2026 Nissan Navara PRO-4X off-road review

The PRO-4X is the top of the range for the new D27 Navara line-up for now. Nissan will be releasing a Warrior version of the PRO-4X in association with its partner Premcar later this year, but for now the $68,418 PRO-4X is the king of the hill. 

It’s no secret that the new Navara is a product Nissan shares with its alliance partner Mitsubishi, and as a result the D27 is essentially a current-model Triton – a ute that has been on the market here for more than two years now.

If Nissan was going to partner with anyone, then Mitsubishi is a pretty good choice as it has been building utes and 4X4s for decades, and the current Triton is not a bad thing. Hence, the D27 Navara is also not bad.

JUMP AHEAD

• Powertrain
• On-road performance
• Off-road performance
• Interior
• Safety
• Ownership and warranty
• Verdict
• Specs

Powertrain

All D27 Navaras are powered by Mitsubishi’s 2.4-litre bi-turbo diesel engine, producing 150kW and 470Nm, with a claimed combined fuel consumption of 7.1L/100km. The engine is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, with no manual option offered.

The lack of a manual gearbox is one of the key differences between the limited Navara range and the more extensive Triton line-up. Other options you won’t find in a new Navara are single- and extra-cab models, two-wheel drive or cab-chassis traybacks. That’s not to say you can’t remove the cargo tub and fit a tray yourself. The D27 Navara range is strictly double-cab 4X4 utes with an automatic transmission.

As the top of the range Navara, the PRO-4X gets the Super Select 4×4 system, which offers two- and four-wheel drive, high and low range and full-time 4×4 for on-road driving.

The engine’s peak torque of 470Nm doesn’t tell the full story of the Navara’s performance, as it’s the broad torque curve that gives the ute plenty of mid-range grunt where it’s most useful. It’s punchy and works well with the six-speed auto when you put your foot down to get on with the job.

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On-road performance

Not so great is the performance of the transmission when driving around town at lower speeds.

Forty to 50km/h suburban meandering has the transmission overly busy shifting up and down through the ratios and being very annoying. Some drivers may not notice it, but for me, once I felt it I couldn’t miss it and it annoyed me every time I was driving around the local area.

Another annoyance that couldn’t be ignored is a vibration from the engine at low revs, particularly below 1500rpm. My co-driver and I both noted it on the launch drive when coming to a stop in traffic, but that drive was mainly open road and I didn’t mention it after that. Back in town and at low-speed suburban pace, in two different new Navaras, I felt it more often – when slowing down but also when the transmission shifts up to higher gears and drags the engine speed down. It’s something I feel the engineers should be able to tune out with transmission and torque converter calibration.

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Off-road performance

The Navara uses a conventional ladder-frame chassis with coil-spring IFS up front and a leaf-sprung live axle at the rear.

The two top models in the D27 range run a lighter rear leaf pack for improved comfort and drivability when unladen, and it gives the PRO-4X a composed and comfortable ride. Likewise, the front end does an excellent job on road and on snotty tracks to deliver precise and predictable handling.

The Navara has a locking rear diff, which made the traverse of our wombat holes easy, but the ETC also does a very good job of distributing drive without resorting to the RDL. All D27 Navaras have a 3500kg towing capacity. GVM is rated at 3190kg and GCM at 6250kg, plus a payload of 964kg for the PRO-4X. The PRO-4X comes standard with a towbar fitted, fully wired and ready to go.

The PRO-4X is also the only model in the range to get Toyo all-terrain tyres as standard fitment, and their more aggressive tread pattern was appreciated in the wet and muddy conditions of our day out.

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Interior

The PRO-4X’s cabin is well equipped and neatly laid out, with leather-accented seats featuring orange stitching and suede bolsters, a leather-accented steering wheel with matching stitching, and ‘PRO-4X’ logos embossed on the front seats. There are also black-painted inner door handles and orange accents on the centre console and door trims.

The 9-inch infotainment screen sounds small when compared to the 12.3-inch units that are popular in many utes these days, but the Navara screen is taller and squarer than those more horizontal ones, and it is well placed and easy to access and operate.

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Safety

Safety-wise, the Navara gets eight airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning with emergency lane assist, trailer sway control, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, blind-spot warning, intelligent around-view monitor with moving object detection, driver monitoring, tyre pressure monitoring (TPMS), and front and rear cross-traffic alert. These features have earned the D27 a five-star safety rating, although this is based on 2024 testing.

Ownership and warranty

All D27 Navaras come with Nissan’s service-activated warranty of up to 10 years/300,000km (otherwise five years/unlimited kilometres). It also includes up to 10 years/300,000km of service-activated roadside assist (otherwise one year/unlimited kilometres), along with a five-year flat-price service schedule, with services priced at $499.

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Verdict

The new Navara’s similarity to the Mitsubishi Triton with which it shares so much is not a bad thing. The Mitsubishi is a great base and the subtle changes to the Nissan give buyers more options and the ability to bargain with dealers when looking for a sale.

There’s nothing subtle about the PRO-4X’s orange accents and highlights both inside and out, and they won’t be for everybody, but those buyers might look at the ST-X Navara, which shares the same specification but with more subdued styling and different wheels and tyres.

The new D27 doesn’t raise the Navara’s standing among the ute rankings, and it remains a mid-class player. It is still no Ranger, HiLux or Tasman, but adds to the mid-range mix that includes Triton, D-MAX, BT-50, GWM and the emerging brands. It will be interesting to see what Premcar delivers when the PRO-4X Warrior arrives, especially in view of the recently unveiled Triton Raider, which was also developed by Premcar.

What’s great is that we are getting more choices when looking for a midsize ute and that ability to negotiate with dealers who all want your hard-earned.

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Specs