2026 Nissan Navara review

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The Nissan Navara has a long and strong history in Australia, where the trusty ute has gained a loyal following since the D21-series was launched here in 1986.

The all-new ‘D27’ Navara, which has been renamed for 40 years on, shares its ladder-frame platform with the new Mitsubishi Triton launched in 2023 as part of the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance.

But it’s not just a platform sharing arrangement, with the latest Navara being less than – more like – ton in pressed Nissan suit. The new nose, the new badges and other minor styling changes are – but it has the same body, interior, technology and powertrains as the Mitsubishi.

Yet, there is one big difference between and. In order to differentiate the Navara from its non-identical twin, Nissan introduced Premcar – the engineering company that was born in Ford Performance Vehicles and has developed hardcore Warrior versions of the NAVa and Patrol off-roaders on behalf of Japanese automaker.

This time, Premcar was tasked with refining the steering and suspension for all new Navaras, completing 18,500km over 12 months to develop three different local chassis tunes for the four variants.

Both the SL and ST – which have heavy-duty four-leaf rear springs are one tune; both of the more premium ST-X and Pro-4X each receive their own tune, considering that they tested 37 different damper codes (and over 550 internal dampers), plus electric power steering revision.

Interestingly, these pre-brand twin-tube Monroe shock absorbers are manufactured in South Australia and sent to local dealerships for retrofitting the ute before delivery – which can help explain the price premiums over the equivalent Triton variant.

While our man James Wong was treated to a preview drive of the new-generation Navara back in November 2025, at this month’s national launch Nissan gave us opportunities to experience each ute variant both on-road and off – with a short stint of towing thrown in for good measure.

Has Nissan done enough to differentiate the Navara from its star-badged sibling and to justify its price hike?

How much does the Nissan Navara cost?

A lot less grades are available with the 2026 Nissan Navara lineup, which is based on Japanese brand’s single-cab, extra- Cab and cab/chassis bodies (for now, anyway), 42 and manual versions of this model have also been discontinued.

| Model | Price before on-road costs |
| — | — |
| 2026 Nissan Navara SL dual-cab pickup 4×4 auto | $53,348 |
| 2026 Nissan Navara ST dual-cab pickup 4×4 auto | $56,765 |
| 2026 Nissan Navara ST-X dual-cab pickup 4×4 auto | $63,177 |
| 2026 Nissan Navara Pro-4X dual-cab pickup 4×4 auto | $68,418 |

This leaves just four dual-cab 4×4 automatic pickup variants: the base SL, the ST, the ST-X, and the range-topping Pro-4X – on which a new Navara Warrior will be based when it’s released by the end of this year.

Unlike the Triton, which costs more than Navara, each variant is tested for a suspension setup (tested, designed, manufactured and fitted in Australia), as well as – with’rear locking differentials standard across the range of models’.

Full details of the new-generation Navara can be found in our pricing and specifications story here.

To see how the Nissan Navara lines up against the competition, check out our
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What is the Nissan Navara like on the inside?

There’s a lot to like about the new Navara’s cabin.

This is a carbon replica of Triton’s – with fewer than the slightest variations you would be hard-pressed to call out that’d be no bad, especially considering how out-of date Navara’ was its interior.

Certainly more luxurious interiors are available, but the Navara will appeal to many of those who want predictability, durability and comfort.

Unlike most cars nowadays, the Nav is equipped with a standard automatic PRND shifter (manual control) and armed handbrake lever. Like shaking hands with an old friend, it’s like .

The base model is single-zone climate controlled, upgraded to dual- zone climate control for higher grades and has a single air-controlled base models. It is very easy to use, but thanks to large buttons and a legible LCD screen, there are no diving into multiple screens on the infotainment system just for making ‘just slack in cabin environment’.

Among those below the climate control unit are USB-A and USB–C ports, a 12-volt socket (and ‘cubby’) with wireless telephone charging for both the ST-X and Pro-4X.

In a smartphone app, owners can also use many of the ute’s features such as remote un/locking, vehicle locator and emergency calling in case an accident is caused by owner.

