I have a 2011 patrol and love it.
The 2012 has ESC and rear diff lock standard.
And get the auto if you can
I've had a fair few 4x4s including a few utes and wagons and the patrol is definitely without a doubt the most capable 4x4 that I've had. The strength of these things is their biggest asset, just crawl underneath and see how much more beefy the drive train is than most other 4x4s available. It takes a fair bit to break one of these.
They've got tons of room inside to fit all your gear and every aftermarket part that you can think of to suit your own needs.
If you lock up the front diff, put in some lift and good tyres these things go everywhere.
The new CRD patrols don't have the grenade issues so don't be scared off by people saying they're going to blow up at any second.
They're not the most powerful thing around, but it gets the job done and They're not as refined onroad as other mid sized wagons as they're bigger, heavier and stronger so they're a bit more truck like, but its still comfortable enough to sit behind the wheel all day on big drives. I've done plenty of big trips and compared to my other utes I felt a million times better at the end of the day.
Any they look tough as!
These vehicles are more suited if you plan on doing heavy 4x4 on rough roads. If your only going to do the occasional offroad trip on the beach and easy/ moderate tracks and mostly onroad driving then get a mid size Prado, Pajero etc.