentioned my 3" exhaust modification and asked how it would affect the Dtronic's preset fuel rates. It was agreed that it would be best if Safari could install my Dtronic and dyno the car to setup the fuel mappings specifically for my setup, as they hadn't seen a ZD30 with a 3" exhaust.

Two weeks later, I drove to Melbourne and paid a visit to Safari in Bayswater. I met up with Peter and then the guys put the car on the dyno and started installing the Dtronic. A few dyno runs confirmed that the standard Dtronic maps were a good match for my exhaust setup. A quick 10 minute test drive showed major improvement to all aspects of the engine performance. In city traffic the Patrol is now a lot easier to drive, when taking off from standstill you can now let the clutch out and then accelerate, no longer having to feather the clutch and accelerate to keep the revs up to avoid bogging down below 1100rpm. Overall I am impressed with the changes.

The real surprise came two days later on the drive back to Sydney. Overtaking at 110kmh is now a lot easier. You can now pull out and accelerate, rather than having to have a run up at the car you are trying to overtake.

On the long hills on the Hume highway previously I had to drop back to 4th and the car would decelerate down to 80-90kmh. With the Dtronic installed the hills can now be taken in 5th at 105 -110kmh with relative ease.

The 3.0 can be hard on clutches due to the driver having to ride it a little on uphill starts to maintain revs and not let the engine bog down. With the cost of a replacement clutch and flywheel about $2,500 the Dtronic can prolong clutch life by allowing the driver to let the clutch out and then accelerate afterwards.

Offroad in low range the Dtronic is a welcome addition. With the Patrol's relatively high 1st gear, again low end torque allows the car to start on very steep inclines with ease. Once underway in low 1st when rock crawling, I can now idle along and over obstacles rather than having to fight the battle between too fast and not enough power to maintain momentum.

Overall the Safari Dtronic is a worthwhile addition to the ZD30 Patrol and well worth the investment, with the potential for better fuel economy along with decreased maintenance costs through longer clutch life. If only Nissan could have done this from the start.

Safari Dtronic are available from ARB and ARB Stockists, and for the RRP of $1495.00. See http://www.dtronic.com for More Information

John Rowlandson