A 9. The job is done by 0-inch infotainment touchscreen, which has an easy-to-navigate menu, quick loading and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – it does well with mobile projection projection. While the physical shortcut buttons below the screen are appreciated, it doesn’t mean there is no firm ledge to hold your hand steady while using the system.

It is wonderful, even if it feels slightly cheap to be true volume controller next to the screen. Yet, while the job is done it’s a little lacklustre, the stereo is.

Continuing the theme are actual analogue dials that allow for reading at a quick glance, and thus speed of the vehicle can be read. A new concept of in 2026?

A good Ergonomics The steering wheel has a generous reach and rake adjustment, so that the driver can find his ideal position quickly.

It’s also a breeze to find volume and cruise control on the steering wheel, but it feels like an excellent collection device for dirt and grease when you have old-school buttons on your steering wheels; even so, perhaps take up if dirty hands are part of your day job.

The seats also have a fair amount of support for them; the ST-X and Pro-4X both received leather trim (or something close to it), making the experience even more difficult with ‘a few notches’.

In the base models, Nissan has an open space on the dash in front of the passenger like the Triton; this is a second glovebox for the ST-X and Pro-4X. Sadly, they look like cars released in the 2000s as well as trims of brushed aluminium which are also part of the higher grades.

Any idea that you’re driving an older car is quickly dismissed when the car starts to tell you off for stealing your eyes off the road for the shortest time. The issue with early current Tritons was also a problem.’ Mitsubishi changed the technology to make it less difficult to judge – though I am wondering whether Nissan had given us its original software, as hell this thing was annoying like hell.

With the red and orange highlights throughout, it’s a big step up in style and quality for the range-topping Pro-4X to be like that one of the most important things we gravitated towards was the Navara ST. The base SL has the same lovely fabric seat trim as it gets, but also carpet and leather-accented steering wheel – along with some other goodies.

We had a fair amount of time in the rear seats with some porn stars, and aside from one or two big potholes on. country backroad there were no complaints really about anything that was wrong with us.

Overall, the interior of the new Navara is a major step forward from that of outgoing model (both comfort and materials), but also technology.

| Dimensions | Nissan Navara |
| — | — |
| Length | 5320mm |
| Width (excl. mirrors) | 1865mm (1930mm in Pro-4X) |
| Height | 1795mm (1815mm in Pro-4X) |
| Wheelbase | 3130mm |
| Tub length | 1555mm |
| Tub width | 1545mm |
| Tub width between wheel arches | 1135mm |
| Tub depth | 525mm |
| Ground clearance | 228mm |
| Approach angle | 30.4° |
| Departure angle | 22.8 ° |
| Breakover angle | 23.4 ° |

To see how the Nissan Navara lines up against the competition, check out our
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What’s under the bonnet?

Powering the Navara is a 2 . A 4-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine with a power of 150kW and 470Nm of torque, which is standard for six-speed torque-converter automatic, was driven by’separation to the eight- speed Twin- Turbor engines’.

| Specifications | Nissan Navara |
| — | — |
| Engine | 2.4L bi-turbo 4cyl diesel |
| Power | 150kW @ 3500rpm |
| Torque | 470Nm @ 1500rpm |
| Transmission | 6-speed auto |
| Drive type | Four-wheel drive |
| Fuel economy (claimed) | 7.7L/100km |
| CO2 emissions (claimed) | 203g/km |
| Fuel tank capacity | 75L |
| AdBlue tank capacity | 17L |
| Kerb weight | SL: 2126kg ST: 2143kg ST-X: 2171kg Pro-4X: 2226kg |
| Payload | SL: 1064kg ST: 1047kg ST-X: 1019kg Pro-4X: 964kg |
| Braked towing capacity | 3500kg |
| Gross vehicle mass (GVM) | 3190kg |
| Gross combination mass (GCM) | 6250kg |

As Euro-6 compliant, the Navara uses AdBlue additive to assist with emissions and an idle stop/start system kills the engine if the car is stationary.

