New Navara Warrior takes aim at Raptor

A team of engineers who used to work on fast Ford Falcons have developed a tough new offroad ute to take the fight to the market leaders.

Nissan’s Navara Warrior is back for 2021.

Nissan’s Navara Warrior is back, giving the brand’s ute fresh attitude and more capability than before.

Based on the updated 2021 Navara Pro-4X, the new Warrior builds on lessons learned creating Nissan’s first alternative to the likes of Ford’s Ranger Raptor.

2021 Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior.

Bernie Quinn, engineering director of the Premcar outfit responsible for turning the Navara into an off-road weapon, said beefed up suspension and a new front end represent key improvements for the new model.

“We copped some flak about not having a winch-compatible safari bar, and the carrying capacity was something that wasn’t considered acceptable” Mr Quinn said.

Nissan tested the Navara Pro-4X Warrior extensively in Australia.

The new machine has an Australian-made steel bumper designed to work with winches, along with a GVM (gross vehicle mass) upgrade allowing more than 950 kilos of payload and the ability to tow 3.5 tonnes – about 200 kilos and one tonne more than Ford’s Raptor.

Nissan says nearly 60 per cent of dual-cab ute buyers buy high-grade variants, and that customers demand more capability than ever from their next car.

Utes and four-wheel-drives are booming in popularity.

Compared with a regular Navara, the Warrior has heavily reworked suspension with 260mm of ground clearance, along with wider 17-inch wheels and chunky Cooper Discoverer all-terrain tyres.

Underbody armour and a red bash plate join an integrated light bar, side stickers and embroidered headrests to complete the look.

The Warrior is now a permanent part of the Nissan lineup, unlike the previous model that was built in limited numbers.

The Warrior benefits from changes to the wider Navara range.

Nissan isn’t ready to say how much the new model costs, only that it will be competitively priced.

Mr Quinn says the car shapes up as particularly strong value if you factor in the cost of modifying a standard model – and that the Warrior has been subjected to 12 months of durability testing.

Buyers get peace of mind knowing the model confirms to road rules, and that little details have been taken care of – such as a corrected speedometer accounting for oversized tyres.

“It’s all the great features that people go and spend in the aftermarket to get, integrated into a complete package that’s warranted by the dealer and it’s cheap to run,” Mr Quinn said.

“And based on a much tougher, much safer, much smarter Navara to start with.”

Nissan expects Warrior customers to take the car off-road.

Smartphone mirroring and driver aids such as auto emergency braking make the new Warrior a better bet.

Drivers who don’t want a ute might consider waiting for a Nissan Patrol Warrior rumoured to be ready for launch soon.

Matt Baily, Nissan’s manager of local development and enhancement, says “there definitely is another Warrior program that we’re working on”.

“Potentially the Warrior treatment could be applied to other models as well.”