The more things change, the more they stay the same, or so the saying goes. The dual-cab segment in Australia continues to forge ahead, and Nissan’s Navara is a stronger offering than it’s been for some time. Trent Nikolic takes an on-road-focused look at the Pro-4X.
- Punchy engine and competent automatic
- Cabin has a passenger car ambience
- Coil springs work nicely unladen around town
- Wheel needs reach as well as height adjustment
- Driver’s seat should be height-adjustable
- Price has now crept into the $60K zone
Introduction
Sitting above the ST-X, Pro-4X is now the king of the Navara range – aside from the off-road-focused Pro-4X Warrior of course. However, when it comes to what we’d call the ‘regular’ dual-cab range, the 2021 Nissan Navara Pro-4X is the top of the pile.
Whether it’s worth the $65,290 asking price or not is a moot point. At the time of testing, that price is a drive-away deal. But, the question of worth seems redundant. Aussies are hoovering up expensive dual cabs at an alarming rate. As such, the Pro-4X is competitively priced among its chief combatants.
Interestingly, none of the dual cabs, even the newest versions, are perfect. You’d think that manufacturers would be looking at each other’s products finding all the minute details that could do with some finer honing, and ensuring their new dual cab ticked every box. And yet? They don’t.
There is always a compromise when it comes to high-end dual cabs. More on that in a minute. There are so many different theories as to why dual cabs are as popular as they are in this country, but if buyers felt the compromise wasn’t worth making, they would stop buying them wouldn’t they?
Nissan’s revised Navara initially had the compromise of not being able to handle heavy payloads thanks to the coil spring rear end. The Australian motoring press went hard at the Navara, too, seemingly ignoring the fact that just about every buyer of the top two variants rarely put anything in the tray. Aside from some mulch or a gym bag that is.
For mine, the Navara’s effective USP among the mainstream, in the form of coils all round, made for a far better-mannered day-to-day proposition on-road. It was always pretty handy off-road too.
Now, though, the load-hauling ability has been enhanced, and the reasons the Navara is a strong offering remain. There’s a six-speed manual if you want one, or the seven-speed automatic as we’re testing here. Pro-4X gets plenty of high-level gear above the ST-X too: all-terrain tyres, black fender flares, roof rails, door mirrors, side steps, grille and door handles, black 17-inch alloy wheels, leather-accented seats with logos and accent stitching, a towbar, black stainless sports bar, and tub liner. A full-size spare is par for the course too.
In crisp white, the Pro-4X cuts a stylish figure on the road. Dual cabs are getting tougher by the update, and the Navara remains one of the more attractive in terms of design. There’s some Titan DNA in the design. Coincidentally, the first time I saw the Pro-4X naming was when I spent a month with a Titan in the US, and that’s no bad thing. Like new Ranger shadowing F-150, Nissan could do worse than display some lineage to its full-size pick-up.
At this end of the market, a few factors remain key. How does it behave around town, in traffic, and through the cut-and-thrust of the daily grind? Is the cabin robust, but car-like enough to encourage longer road trips? Is the engine punchy enough to get moving, but not so thirsty it will frazzle the wallet? And how does it ride unladen, given most at this level remain ever thus? Let’s find out.
| Key details | 2021 Nissan Navara Pro-4X |
| Price (MSRP) | $65,290 (drive-away) |
| Colour of test car | White Pearl |
| Options | None |
| Price as tested | $65,290 (drive-away) |
| Rivals | Isuzu D-Max | Mazda BT-50 | Ford Ranger |
Inside
I’ve always liked the Navara cabin, with a few caveats. One, the steering wheel has no reach adjustment, only tilt. And two, the driver’s seat isn’t able to be lowered into the cabin as much as I would like. It’s worth noting that you will get used to both these things, but when compared to the best in segment, they form a compromise.
However, other elements of the Navara’s cabin are excellent. I’ve always thought the Navara had a more car-like (or SUV-like) cabin than many of the other dual cabs in terms of the dash design and layout. Even though there are newer options on the market, this is still a strong point for mine. Dual-zone air-conditioning makes for a comfortable cabin and second-row occupants get vents.
On the subject of the second row, if you’ve got tall adults up front, you’re going to find the second row a little tight, but that’s with the front two seats in their rearmost position. You get two USB ports and two 12V ports up front, as well as a USB port for the second row. We like the sliding rear window in the Navara – that’s a point of difference for this segment. Large US trucks tend to have them standard, but not so much our smaller dual cabs.
The Navara’s cabin, once you take into account the seat sitting a little higher, is comfortable and insulated around town. The ride helps here, too, but there’s also no roar from the all-terrains, and little in the way of wind noise at highway speed either. The 2021 update, which included more sound deadening, has made an impact in the real world. While newer dual cabs do indeed feel newer from behind the wheel, some key updates would bring the Navara along closer to the standard-setters.
| 2021 Nissan Navara Pro-4X | |
| Seats | Five |
| Length | 5311mm |
| Width | 1875mm |
| Height | 1855mm |
| Wheelbase | 3150mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Central to the system is an 8.0-inch touchscreen, which displays a grainy image from the 360-degree camera. It’s not quite as high-tech or modern as the best in segment now, and it’s an area where you can definitely feel that the segment has moved on. The new Ranger will kick this up another notch of course. A larger screen and clearer cameras would be an improvement for the Navara.