The driver can choose full-time four-wheel drive on the fly (4H) or low-range four wheel drive (4L) in the Navara SL and ST, driving the rear wheels in 2H.

Aside from more driving modes, the ST-X and Pro-4x are given 4HLC for high-range four-wheel drive with a locked centre differential (and 4LLC) for low range when the going gets hard.

Nissan Combined fuel use for the car is 7 (Janesia) We did a little better with 7L/100km, but we actually did it in the end. Certainly, it was six hours down the Hume Freeway to help 1L/100km.

To see how the Nissan Navara lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool

How does the Nissan Navara drive?

Despite being new, there’s definitely some old-school flavour about the Navara.

This engine has enough power for things to go on; whereas the transmission is well-matched, its six gear ratios are slightly mixed but at times it appears as little clunky and unrefined.

A 2 time we spent a little time driving the base (SL) with. The 3-tonne caravan hitched on the back, and while it did what was done, stamping the throttle at freeway speeds led to raised revs and increased noise but not much forward momentum.

The Navara will be plenty enough for most grey nomads looking to cruise around this great land in a light caravan, but the Navaria is just short of that much-needed space (and some heavy towing) may find it very short.

No power, but there aren’t a lot of ponies left in the back pocket when you need them. During the rest of the period, however, the powertrain was pretty much as hard on any challenge given to it 300kg in the tub or four adults.

But off-road, the ute proved to be unsurprisingly capable – such as the ST’X which was fitted with road-oriented Nitto tyres instead of the all-terrain Toyo Open Country rubber on the rest of this range.

I think it’s a bit of’very hard’ for Nissan to have us on some proper four-wheel drive tracks, which was actually the case in my opinion and that the Nav didn’t sweat. Despite the rear locking differential that was never intended to be at any point, it is standard across the range – and would make an exception with the Triton – which would have made the Nissan virtually unstoppable (especially if combined with some more aggressive off-road tyres).

But the Navara’s brake is not a thing that doesn’t matter, speaking of stopping. But of course, they drive the car up when we need it but from higher speeds and even with the caravan on the back did not quite give us the confidence that we expect from dual-cab 44 utes – perhaps because of its rear drum brakes.

Keeping in mind that the Navara and Triton were direct competitors of the likes of HiLux and Ranger, it’s now more expensive than the Toyota and Ford (with some overlap) – so there is naturally going to be compromises with the segment leaders.

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But the real story here is that Premcar suspension tuning by Premmcar. There is a noticeable improvement in ride quality over the Triton, as well as better turn-in and stability of general cornerings with the ST-X and Pro-4X especially. A ute weighs up to 2140kg and is good forsoaking up bumps, so it has a bend pretty well.

The most prominent was this driving at a good clip on pockmarked and corrugated gravel roads, where the Navara provided an admirable degree of roadholding and cornering grip.

Just know, the Navara is a ladder-frame ute for carrying loads and hitting bush tracks so there’s only that much you can do. And that’s not the toughest chassis – so there’s an ‘echo’ in your body after a big bump, and it’ll be more like one of those things. Similarly, don’t expect to follow up with a hot hatch on soaring mountains pass because its shock absorbers have better damping than the ones that are in it.

The steering isn’t too light, as seems to be the craze nowadays, but it does seem like an absence of caster on the front axle (which is generally the preference for off-roading) which means that the tiller doesn’s naturally want to return to centre – although this nowhere near or visible as in the Jeep Wrangler.

The difference wasn’t quite as noticeable on the SL and ST – both of which use the same heavy-duty suspension, while the Navara ST-X and Pro-4X have more sophisticated ride and handling features.

During our caravan towing test we were only allowed to see the SL but spent some time in the ST, both on and off road. But Nissan was able to safely drop 300kg in the tub (stuffled around cabin bulkhead) that loaded the suspension and gave some stability over the rear wheels.

It might be a bit of sway to the system, but it is most of these lower Navara variants that are going to be workhorses (with tools and other things weighing down the rear-end) so you can know when your car will do what they expect from some small pieces of Kilos in the back.

