By CHRIS RILEY, Marque Motoring
Okay. Now I’m confused.
The Nissan Navara PRO-4X was replaced by the PRO-4X Warrior which in turn has recently been replaced by the much-hyped PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar.
Premcar had a hand in some or all of them, but here’s the thing… the Pro-4X is back.
Take your eye off the ball and look what happens. What’s more, there’s an SL Warrior by Premcar now too.
Who will be top dog?
STYLING
To give Navara and the PRO-4X some context, there’s a new one due soon.
That’s a good thing because the current Navara has been with us for 10 years and despite a makeover, it is starting to show.
They say however that the last of the line is always the best one because by then they’ve managed to iron out the bugs.
That makes the only real decision here whether to get the PRO-4X or the PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar?
They might look similar, but they’re actually two very different vehicles.
PRO-4X is all about show, a flashy package designed with the city driver in mind.
Nissan describes it as a style package aimed at adventure lovers and travellers craving an escape from their daily routine.
The Warrior, as its name suggests, has been assembled to take on the elements, targeted at the driver who’s not afraid to get their car dirty and maybe scraped with some serious low-range action.
Prices for Pro-4X start from $63,955 for the manual or $66,921 for the auto; both figures driveaway. The Premcar version is $74,255 for the manual or $76,830 with an auto — over $10K more and that’s a huge difference.
Based on the entry grade SL comes only as an auto and is priced from $67,027.
The former darling ST-X is $55,945.
Interestingly, they’re all powered by the same 2.3-litre four cylinder turbo-diesel — some with single, some with twin turbos.
Our test vehicle was the PRO-4X automatic.
The latest version looks the goods, dressed in black, with red decoration and PRO-4X decals.
There’s black 17-inch alloys and all terrain Yokohama rubber, along with a black interlock grille, black sports bar, rear step for ease of access and a tailgate embossed with the Navara name.
The makeover includes privacy glass, together with black roof rails, door handles, door mirrors and side steps.
Inside there’s two-zone climate air, heated, part-leather, red-stitched, embroidered front seats with the PRO-4X logo and a power-adjust driver seat.
There’s also a fancy chrome transmission surround, rear air outlets, and of course that odd little sliding rear window that has been a part of the Navara experience for so long.
Standard features include push-button start, cruise control (but not adaptive cruise), quad LED headlights and LED tail lights, auto high beam, auto lights and wipers, auto dimming rear-view mirror, rear parking sensors, floor mats, tow bar and tub liner.
It appears a tonneau cover is optional although the test vehicle was supplied with one.
Spare is a full size steel wheel located out of the way under the rear.
The instrument cluster features old style analogue dials left and right, separated by a centre digital driver information screen with the ability to display a digital speedo.
PRO-4X is covered by a 5-year unlimited kilometre warranty, with service intervals set at 12 months or 15,000km.
INFOTAINMENT
Infotainment consists of an 8.0-inch touchscreen with six-speaker audio, Bluetooth, and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
While the original PRO-4X included satnav and digital radio, they are conspicuously absent from the current offering.
There’s 1 x USB-Type A socket in the front console, another Type A and Type C socket in the centre console and a charge only Type A at the rear of the centre console.
ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS
In terms of grunt the twin turbo 2.3-litre four cylinder diesel puts out 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque, the latter from a low 1500 through to 2500 rpm.
These are good figures because torque is the stuff that provides low-end grunt, the same as a V8 and makes it more accessible.
The turbo-diesel comes with a choice of 6-speed manual or 7-speed auto transmissions.
The auto includes Navara’s Drive Mode Selector, with Sport, Off-Road, Tow and Normal modes.
SAFETY
Safety extends to seven airbags, including a driver’s knee bag, Intelligent Forward Collision Warning, Intelligent Emergency Braking, Intelligent Driver Alertness, Lane Departure Warning, Intelligent Lane Intervention, Blind Spot Warning and an Intelligent Around View Monitor, including an off-road monitor, and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.
