Nissan Navara N-TREK Warrior 2019 Review - Australia

The 2020 Nissan Navara N-TREK Warrior is the halo model the Japanese brand been lacking, giving Nissan its first entrant in the booming, lucrative and hotly contested $60K-plus premium dual-cab 4x4 ute segment.

Utes are big business in this country. Australians have snapped up nearly 185,000 of them (4x2 and 4x4) so far this year, with 4x4s accounting for the overwhelming majority.

Despite the new-vehicle market’s overall downturn, the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton remain the nation’s top-selling vehicles by a big margin, and growth at the top end of the ute segment continues.

Increasingly bought by families, these feature-laden dual-cab 4x4 'lifestyle' utes are commanding ever-higher prices. These 'hay haulers' are anything but humble…

And now, hot in the wheel tracks of the recently released Navara N-TREK, itself an up-spec version of the brand's formerly top-shelf Navara ST-X, comes the Navara N-TREK Warrior, which slots in as Nissan's new flagship.

Re-imagined and re-engineered with a predominantly off-road focus by Australian auto-engineering specialist, Premcar, this dual-cab 4x4 ute is a permanent variant, not a special-edition, in the Nissan Navara line-up and comes a range of upgrades, many of which are sourced from local OEM component suppliers.

Starting with the Navara N-TREK as its base, Premcar modifies the twin-cab' on a dedicated production line at its 6300-square-metre facility in Epping facility, in Melbourne's northern suburbs.

The firm – the current iteration of Prodrive, the company formerly responsible for Ford FPV and Toyota TRD models – says it's employed 40 extra staff to handle production, which will soon top out at 13 models per day.

The collaboration began a year ago and adopts a strategy similar to the Nissan Navara AT32 produced by Arctic Trucks in Europe, but utilises local talent and components to achieve a vehicle developed specifically for Australian conditions, and which underwent a stringent local validation process.

In re-engineering the Nissan Navara N-TREK Warrior, Nissan and Premcar wanted to "increase the bandwidth of the vehicle's capabilities", not only enhancing its off-road performance but improving its on-road handling and appearance, thus ramping up its 'tough truck' credentials.

In effect, the Warrior adds the majority of modifications applied by most serious off-roaders (perhaps with the exception of a snorkel and winch, features not everybody wants and which would have increased the price) to create a fully integrated, factory-backed package for just $6540 more than the N-TREK – including on-road costs. Grey or white metallic paint is a $550 option, while black is a no-cost option.

Unlike other recent drive-away deals for the Nissan Navara, the Warrior’s sub-$63K starting price is not restricted to ABN holders and it effectively undercuts the Ford Ranger Wiltrak (from $61,490 plus on-road costs), Toyota HiLux Rugged X and HSV Colorado SportsCat (both from $62,490 plus ORCs).

The Nissan Navara N-TREK Warrior is also about $15K cheaper than the Ford Ranger Raptor ($76,290 plus ORCs) and like it and the Rugged X it’s available from the manufacturer’s nationwide dealer network (unlike the SportsCat, which is sold only by 65 HSV dealers).

None of these tough trucks offer more power, but the Australian-engineered, Baja-inspired Raptor has next-level chassis mods, putting it in another league, and is fully constructed at Ford’s Ranger plant in Thailand.

The Warrior, HSV Colorado SportsCat and Toyota HiLux Rugged X are locally modified and factory-approved, although the latter doesn’t come with modified suspension, making the HSV the Warrior’s closest technical competitor.

Like the SportsCat, the Nissan rides on a beefed-up suspension package – in this case all-coil (the HSV runs rear leaf springs) and adding 15mm more ride height up front.

Combined with 17-inch alloys from Rosta shod with 32.2-inch Cooper AT3 all-terrain tyres, lifting the chassis a further 25mm, there’s an all-up lift of 40mm and ground clearance of 268mm.

The approach angle is up by 1.8 to 35 degrees and the Navara’s wheel track has increased by 30mm to 1600mm. All up the changes result in a higher, wider and more imposing stance.

Utilising Monroe shocks, Premcar softened the primary spring rate both up front and for the vehicle's five-link rear suspension, also stiffening the rear secondary spring rate and utilising new, more progressive bump stops.

Then there's the 3mm stainless steel bashplate from Frontline, the firm also behind that unique towbar assembly that accommodates the larger full-size spare wheel.

Frontal protection is provided by a hoopless and body-coloured bullbar by EGR, complete with integrated bark busters and 470mm Hella LED light bar, with the 'black-ops' look capped off by black fender flares (part of the N-TREK upgrade) and orange fog light bezels, along with new 3M decals.

Inside there's orange 'N-TREK Warrior'-embroidered front head restraints and orange-accented floor mats, while the new range-topper also boasts all the other changes ushered in by the MY19 Series 4 Navara-based N-TREK, like front seat heating, orange upholstery stitching, a new 8.0-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and a host of blacked-out components.

The Navara's driveline carries over, the 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel mated to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission, as does the vehicle's 3500kg braked towing limit. Maximum payload, however, is down by 193kg in auto variants to 724kg – a reflection largely of the chunkier wheel and tyre set, says Premcar.

The national media launch for the Nissan Navara N-TREK Warrior, which will be sold both in Australia and New Zealand, was held in Victoria's High Country, the assembled press tackling the scenic Blue Rag Range Track among others on a 145km loop south of Mount Hotham.

It's rugged country, the circuit presenting a good mix of higher-speed dirt roads, rocky and more technical going, and some appreciable gradients, plus a bit of bitumen.