Also, we recently reviewed the new HiLux for a review of some bad suspension features on crappy roads that may have been mitigated by’some weight in the back to pre-load its heavy-duty suspension’ so it would be hypocritical to browbeat Nissan (for doing exactly that) is hypocritic.

Despite the Navara’s lack of chart-top position for ride comfort across the board, it is more than its weight and may even be better suspension tune than the expensive HiLux.

The SL and ST were well on the road, but Premcar’s work can be more appreciated in the ST-X and Pro-4X; with the three-leaf rear suspension providing a comfortable ride and good handling (all while maintaining its impressive off-road capabilities).

The Navara’s ADAS-style driver assistance system isn’t particularly sophisticated, but it does not seem to be the most advanced of its kind. The ST-X was a state-wide bussiness, we were given about six hours to travel through state lines and could meet the car well.

A good example of adaptive cruise control is its speed on hills, though it seems to be an older style of lane-keep assist (which grabs the brakes on opposite side of the car to force the ute back into its own vehicle’s veering in. But we can just think it was a cost decision, as the car has electric power steering and should be semi-autonomous.

Nevertheless, it was the real bugbear that had been the driver attention monitoring system (essentially a little camera on the steering column which’s constantly checking to ensure you’re watching the road. If someone is unable to look at their phone while driving, but spends over three seconds on the climate control or finding a podcast on infotainment screen and the car will have – even if you’re looking up at the road when doing it.

Then, four hours after it was over, the camera was covered with foil from my sandwich. I’ll never know how to survive the next two hours of driving without being told to look at the road, but it was nice to see the side mirrors and do a head-check without getting offended.

In general, it was a nice road trip the car was comfortable enough to allow for an unstop driving from Holbrook through Yea (about 400km) to the Dandenongs.

To see how the Nissan Navara lines up against the competition, check out our
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What do you get?

Despite Nissan slimming down the Navara lineup, there is still a good spread of options among the four variants.

2026 Nissan Navara SL standard equipment highlights:

• 17-inch steel wheels with 265/65R17 all-terrain tyres
• Full-size matching spare
• Black grained mirror caps, door handles
• Front and rear mud guards
• Tailgate assist, lock
• 4 x cargo bed tie-down hooks
• Automatic LED headlights
• Automatic high-beam
• Rain-sensing wipers
• 7.0-inch instrument cluster screen
• 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto
• Satellite navigation
• DAB+ digital radio
• 4-speaker sound system
• Climate control air-conditioning with second-row air vents
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
• Urethane steering wheel
• Black fabric upholstery
• 6-way manually adjustable driver’s seat with 2-way power lumbar
• 4-way manually adjustable passenger seat
• 1 x USB-C outlet (front)
• 1 x USB-A outlet (front)
• 2 x 12V outlets (1 x front, 1 x rear)
• Sunglasses holder
• 2 x glove boxes (1 x open, 1 x with door)
• Rear centre armrest with two cup holders
• Vinyl floors
• Grey headliner and A-pillar trim
• Urethane shifter with PVC boot

The ST adds:

• LED front fog lights
• Side steps
• Polished sports bar
• Boulder grey mirror caps, door handles
• Leather-accented steering wheel
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Power-folding, heated exterior mirrors
• Rear privacy glass
• 1 x USB-C outlet (rear)
• 1 x USB-A outlet (rear)
• Carpeted floors

The ST-X adds:

• 18-inch gunmetal alloy wheels with 265/60R18 highway-terrain tyres
• Hill descent control
• Selectable Normal, Eco, Gravel, Snow, Mud, Sand and Rock drive modes
• Body-colour lower front bumper
• Silver-accented grille
• Tub liner
• Proximity entry with push-button start
• Dual-zone climate control
• Heated front seats
• Black leather-accented upholstery
• 8-way power driver’s seat with 2-way power lumbar
• 6-speaker sound system
• Carpet floor mats
• Sunvisor vanity mirrors
• 2 x glove boxes with lids
• Leather-accented shifter with PVC boot
• PVC centre console lid

The Pro-4X adds:

• 17-inch matte black alloy wheels with 265/65R17 all-terrain tyres
• Tow bar
• Red-accented grille
• Gloss black mirror caps, door handles, roof rails
• Black sports bar
• Black wheel-arch flares with red accents
• Black leather-accented upholstery with red accents
• Leather-accented steering wheel with orange stitching
• Black headliner and A-pillar trim
• PVC centre console lid with orange stitching

To see how the Nissan Navara lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool

Is the Nissan Navara safe?

