2026 Nissan Navara review: Quick drive

Nissan Navara Cons

The first "all-new" Nissan Navara in about a decade might be "all-new" within the Nissan stable, but it's not "all-new" if you're familiar with what's already on the market.

Revealed in Australia for the world last week, the 2026 Nissan Navara is the latest product to emerge from the Japanese brand's close partnerships with its Alliance partners, this time leaning heavily on Mitsubishi for its next-generation ute.

If the new 'D27' Navara looks weirdly familiar, it's because it's effectively a badge-engineered Mitsubishi Triton. There's a revised face, new front and rear lighting, and other unique touches dotted about, but the platform, drivetrain and technology is all shared.

Where Nissan has tried to go one further is by commissioning local engineering firm Premcar – which has brought us the Warrior by Premcar range based on the previous Navara as well as the Patrol – to undertake a local chassis tuning program to tailor its new dual-cab ute for Australian roads and conditions.

As a result, the Premcar team took 12 months and over 18,500km of testing throughout central Australia to engineer a bespoke damping system, as part of three different suspension specifications for the new Navara variants.

While the new-generation ute won't hit Australian dealerships until March next year, Nissan Australia invited us for a quick off-road drive ahead of the global unveiling in Adelaide.

It was a very brief first drive, but we'll tell you as much as we can about how it drives off-road in this 'Quick drive' review.

Short story is – we don't know yet.

Nissan Australia has confirmed the new Navara will only be available in dual-cab automatic pickup form – the most popular ute type – which means there will no longer be Single Cab or King Cab variants, and the base price could therefore rise by by about $15,000 to more than $50,000.

So far, confirmed variants include the premium ST-X and Pro-4X trim levels (the latter will form the basis of another Premcar-developed Navara Warrior flagship), but Nissan has also promised "entry-level models focused on essential capability", which will once again wear SL and ST badges.

For reference, the cheapest existing Navara dual-cab – the SL Dual Cab Pick Up 4×2 auto – is priced from $43,728 before on-road costs ($50,728 plus ORCs for the 4×4 version), while the most affordable Triton dual-cab – the GLX Double Cab Pick Up 4×2 auto – costs $44,090 plus on-roads.

The new Toyota HiLux, meantime, will start from $47,990 before on-roads for the cheapest twin-cab pickup version with 4×2 and an automatic transmission – that's over $52,000 drive-away!

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

Erm… just like a Triton.

If the exterior changes are 'minimal', the interior differences between the Nissan and Mitsubishi ute twins are almost non-existent. Save for the Nissan badge on the steering wheel and 'NAVARA' seat embossing, it's the same.

That means the same sporty-looking steering wheel – which personally, I really like – and other shared elements like the 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, gear selector and 'Super 4WD' controller, plus climate control switches.

If you take the Triton out of the equation, this is a very big step forward in terms of modernity and ambience for the Navara, given the previous D23 generation dates all the way back to 2014 (2015 in Australia).

The cockpit is clean, relatively uncluttered, and almost car-like in comparison to its predecessor – indeed it feels almost two generations ahead, in this reviewer's opinion.

Clear analogue gauges that almost look like watch faces flank the revised 7.0-inch supervision cluster with coloured graphics. While not fully digital, the driver's display is classic and clean, which will no doubt appeal to traditionalists.

You get nice soft-touch surfaces lining the dashboard and doors in the high-spec ST-X we tested, while the indicator stalks and multifunction switchgear have a satisfying weight to their operation. Again, it's more than a cut above the old one, even if it's all but identical to the Mitsubishi.

Seat comfort is good, and the adjustability of the seats and steering wheel is also much better than before – you no longer sit high up in the cab as in the old Navara. The increased dimensions over the D23 make the new model feel more open and airy, both up front and in the second row – which we'll get to shortly.

The new Navara will get NissanConnect Services with internet connectivity and remote smartphone app functionality too, enabling features like remote un/lock, vehicle locator, emergency call, and more. Wireless smartphone charging will also be available, as will wireless Apple CarPlay.

While we didn't get much time to really poke and prod around the new Navara's interior, Nissan says there's 42mm more legroom and 4mm more shoulder room in the second row, in addition to 29mm of extra shoulder room up front.

That's really down to intelligent packaging of the new platform, because while the Navara has grown in length (+60mm) over the D23, the wheelbase is actually 20mm shorter than before.

It should allow six-footers to sit comfortably behind six-footers, and make the Navara more practical for adventurous families – including those who use child capsules. As you'd expect, ISOFIX and top-tether points feature in the rear.

You also carry over some of the Triton's smart touches, like pockets on the front seatbacks for phones, wallets and the like, a fold-down centre armrest with cupholders, rear air vents, and bottle holders in the doors.

Further back, the D27 Navara's tray is 46mm longer than before, but overall width reduces by 15mm. Nissan maintains the new Navara can carry a Euro-sized pallet, while payload will vary from 950-1047kg depending on the variant.

While its wasn't fully detailed at the reveal event, Nissan Australia representatives promised the new Navara will be available with a "large range of genuine accessories", no doubt including things like bullbars, canopies, etc.

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

The Navara runs the same Euro 6-certified 2.4-litre bi-turbo diesel as the Triton.

