2021 Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior review

Nissan Australia has finally been able to officially launch its Navara PRO-4X Warrior to the market.

Despite being on sale since September, COVID restrictions have prevented the company from launching the car and letting us get behind the wheel.

After plans for a launch in Central Australia earlier in the year were scuttled, the launch was moved to the Coffs Coast of New South Wales in November, and with wet weather around, it was the perfect place to put the new ute to the test on the slippery hills.

When Nissan Australia updated its Navara range earlier in 2021, giving it a bold new look, it made its range-topping variant, the PRO-4X.

Following on from the success of the previous iteration’s Navara N-Trek Warrior collaboration with Melbourne engineering firm Premcar, it was a no-brainer that the marque would create a Warrior edition of the new model.

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Enter the PRO-4X Warrior, again another venture with Premcar which follows a similar formula to the original, only varying to improve on elements of the older model based on customer feedback.

“Any new model should be a true evolution, and that’s exactly what we’ve achieved with this Warrior,” said Premcar’s Bernie Quinn.

“It benefits from all of our learnings, our customer feedback, and from the improvements made to the Navara PRO-4X, creating a new ute that is tailor-made for Australian conditions. The result is a Warrior that’s tougher, safer and smarter, but no less practical and capable.”

Premcar has taken the top-spec Navara PRO-4X and updated its suspension to improve both performance and comfort; widened the wheel track by 30 millimetres with bespoke alloy wheels and all-terrain tyres for improved stability and off-road performance; and increased the front-end protection with a steel bumper that incorporates an auxiliary LED light bar with three-millimetre metal-plate underbody protection.

The new Australian-designed and made front bar is also capable of supporting a winch and Nissan offers a Warn winch as a genuine accessory. Over fender flares are included to cover the bigger tyres and increased track.

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The steel bumper is now painted to match the body colour and this is done as part of the Warrior conversion using a new process co-developed by Premcar and paint supplier PPG.

Premcar wanted a finish that matches the body paint, yet has the chip resistance of powder coating, so it worked with PPG to develop the new paint formula.

The bars are powder-coated black when they are made at the Nissan factory in Melbourne and are only available in black for non-Warrior Navaras. Premcar then has them painted using the new PPG paint to match the car.

At the back end, Premcar had to develop a new towbar for the Warrior that allows for space to fit a matching-size spare wheel and tyre in the standard location.

Premcar has actually softened the suspension from that of the standard Navara to make it more supple for improved ride quality and control. And it has done this without sacrificing too much in terms of payload or any of its 3500 kilogram towing capacity.

The front coil springs are seven per cent softer, while the rear coils are progressive with a six per cent reduction in the initial stage but 16 per cent stiffer in the second stage, such as when heavily laden or being subject to big bumps.

Working with the springs are bigger shock absorbers with increased oil capacity, rebound and compression dampening. Longer bump stops, or jounce bumpers, are fitted to better absorb the shock when maximum suspension compression is reached.

The suspension package has been tuned specifically for the PRO-4X and takes in to account the added weight of the new front bumper, with or without a winch fitted, and how well it performs when loaded to GVM. The tyres and suspension combine to give the Warrior a 40mm increase in ground clearance to 260mm.

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Speaking of GVM, the Premcar package gives the Warrior an extra 100kg over the regular Navara PRO-4X, so it is not sacrificing too much payload with the heavier steel bumper and other Warrior accessories.

The GVM is now 3250kg. That said, the Warrior is the only variant in the double-cab 4x4 Navara range that doesn’t have a full 1-tonne or more payload.

When fitted with the 7-speed automatic transmission the payload is 952kg or 961kg when equipped with the 6-speed manual, so its still outdoes many other utes in this class.

POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE

The powertrain remains standard spec for the PRO-4X; that is the 2.3-litre bi-turbo, 4-cylinder diesel engine that puts out a modest 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque, backed by the choice of 6-speed manual or a 7-speed automatic transmissions and a part-time, dual-range transfer case.

