Nissan Navara ST 2026 Review 

The Nissan Navara range is kind of split into two tiers. The base SL and ST we have here are pitched more as working utes, whereas the higher-spec ST-X and PRO-4X are aimed more as all-rounders. The forthcoming Warrior will be its own thing again.

You’ll need $56,765 plus on-road costs (ORCs) to get behind the wheel of the ST, around $3500 more than the SL and roughly $6500 less than the ST-X. Premium paint is the only option, though there are a range of official accessories. Happily, white, black and red are all available at no extra cost while the metallics – white, a pair of greys and blue – are $995.

If you service with Nissan you’ll receive 10 years or 300,000km of warranty coverage and the roadside assistance will be topped up at each service for the same duration. Capped-price servicing is $499 per annum for up to five years.

In terms of what you get, let’s start with the mechanicals. Under the bonnet is a 2.4-litre four-cylinder twin-turbocharged diesel producing 150kW/470Nm attached to a six-speed automatic gearbox. No manual is offered.

Claimed fuel consumption is 7.7L/100km but being Euro6B emissions compliant means there is also a 17-litre AdBlue tank that will periodically need topping up.

There’s also no Super 4WD here – Nissan-speak for Mitsubishi’s Super Select system – so no all-surface all-wheel drive, instead just the traditional 2H, with 4H or 4L for off-road but a locking rear diff is standard. Hill descent control is omitted, as is the Terrain mode selector.

The 17-inch wheels are alloys and wrapped in 265/65 all-terrain tyres as standard and there is a full-size spare.

Where the SL and ST differ from the higher variants is in the suspension setting. They not only use a four-leaf rear end instead of three, but the development work was also undertaken heavily laden as it’s assumed these workhorses will be carrying toolboxes and parts and materials on a daily basis.

Nissan hasn’t skimped on safety, with every variant receiving the full complement of driver aids, including autonomous emergency braking, active cruise control, front and rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure and blind-spot warning, trailer sway control and traffic sign recognition.

Tyre pressure monitoring and front and rear parking sensors (in addition to a rear camera) are welcome inclusions, but the driver monitoring is a right pain, not only far too sensitive but difficult to turn off, which must be done for every journey lest you go mad.

Nevertheless, the Navara wears a five-star ANCAP rating with scores of 86 per cent for adult occupant protection, 89 per cent for child occupant protection (though the single central top tether with fabric loops is a terrible system), 74 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 70 per cent for safety assist.

In terms of specification, the Navara ST has everything you need and perhaps a couple of things you want, too. The seats are cloth and manually adjustable, there’s only single-zone climate control and no keyless start, but there are USB ports (1 x A, 1 x C) and roof-mounted air vents for the second row, wireless smartphone mirroring (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) and a leather-accented steering wheel to stop it feeling like a fleet special.

Obvious rivals include the closely related Mitsubishi Triton GLX-R ($57,440 +ORCs), Ford Ranger Black Edition ($53,490 +ORCs as a 2.0, $59,990 as a V6), Mazda BT-50 XT ($57,720 +ORCs) and Toyota HiLux SR ($57,990 +ORCs), though in terms of power, performance and equipment you get a lot more for your money if you turn to the Chinese, specifically the BYD Shark 6 Premium ($57,900 +ORCs) or GWM Cannon Alpha Ultra Hybrid ($57,990 driveaway).

Those new electrified utes provide an interesting context for the 2026 Nissan Navara ST. For many buyers, the extra performance, nicer interior and greater technology are very attractive, but in this segment there will be a tranche of customers who see these features as unnecessary complication.

There’s a refreshing honesty to the Navara ST: it’s not trying to be sporty or luxurious or even family friendly, it exists to carry stuff and tow stuff over all sorts of terrain in all sorts of conditions.

It is one of the more impressive utes at doing this with a payload of 1047kg. Even when towing the maximum 3500kg (braked), there is still 607kg of payload headroom. The tailgate is damped to open slowly rather than clanging down, a small but appreciated touch.

The suspension has also been set up with this in mind and there is a downside to this, which we’ll come to in a moment, but the Premcar fettling provides greater control than the in the Navara’s Triton sibling, though the updated Mitsubishi is meant to be improved in this regard.

Fuel economy is also relatively impressive. While in typical driving the 7.7L/100km claim is optimistic, the gulf between the theoretical and actual figures is smaller than with some rivals. Once more, for a fleet-oriented vehicle that will potentially do a lot of kilometres, fuel efficiency is certainly a boon.

With the all-terrain tyres fitted as standard, the Navara ST is pretty handy in the rough stuff, too, even without the selectable drive modes of higher variants.

The Nissan Navara ST has plenty of useful storage options, including an open upper glovebox and small pockets on the back of the front passenger seat for odds and ends, but the rear seat could be better.

Headroom is fine for anyone shorter than 190cm or so, and legroom is good, but the front seat rails impinge on foot room. The contour of the back rest also forces an upright seating position for those in the rear and while this is a criticism that’s perhaps more appropriate for the higher Navara variants, fabric loops with a single central top tether is an unacceptable way of securing child seats.

Compared to the newer Chinese utes, the interior materials and design are also very low-quality, though there is at least a little bit of design flair to the hard plastic door cards. Again, this may not matter to the target buyer, but it’s worth pointing out regardless.

The Navara ST’s greatest shortcoming during its time on test was the ride quality, which lacks absorbency and can get choppy on poor surfaces when unladen. But criticising it for this is unfair, for as we’ve covered the ST was developed on the assumption that there will typically be substantial weight in the back compressing those four leaf springs.

However, once again, it’s worth mentioning as it could be an issue depending on the buyer’s intended use case. The engine, while relatively frugal, is also very noisy, with significant diesel clatter at idle and under load.

For private buyers, it’s a tough sell. Simply put, there are plenty of other utes out there that offer more equipment, more comfort and more refinement for similar money.

However, if you’re the type of person that treats their dual-cab ute like a modern-day mule, loading it to the gunwales and putting it to work on a daily basis, there is definitely a case to be made for the Nissan Navara ST.

It’s basic and unpretentious but is designed for manual labour, relatively fuel efficient and has the peace of mind of that 10-year/300,000km warranty as well as a strong regional dealer network.

There’s an argument to be made that given what other manufacturers – not just the Chinese, for Ford now offers a relatively well-equipped Ranger Hybrid for $59,990 driveaway – that the Navara ST should be cheaper, but that might be up to your negotiating skills.

2026 Nissan Navara ST at a glance:
Price: $56,765 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel
Output: 150kW/470Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 203g/km
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2024)

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