However, on test the screen worked reliably with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as did the native satellite navigation. Both those systems were accurate and responsive for us on test. The rear-view camera works, but could also do with an upgrade to compete with the best in segment. The 7.0-inch digital driver’s display is a good one too.
Safety and Technology
A five-star ANCAP rating from back in 2015 stays with the Nissan Navara Pro-4X, and there’s plenty of standard safety kit as befits the segment now. However, the Navara does lack some equipment compared to the current best in segment.
The 2022 Nissan Navara Pro-4X doesn’t feature radar cruise control, speed sign recognition or a centre airbag between the front seats (all features that are standard on new-generation dual cabs such as the Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50).Standard kit includes intelligent AEB, blind-spot intervention, lane intervention, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning, and an intelligent driver alert. There’s also a quality 360-degree camera that also assists off-road in terms of safely positioning the Navara in tight spaces. Hill descent control and hill start assist are also standard.
| 2021 Nissan Navara Pro-4X | |
| ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2015) |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP report |
Value for Money
Nissan’s five-year warranty covers unlimited kilometres, and there’s a capped-price servicing scheme for that same period as well. Service intervals are handy for those of you racking up serious miles, with a 12-month/20,000km expectation, although I’d probably be back at Nissan for an oil and filter every 10,000km. Over three years, you’ll spend $1816, and over five years the scheduled services cost $2971.
Nissan claims 7.9L/100km on the combined cycle, and on test with plenty of around-town traffic our Navara used 8.8L/100km. On the freeway, you’ll see numbers in the low sevens, while even heavy traffic rarely saw the live readout lift above our test average. If you use 8.8L/100km as a fair average with a 50km safety margin, you’ll get a touring range of at least 900km from a tank – perfect for family road trips.
| At a glance | 2021 Nissan Navara Pro-4X |
| Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 20,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1816 (3 years), $2971 (5 years) |
Driving
Our focus for this review is on around town, unladen manners. And, as you’d no doubt expect, 140kW and 450Nm are more than capable of tackling those tasks with ease. Peak torque – while not eye-watering – is available from just 1500rpm, and as such, the Pro-4X can scoot in a hurry when you need it to. The Navara will get off the mark and keep pulling up to 110km/h on the highway with ease. And without too much diesel chatter for that matter.
The 2.3-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine is genuinely effortless for regular city work. Whereas we’ve seen it feel a bit breathless towing around 2500–2700kg up long hills on the highway before, the four-cylinder is unstressed around town without any weight behind it. The way the engine develops its power and torque is aided by the smooth shifting quality of the seven-speed automatic. We found the gearbox to be well-mannered around town at any speed.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Usage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 7.9L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 8.8L/100km |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Fuel tank size | 80L |
Part-time 4WD means the Navara is RWD around town on sealed surfaces, but that’s all you need in reality too. Even on a wet surface, the Navara doesn’t feel like Bambi on ice despite the fitment of all-terrain tyres. And I mean the frozen kind. As in skating. Yep, you get it. You could, though, if you decided not to go off-road, opt for more road-focused tyres if you prefer. Interestingly, the Navara actually doesn’t feel as hefty as it is from behind the wheel either. The steering is nicely tuned to lower-speed work, and it never feels heavy or ungainly.
The harsh reality – whether observers want to accept it or not – is that the overwhelming majority of higher-end dual cabs get used around town in exactly the conditions I’ve noted above. They are, in effect, a regular family conveyance for plenty of owners. The workhorses in the range are, well, workhorses, but the more expensive variants live an easier life. That’s why we tend to expect as much of a modern dual cab as we do when testing them.
As such, we appreciate the way in which the Navara’s coil-sprung rear end deals with regular urban fare. That is, the rear irons things out neatly and effectively without skipping around like a CD in a ’90s head unit. I’d suggest that the steering, ride and handling ability are all up with the most accomplished in the segment.
Excellent headlights make a difference when you head into areas without proper street lights, and are a factor those of you on the urban fringe will appreciate. Whereas the engine works nicely around town, if you need to really get cranking on the highway from lower speed, it does feel like it could do with a bit more grunt, but that doesn’t detract from the quality of the drive experience.
| Key details | 2021 Nissan Navara Pro-4X |
| Engine | 2.3-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel |
| Power | 140kW @ 3750rpm |
| Torque | 450Nm @ 1500-2500rpm |
| Drive type | Four-wheel drive (including low-range) |
| Transmission | Seven-speed torque convertor automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 65kW/t |
| Weight | 2146kg |
| Tow rating | 3500kg braked, 750kg unbraked |
| Payload | 952kg |
| Turning circle | 12.5m |
Conclusion
The Navara is strong in some areas, but can’t compete with the best dual cabs in others. As suspected, its strong points remain strong, even in a segment that gets tougher by the year. Navara’s coil-sprung rear end, car-like cabin execution and smooth driving experience are compelling considerations for dual-cab buyers expecting their truck to do more city-focused driving and touring than tougher work and heavy towing.
The Pro-4X as tested here is also a solid performer off-road. Weighed up against the competition price-for-price and spec-for-spec, the Navara is still a quality all-rounder.
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