Nissan reveals fresh Navara Pro-4X Warrior

NISSAN Australia has revealed the new Warrior flagship of its recently updated Navara pick-up range, which has once again been developed and re-engineered by Melbourne-based outfit Premcar to take the 4x4 ute fight to Ford’s Ranger Raptor and the Toyota HiLux Rugged X.

Now badged Pro-4X Warrior, the new top-spec Navara’s pricing and specification details are yet to be announced but going by the previous N-Trek Warrior, punters can expect a comprehensive – more off-road-focused – suspension and tyre upgrade at the very least.

As with the previous version, Premcar has upped the visual stakes with a hoopless bullbar, red under-body skidplates, unique decals, and extended wheelarches housing exclusive black alloys shod with aggressive Cooper Discoverer AT3 rubber.

Cues taken from the donor Pro-4X include the large alloy sportsbars, black body highlights and a grey hero colour.

At this stage the Warrior isn’t expected to score any upgrades to its twin-turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder diesel engine or adjoining transmission – the Pro-4X can be had with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic – meaning power and torque should remain steady at 140kW/450Nm.

If this proves the case, the top-spec Navara will wade into battle some 50kW/50Nm down on the HiLux and even more on the Raptor, although this hasn’t stopped the Navara from matching the heavyweights’ payloads and towing capacities in the past.

According to Nissan Australian managing director Stephen Lester, the old N-Trek Warrior “set a new benchmark for locally developed dual-cab utes” in the local market, with more Warrior products set to be added to the brand’s line-up in the near future.

“Australia’s unique landscape is both rugged and exhilarating, and the Warrior program is designed to deliver vehicles that share those attributes, without sacrificing safety, technology or on-road comfort,” he said.

“The Navara Pro-4X Warrior by Premcar will continue to build on that legacy, and we can’t wait for our customers to experience it for themselves.”

Despite myriad off-road-oriented upgrades, Nissan and Premcar have been careful to maintain the Navara’s drivability on a day-to-day basis, with most of the Pro-4X’s standard equipment highlights like the 7.0-inch ‘advanced drive-assist’ instrument cluster display, 8.0-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity and leather-accented interior being carried across as standard.

Premcar engineering director Bernie Quinn shared Mr Lester’s enthusiasm, describing the new Warrior as “the real deal” with customer and media feedback on the outgoing model proving crucial to the development process.

“We’re taking all the key improvements made by Nissan on the Navara PRO-4X, like its impressive NVH levels, steering quality, extensive safety equipment and core dual-cab functionality, and we’re overlaying those updates with our own in-house engineering expertise to create the toughest and most capable Navara in the world,” he said.

“We’ve taken everything we learned on the first Warrior, and the feedback we’ve received from customers and the media, to create a tough, capable, and refined vehicle that we think will be unrivalled in the dual-cab ute market in this country.

“Australia is a vast and truly unique place, and so the Warrior’s extensive engineering and testing program was designed to make sure it hits every requirement the Aussie ute owner has.”

The Navara has had a slow start to 2021 in a sales context with 4739 units sold to the end of May, accounting for just 5.9 per cent of the 4x4 ute segment compared to the 17,697 Ford Rangers (22.2%), 17,682 Toyota HiLuxes (22.2%), 9836 Mitsubishi Tritons (12.3%) and 8143 Isuzu D-Maxes (10.2%).