It’s great to see that Nissan is still offering the choice of a manual gearbox, not only across the Navara range but also in halo models like the Warrior.

The bi-turbo engine is middle of the road in terms of outputs when compared to competitors, but the set-up of its turbo chargers allows it to deliver its torque in a linear fashion from low in the rev range. It does get a bit rowdy as it gets higher in the revs and Nissan has helped subdue that with extra sound deadening in the 2021 Navaras, but it’s still noticeable.

Nissan’s 7-speed automatic transmission does its job and only becomes disagreeable when trying to downshift in low range and it doesn’t always let you do it.

ON-ROAD RIDE AND HANDLING

The sealed road part of the launch drive was limited to a relatively short freeway run between the hotel and the mountain tracks, where the Warrior was smooth and comfortable. The suspension felt controlled when hooking in to the off-ramps and there was no discernable road noise from the Cooper AT tyres.

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The tyres really came in to their own when the tarmac turned to wet gravel, offering a level of grip that highway-style tyres wouldn’t match. The suspension again did a stellar job of keeping the car controlled and on track as the surface got rougher.

The roads were relatively low-speed as they wound their way up in to the hinterland but the Warrior kept its composure with whatever it was faced with. There were a few whoops and crossings where I know the OE Navara suspension would have bottomed out and bumped hard, but there was no such dilemma for the Warrior.

OFF-ROAD

The forestry tracks were not what you would normally call ‘off road’ but some sections were heavily rutted and sloppy due to the recent rain. The tyres soon filled up with mud becoming slicks and getting caught in the ruts would find the bash plates on the high spots. It was nice to know that the extra protection is there in such conditions.

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Low range was selected for control and the Warriors made their way up without too much struggle by picking the best available lines. The electronic traction control works very well and we didn’t need to employ the factory rear diff lock.

Low range also gave the Navara very good engine braking for the steep descents, limiting wheels slip in the tricky conditions. This was in an automatic transmission Warrior and should be even better with a manual trans and its lower crawl ratio. There was no bottoming out under the front diff on the descents, the added ride height and tuned suspension doing their thing to control the front end.

It will be very interesting to get the PRO-4X Warrior out on home higher-0speed rough roads to really feel the excellent suspension working its best.

CABIN & ACCOMMODATION

Inside the Warrior is all the same as a regular PRO-4X except for the embroidery on the front seat headrests.

The seats are leather with manual adjustment and no heating, the 2021 updated dash has the new AV unit that includes CarPlay and Android connection, and the leather trimmed steering wheel is fitted to a column that is adjustable for height but not reach.

The Navara is a bit narrower than utes such as the Ranger and Amarok and you’d be hard-pressed to squeeze three adults across the back seat, but it’s comfortable for two.

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Externally, the big changes are to the front end with the painted bar and underbody protection designed to work in with the bigger 2021 grille and new LED headlights.

The 17-inch alloy wheels are a new design for the PRO-4X Warrior. They are wrapped in 275/70 Cooper Discoverer all-terrain tyres, the same rubber that was fitted to and well-proven on the N-Trek Warrior.

‘Warrior’ specific decals are fitted to the taller for ’21 cargo tub to let everyone know it’s something special.

VERDICT

Of course, performance and looks always come at a cost and for the PRO-4X Warrior, that cost is $67,490 with the manual gearbox or $69,990 with the auto transmission.

While that’s $9360 more than what a regular Navara PRO-4X will set you back, you have to consider the price of all the accessories and that they were specifically developed for this vehicle with OE levels of engineering to be a fully integrated package that enhances the original vehicle.

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Other suspension, wheels and tyres, and protection equipment could all be bought via the aftermarket, but you could never have the same level of vehicle integration that comes with the Premcar Warrior package which is fully legal and covered by Nissan’s full five-year warranty.

It creates a vehicle that you can drive out of the showroom and on any adventure around Australia without any further modifications and that is something that can’t be said about many other new vehicles on the market.

One thing for sure is that this is the best-performing version of the D23 Navara yet.

2021 NISSAN NAVARA PRO-4X WARRIOR SPECS