The Nissan Navara has been given a full five-star safety rating by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program – better known as ANCAP on 2024 crash tests of the Triton.

| Category | Nissan Navara |
| — | — |
| Adult occupant protection | 86 per cent |
| Child occupant protection | 89 per cent |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 74 per cent |
| Safety assist | 70 per cent |

The Navara, meanwhile, was particularly well-prepared for adult and child protection across the four scoring sections of the scorer (and did not match the likes of Ranger and Kia Tasman for vulnerable road user protection), but fared poorly for safety support – with the Range Rover, TaSman and HiLux all above 80 per cent.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Driver attention monitoring
• Front cross-traffic alert
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane-keep assist
• Emergency lane-keep assist
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Multi-collision braking
• Surround-view camera
• Traffic sign recognition
• Trailer sway control
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• 8 airbags

• Front
• Front side
• Front centre
• Driver’s knee
• Curtain

To see how the Nissan Navara lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool

How much does the Nissan Navara cost to run?

A Nissan warranty on the Navara is 10 years, 300,000.000km and a factory-backed 10-year, 30-year Warranty for the vehicle with roadside assistance – the best in the industry but conditional on service time through Nissan’s dealer network.

| Servicing and Warranty | Nissan Navara |
| — | — |
| Warranty | 10 years, 300,000km (conditional) |
| Roadside assistance | 10 years, 300,000km (conditional) |
| Service intervals | 12 months, 15,000km |
| Capped-price servicing | 5 years |
| Average annual service cost | $499 |
| Total capped-price service cost | $2495 |

If you service your car elsewhere, the warranty is reduced to five years of coverage for a person with no limit on mileage.

Like the outgoing model, Nissan provides capped-price service for each of the first five services at $499 as it is spaced every 12 months or 15,000km – whichever comes first.

To see how the Nissan Navara lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool

childcareman.xyz’s Take on the Nissan Navara

The new-generation Nissan Navara, a major step for the nameplate’s development, is nononsense motoring with solid build quality and ranked among the best names to list equipment.

No one will be blown off by the engine and transmission, especially in the noise department.’ It is perhaps among the most uninspired soundtracks around there are but for a diesel workhorse that can tackle some rough off-road terrain (and even so), there really are no serious complaints about any of these issues.

While the Triton is a price-fix over its base, it also has ‘an enjoyable ride and better dynamics’ in the Navara (especially when comes to the ST-X and Pro-4X variants) – giving it an advantage over that of its Mitsubishi counterpart. Does it really matter to the buyer if it’s worth it? In the end, they’ll have to decide whether they want the money in their pocket or more comfort and handling.

The interior is one of the biggest selling points, though Navara has a good mix of quality materials and ‘a decent array of switchgear, comfortable ergonomics and technology that can be easily used.

For anyone who needs a ute to do actual uter things, moonlight as ‘family car’ Moonlight is the sweet spot for Navara ST at less than $60,000. Should I wait for the Navara Warrior if I’m going to hit the bush or beach, and perhaps not so much?

Although we’ve used the most sophisticated unit, but our only real bugbear is the driver monitoring system – which we think needs to be updated so you don’t always feel like I’m bad student at a Catholic school in 1950s.

This is not a D27 Navara that says, “I’m the most revolutionary new ute” and it’s not changing the game in any meaningful way– but also its strongest selling point.

The new Nissan Navara is a good option for those who need securing re-engineered but don’t like how the majority of new cars drive, what they cost or how they force-feed you technology.

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