Outputs are 10kW and 20Nm higher than the 140kW/450Nm twin-turbo 2.3-litre diesel engine in the current Navara, but still about 30Nm of torque short of the segment leaders.

The Navara's new diesel engine picks up AdBlue injection as well as idle stop/start technology to reduce NOx emissions and fuel consumption, no doubt influenced by Australia's tightening automotive emissions legislation.

Compared to the outgoing D23 Navara 4×4 pickup, Nissan's official fuel-efficiency and CO2 emissions claims are down 0.2L-0.4L/100km and 5-9g/km respectively, though the reductions are likely to be greater in the real world.

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

Our first 'drive' of the new Navara comprised only about 30 minutes behind the wheel on a short off-road course in the Adelaide Hills.

So, it wasn't enough to really tell you much about how the new Navara will handle daily driving with the family, loading up the tub or towing, for example. But, given I attended the Triton launch at the same off-road park, I was keen to feel the differences, if any.

The short course offered a mix of conditions and obstacles, including steep descents and ascents, muddy ruts, rocky climbs and even a water crossing. It also allowed us to try out the different modes from the new 'Super 4WD' system, which is effectively a rebrand of the Triton's 'Super Select' system with available full-time 4H mode.

Again, our time was limited so we didn't get a chance to play around with it too much other than shifting into 4HLc and 4LLc modes (4 High with Locked centre differential and 4 Low with Locked centre differential) for some of the more challenging sections of the course.

And like the Triton, the Navara didn't really break a sweat, but that's also probably because the course didn't push it to its limits. A much more linear feel to the steering and throttle increases the driver's sense of control and confidence though, and the hill descent control did a great job of maintaining a set speed down a rocky descent.

From the seat of my pants, the Navara (like, once again, the Triton) felt like it had more than enough traction and clearance to get over everything the Adelaide Hills trail could throw at it, even if that didn't test its limits.

It was difficult to judge the effectiveness of Premcar's Australian chassis tune over the rocky and rutted off-road terrain, though the Navara felt nicely damped over the rough stuff and well insulated from the outside world from behind the wheel.

As in the Triton, the new 2.4-litre bi-turbo diesel engine is pretty quiet and refined, at least when it's warm, and feels punchier than the current Navara's bi-turbo 2.3, and the six-speed auto is reasonable smooth and smart, even if it drops down from a seven-speed unit.

As mentioned, there's good damping from suspension hits and noise coming up from underneath the vehicle, but the Triton's ladder frame is far from class-leading when it comes to rigidity and on-road refinement.

That's why we're keen to drive the Navara on country highways and B-roads to get a feel for its open-road performance and ambience, given plenty of owners will spend a lot of time touring on coarse-chip regional freeways.

As it stands, we don't know whether the move to rear leaf springs has traded too much of the coil-sprung Navara's ride comfort in favour of load-carrying capacity.

But the new Navara will be a big step forward for driver assistance technologies compared to the old one, even if we didn't really get to test most of them out during this limited off-road drive.

We did use the updated Around View Monitor available on higher grades, which has a marked increase in resolution and clarity compared to the existing model. The cameras proved quite helpful for sharp crests, where visibility over the high bonnet was limited.

However, we didn't have a chance to try any of the new active assists like adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping, nor could we get a gauge on the pesky driver attention monitor that remains overzealous in the Triton.

Stay tuned to CarExpert for a more comprehensive review in 2026.

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

Nissan hasn't provided a full pricing and specifications breakdown yet, though we do know the ST-X and Pro-4X grades will sit atop the lineup at launch.

Available features will include:

Navara ST-X + Pro-4X initial highlights:

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

The new Navara doesn't have an ANCAP safety rating yet, though its Triton donor model was awarded a five-star safety rating by the local independent auto safety organisation in 2024, and brings significant safety advances.

Standard safety features include:

Adaptive cruise control will be "available" in select grades.

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

The Navara will be covered by the Japanese brand's generous 10-year, 300,000km warranty (100,000km longer than Mitsubishi's) – provided you service with a Nissan dealer.

With the 'Nissan MORE' program, you get warranty and roadside assistance coverage for up to 10 years or 300,000km (whichever comes first) if you service with Nissan's dealer network, and five years of capped-price servicing.

Nissan hasn't detailed service pricing for the D27 Navara just yet, but for reference the previous generation was $499 a pop for the first five visits – equating to $2495 total over the first five years of ownership.

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

It's a little early to call, but I think the new Navara has the potential to be the better twin.

Nissan appears to have taken on consumer feedback from the previous Navara and no doubt the latest Triton to take its time polishing off its latest dual-cab ute, with local chassis tuning by Australians, for Australians.

Premcar's bespoke Aussie-made dampers could prove to be the defining factor on the road, and during our limited experience off the blacktop the Navara proved pretty supple and refined – but again, barely 30 minutes on a closed off-road course doesn't tell the full story.

Not knowing pricing and specifications doesn't help either, because without them it's unclear what kind of value proposition Nissan is offering alongside the HiLux, Ranger, D-Max and Triton, let alone the increasing competition from China.

So let's call this one 'to be continued' for now…

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Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au