Oddly there's no A-pillar grab handle to aid entry to the driver's seat (there is for all other occupants) but despite the lift in ride height it's not an excessively big step up to slide behind the wheel.

There's only electric adjustment on the driver's seat, not the front passenger seat (although both have seat heating) and the steering wheel is only adjustable for tilt and not reach, which isn’t uncommon for a ute.

However, the Navara’s relatively low window line and tall seating, placing the steering wheel in your lap, feels a bit old-school and the for the most past the cab still has a strongly utilitarian flavour, with plenty of hard (admittedly durable) plastics.

That said, the bigger new 8.0-inch touch-screen infotainment system is a welcome addition, and the black and orange N-TREK interior theme adds a bit of class.

More importantly, it only takes a few seconds behind the wheel to realise the Navara N-TREK Warrior is a significant progression from the base vehicle in terms of ride and handling.

This suspension package works very, very well and makes the Navara for more comfortable and capable deep in the bush, but the most impressive aspect is the enhanced ride and handling over a wide range of road and track conditions.

On the admittedly brief amount of blacktop we covered in the Navara N-TREK Warrior (unladen), it still delivered a typically LCV-firm ride, but there's a new-found refinement to it – a dulling down of the harshness, to a degree.

And while the ute still tips a little on turn-in through the bends, it's far better controlled and the body settles quickly, cornering appreciably flatter than a standard Nav.

Road noise from those sizeable Cooper AT3s is surprisingly low – even lower than the standard highway tyres, says Premcar – and although the steering is on the heavy side at very low speeds it offers good response at higher speeds, providing accuracy and confidence.

On the dirt, however, things get even better. The softer primary spring rate gives it the compliance required for smoother passage over technical terrain, but the Monroe package delivers a lovely sense of balance and poise over broken ground.

The Navara N-TREK Warrior is quick to recover from hits big and small, the vehicle maintaining its composure with minimal oscillation.

And it seems the harder or faster you push it, the better it performs. The set-up really takes the shudder and shake out of corrugations and reduces bump steer.

On the rare occasion we found the vehicle's bump stops – something the standard Navara’s coil-sprung does routinely, even in Series 4 form – the transition was imperceptibly smooth.

Premcar says it tuned the suspension settings to specifically match the wheel/tyre set, and it's this level of integration that really elevates the Warrior. It has done a great job of this suspension package, pulling off the seemingly impossible: making it better on both the dirt and the blacktop.

The boosted approach angle and ground clearance are two more big ticks. Even when a particularly rough section of a reasonably steep climb needed the electronic rear differential lock engaged, nothing touched down – not even the rear towbar, which limits the departure angle to 19 degrees.

In fact, we never scraped the undercarriage the entire trip, over country that would have seen the standard vehicle dragging its belly on many occasions.

But bigger tyres and a wider track have seen the kerb-to-kerb turning circle increase from 12.4 to 12.7 metres, and that spells some extra pain in the shopping centre car park.

Dual-cab utes are already pretty big buses and a couple of tighter hairpins in the High Country required three-point turns to negotiate, where a standard Navara might have (just) squeezed around.

Perhaps the only real omissions, however, are rated recovery points. But like a snorkel and winch, they can be added. Indeed Nissan says its research indicated premium ute buyers wanted only a few must-haves: upgraded suspension, frontal protection and tough looks.

At this stage there's still no sign of an engine or driveline upgrade for the Navara – we'll most likely have to wait for the next generation, which is several years away. In any case, it's a tried-and-true set-up with part-time four-wheel drive, a dual-range transfer case, the aforementioned rear diff lock and hill descent control.

The 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel produces 140kW and 450Nm, delivering dependable and useable urge from as low as 1000rpm and onwards through a fat midrange. While this drive was conducted unladen and we weren't towing, there was sufficient grunt to overcome all the obstacles we encountered with relative ease.

Regarding towing, Premcar has spoken previously of delivering everything a 'mad grey nomad' demands in this package, and says its validation process included towing at its maximum 3500kg limit with 350kg on the towball, in blisteringly hot conditions.

The increased secondary spring rate and the revised damping on the rear suspension were key to enhancing the vehicle's stability when towing, the firm says.

As for fuel economy, by the end of this stop-start, up-hill-and-down-dale run the trip computer was reading an average of 14.7L/km. We'll have a clearer picture once we've conducted a full road test in the near future.

On the safety front this ute gets everything found in the Navara N-TREK – meaning it still misses out on now-common safety tech like autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning (let alone lane-keeping), not to mention blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and rear cross traffic alert.

It does, however, come with niceties like a 360-degree Around View reversing camera, two rear ISOFIX child restraint anchorage points, auto headlights and LED daytime running lights, plus all the usual staples.

Nissan Australia's partnership with Premcar is a worthy collaboration – it's an example of just how the wealth of automotive engineering talent in this country left hanging in the wake of the cessation of local manufacturing can be harnessed to great effect.

The is easily the brand's toughest Navara yet and while it's not quite in Raptor territory, keen pricing is sure to see it steal plenty of sales from the Rugged X, SportsCat and Wildtrak.

This is one impressive package that has been re-engineered, developed and validated by Australians for Australian conditions, while retaining Nissan's five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

We can't wait to see what else the Nissan-Premcar marriage has in store.

How much does the 2019 Nissan Navara N-TREK Warrior cost?
Price: $62,990 drive-away (manual), $65,490 drive-away (automatic)
Engine: 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel
Output: 140kW/450Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual, seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.0L/100km (ADR Combined), 14.7L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 186g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP (2015)