Nissan reveals new Navara ute after Aussie overhaul by Premcar
This global carmaker’s latest ‘beast’ proves that in Australia's ute wars, even iconic brands are willing to share their biggest rival's hardware.
Yes, Nissan’s new ute does look like a Mitsubishi Triton.
That’s because it essentially is one.
But the new-generation Nissan Navara has aquired a heap of changes you can’t see to make it the most Australian example in the four-decade lifespan of the iconic Japanese-branded ute.
The new Navara is what Nissan calls a “cross-badged product”, and while it might look more similar to its donor vehicle than you were expecting, this strategy is common in the ute game. Ford Ranger? The VW Amarok is a redo.
Isuzu D-Max? Forms the basis of the Mazda BT-50. And then there’s the LDV Terron 9 and MG U9, which are more along the lines of “which twin are you again?”
The Navara has the same engine as the Triton – a 2.4-litre bi-turbo diesel four-cylinder with 150kW/470Nm, class-competitive outputs in the diesel dual-cab segment. Standard is a six-speed auto (no manual anymore), and all versions at launch are going to be 4x4, with Mitsubishi’s brilliant four-wheel-drive system (Super Select II) used and renamed for the Navara.
The name of the game here is simplification. The boss of Nissan Oceania told us that complexity breeds confusion, and since 90 per cent of buyers were choosing dual cab 4WD automatic pick-up models, that’s what’s offered.
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Pricing is still TBC but three grades will be offered – a work-focused base model, the mid-spec ST-X and the range-topping Pro-4X. And yes, there’ll be a hero Pro-4X Warrior as there was before, and it’ll be overhauled by Premcar in Melbourne to make it more of an off-road beast. The concept model previewed at the international debut of the new Navara in Adelaide showed pretty much what to expect.
Now, Premcar has had a hand in making the Navara feel different to the Triton, with an overhauled Australian suspension with Aussie-made dampers fitted to all grades. The springs and other hardware remains, but the drive experience is notably different.
I only had a chance to sample it off-road at the Adelaide Hills 4x4 Park, and the ride comfort was exceptional. It’s a ladder-frame ute with leaf springs on all grades now (no more coils at the back!) and yet over rough gravel tracks at 50km/hr, it coasted along nicely, with impressive body control. There’s still good communication to the driver’s hands and backside when things get slower and more demanding, but my first impressions were very positive about its off-road prowess.
The steering has been tuned to feel different too, with a progressive response and nice weighting, plus good feedback when you’re ambling over obstacles at crawling pace.
The off-road system is great, despite some frustration when trying to get it into low-range. The fact you can run it in four-wheel drive with the centre diff unlocked means it’s possible to have that extra security and stability on sealed surfaces, too. That’s a plus when towing, and while this test didn’t cover that criteria, Nissan proudly boasts the maximum towing capacity for the new Navara – 750kg unbraked, 3500kg braked.
Payload capacity ranges between 950kg (FBT lease-friendly!) and 1047kg, and the tub is bigger than before too, but still can’t fit an Aussie pallet between the wheel arches.
For those who want to accessorise their Navara, a full range of gear will be offered, including canopy options, tonneau covers, protectors, roof racks, and frontal protection bars (bull bars).
The ST-X model I drove felt great inside, despite also feeling very similar to the Mitsubishi. The cabin is basically a CTRL+C, CTRL+V job, but in my opinion that’s no bad thing, as it is intuitive and not overbearingly high-tech.
There’s a standard 9.0-inch touchscreen with wireless CarPlay and wired Android Auto, and that tablet has buttons below and dials at the side for easy interaction. There is also an array of climate buttons and easy-grip temp toggles below, and between the seats is a drive mode button and dial selector for 4WD settings. The driver has a 7.0-inch screen, a simple set of steering wheel controls, but sadly the pop-out cupholders of the Triton have been dumped for the Navara.
In the back the space is good, and thankfully Nissan got the air recirculating fan system to help it feel airy in the back. Annoyingly, though, just like the Triton, you can’t fold the rear seat base up, and there’s just the one centrally positioned top-tether for child seats. ISOFIX points are in both window positions, though.
Nissan offers a strong ownership promise, with a conditional 10-year/300,00km warranty if you service with the brand. If not, you get five years/unlimited km. More details of the ownership plan are still to be confirmed.
While this drive was limited, this new dual-cab pick-up is clearly a more advanced and modern feeling vehicle than the old Navara, which turned 11 this year.
Whether Nissan has done enough to differentiate the new model from its sibling? That’ll be up to the customer.
This article is part of the Back Australia series, which was supported by Australian Made Campaign, Harvey Norman, Westpac, Bunnings, Coles, TechnologyOne, REA Group, Cadbury, R.M.Williams, Qantas, Vodafone and BHP.
Originally published as Nissan reveals new Navara ute after Aussie overhaul by Premcar