Autonomous emergency braking (City and Interurban) is now standard on all variants, but does not detect pedestrians and cyclists.
DRIVING
At more than 5.3 metres in length and with a 12.5 metre turning circle, Navara can be tricky to park.
Or it would be if not for rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera with guidelines and 360-degree overhead monitor to help.
Sides steps are fitted but getting in would be easier if the driver was provided with a grab handle like other occupants.
It would also be so much easier to find the ideal driving position if the steering wheel was reach-adjustable — which it is not.
On a more positive note the driver seat is power adjustable which helps to get it just right.
The back seats are large enough and comfortable enough to accommodate adults, but legroom is limited so we would not like to spend too much time back there on long haul trips.
They lift up to reveal extra storage.
Of note the child seat anchor points in this car feature cloth loops which are located on the top edge of the seat.
The idea is to pass the tether through the closest loop and then continue to the next one along where you attach the snap shackle.
Can’t say we’ve encountered this setup before and forewarned is forearmed because the loop may not be large enough to accommodate the tether buckle.
Ground clearance is a big factor when it comes to off-road ability.
PRO-4X offers what we regard as a rather per se 220mm — the bare minimum really.
This climbs to 260mm in the off-road focused Premcar model.
Wading depth for both is 600mm.
There’s a part-time dual range 4×4 and rear diff lock, which means essentials are there, it’s just that we wouldn’t be tackling anything too extreme.
While a front bash plate is fitted, the part you can see under the bumper is plastic and easily damaged.
Suspension is double wishbone at the front and five-point, multi-link at the rear, as opposed to the old fashioned leaf springs offered by most utes.
A strengthened rear axle and additional load volume make the vehicle ready for work or play.
PRO-4X pulls strongly just off idle, but tends to run out of puff if you start to push hard.
The ride on the other hand is surprisingly supple, on well formed roads at least.
Once you hit the back roads it soon deteriorates, becoming brittle and unforgiving.
The steering is a bit vague, but it goes where you point without too much complaint.
Gear changes from the seven-speed box are smooth and timely.
You can change gears manually using the shifter, but we miss gear change paddles.
Of note Navara like most utes is still fitted with rear drum brakes, but the on-road experience is generally good overall.
Rather than thrash it PRO-4X is at its best cruising in the left lane, where it purrs along, quiet and smooth and using little fuel for its size.
In four-wheel drive mode, Navara activates its Active Brake Limited Slip Differential system (ABLS), which manages power delivery and wheel braking between the front and rear axles and between the left and right of the vehicle, depending on traction and speed.
Working with the Vehicle Dynamic Control system (VDC) and ABS brakes, this system enables drivers to be more confident and feel secure when towing large payloads and driving through muddy terrain with less acceleration and brake operation.
Our test vehicle was fitted with Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain rubber, which tends to be good in the dry but terrible on wet roads, so the rear end is apt to become unstable in two-wheel drive aka. rear-wheel drive.
PRO-4X can tow a 3500kg braked load and payload of 1013kg (manual) or 1004kg (auto).
The new trailer sway control system helps the vehicle to maintain stability on the road when towing a trailer.
But a tonneau cover is optional and there is no 12 volt outlet in the tray for a fridge.
Fuel consumption for this model is a claimed 8.1L/100km from an 80-litre tank. We were getting pretty close to that at 8.2L/100km after almost 800km.
SUMMING UP
PRO-4X is an eye-catching ute, that’s for sure.
While it might not offer the same kind of off-road ability as the Premcar version, most buyers are not looking for this anyway.
It represents pretty good value for a top of the range model at the price, but we really can’t condone the increase in price with the removal of satnav and digital radio.
RATINGS:
Looks: 8
Performance: 7.5
Safety: 7.5
Thirst: 7.5
Practicality: 7
Comfort: 7
Tech: 7
Value: 7.5
