Since the current Nissan Navara has hit the market in Australia, significantly modernised competitors have arrived from Isuzu, Mazda, and most recently Ford. None of them have a coil-spring rear like the Navara, and as such, it maintains its point of difference. Trent Nikolic steps into a Drive favourite to see how it stacks up a few years on.
2022 Nissan Navara Pro-4X
Dual-cab utes are the gift that keeps on giving to manufacturers in this country. Release a new one, regardless of price, and you’ve got an immediate waiting list.
It wasn’t quite that bad when Nissan launched the current Navara, but that was in a pre-pandemic world. Supply and demand were a little more closely aligned than they are now in 2022.
The Nissan Navara separated itself immediately from the pack thanks to a rear end that did away with the leaf spring suspension and made the brave move to coil springs. Not the only ute to do so, nor the first, but a rarity in the segment, and a big shift for a volume brand.
The Navara arrived feeling more car-like, more sophisticated, more focused on unladen ride quality – something dual cabs never did very well. The Volkswagen Amarok was as good as it got with leaves, at the time, and then Ford kept fettling the Ranger to make it as good as possible.
There was some bleating about load carrying and the Nissan not being able to lug a near-tonne worth of whatever it might be in the tray. Problem is, criticism like that doesn’t take into account the fact that few people spending Navara Pro-4X money expect their dual cab to actually work for a living. I was way more inclined to celebrate the Navara’s car-like cabin and on-road manners unladen.
Isuzu blew the segment up with a new D-Max, which as you know also provides the underpinnings for the Mazda BT-50, and the whole state of play had changed again. The new Navara wasn’t quite so new anymore. And then Ford released an all-new Ranger. And, we know how that has gone thus far.
The question, then, is whether the Navara can still hang with – or at least land a few blows on – the best in the segment. Plenty of buyers don’t care which dual cab is the best. Brand loyalty, decisions based on style, or a preference for cabin ergonomics mean the best isn’t always the one punters want.
Navara still needs to be solid, though, so let’s find out how it gets down to business around town, in the way most people will use a Navara Pro-4X.
How much does the 2022 Nissan Navara cost in Australia?
The only tweaks in recent times for the Pro-4X are heated seats with power adjustment and lumbar support, which came with a reasonable $600 price rise. The previous model’s manual seats were comfortable enough, but heating and electric lumbar adjustment have lifted the cabin comfort a notch or two.
Our tester starts from $58,730 before on-road costs. Zero options for our test truck mean the indicative drive-away price at the time of testing was $63,735.
Sitting atop the ‘regular’ Navara dual-cab pile, Pro-4X is the one that appeals to city buyers. It looks tough, but stylish, and is also the basis for the Navara Pro-4X Warrior, which is the flagship Navara product for off-road explorers. As we’ve seen with the Warrior, but even with the aftermarket, Navara’s coil spring rear end makes a great starting point for off-road-focused modifications.
In the 4×4 dual-cab style side range, you can get into an SL from $46,600, then step through ST ($52,280), ST-X ($55,770), the newly added SL Warrior ($58,000), and then the Pro-4X we’re testing from the aforementioned $58,730. All those listed prices are before on-road costs.
Pro-4X is, as the price and status in the range would indicate, well equipped. You get all-terrain tyres, black finishes for the fender flares, roof rails, door mirrors, side steps, grille and doorhandles, black 17-inch alloy wheels, a tow bar, black stainless sports bar, tub liner and a full-size spare of course. The last Pro-4X I drove was white, and I liked that colour, but it’s hard to argue with the attraction of the eye-catching Burning Red paint.
There’s some tough pick-up DNA to the styling, too, the Navara looking more than a little like the full-size Nissan Titan from the States. That’s not a bad thing either, as we know plenty of buyers here get into a dual cab for the styling. Navara still cuts a stylish figure on the road – in town or out in the bush – even in the face of newer metal.
| Key details | 2022 Nissan Navara Pro-4X |
| Price | $58,730 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Burning Red |
| Options | None |
| Price as tested | $58,730 plus on-road costs |
| Drive-away price | $63,735 |
| Rivals | Isuzu D-Max | Mazda BT-50 | Ford Ranger |
How much space does the 2022 Nissan Navara have inside?
Navara’s cabin has always been well executed, but like all dual-cabs, there are some things that could be improved.
The steering wheel has no reach adjustment, only tilt, and I’d like to be able to lower the seat down into the cabin more. You do feel – if you’re a taller driver – that you’re sitting a little too high up in the cabin. Compared to the best in the dual-cab segment, that’s something you will notice.
The fact that the Navara feels car-like inside the cabin remains, and that’s thanks not just to the dash design or choice of materials, but also the general ambience. Second-row passengers get air vents, and there’s dual-zone AC up front.
The second row is another area that could be better, especially now against newer competition. The Navara isn’t horribly cramped by any means, and even the biggest could be more comfortable, but it is tighter in the second row.
Two USB ports up front and two in the back take care of charging, and we’ve always liked the sliding rear window, which aids with airflow through the cabin when the mood takes you. The cabin remains, as it has been since launch, comfortable and insulated around town or out on the highway.
It is a lovely touring dual-cab on any road. The all-terrain tyres remain impressively quiet, even at highway speed.
| 2022 Nissan Navara Pro-4X | |
| Seats | Five |
| Length | 5311mm |
| Width | 1875mm |
| Height | 1855mm |
| Wheelbase | 3150mm |
| Payload | 952kg |
Does the 2022 Nissan Navara have Apple CarPlay?
An 8.0-inch touchscreen controls infotainment duties, and the grainy image from the 360-degree camera is a mile off the best in segment now. It works, but it could be so much clearer.
While the screen is adequate, newer dual cabs have much larger screens. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s something you’ll pick up on if you test the Navara back-to-back with the competition.
The functionality of the screen itself was excellent on test, and we had no dropouts with the wired phone connection. Navara gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as native satellite navigation.
The surround-view camera also works well enough, but could also do with a clarity improvement. The 7.0-inch digital driver’s display is dwarfed by the new Ranger’s, but the information it displays is easy to decipher and customise.
I find Nissan’s controls, switchgear, and general layout to be useful, sensible and robust. None of the switchgear feels tinny or cheap, it’s not stupidly laid out or complex, and it all works as it should. The audio system itself produces strong sound quality when you’re rolling down the highway too.
Is the 2022 Nissan Navara a safe car?
Initially tested back in 2015, but with a rating that now carries from December 2020 on, the Navara was awarded the full five-star safety rating from testing body ANCAP.
The scoring was different when the Navara was tested, and if you click on the link below, you’ll see that the Navara scored 14.01 out of 16 for frontal offset, 16 out of 16 for side impact, and two out of two for the pole test. Whiplash protection was good, pedestrian protection marginal, and the overall score was 35.01 out of 37 to get to the full five-star rating.
| 2022 Nissan Navara Pro-4X | |
| ANCAP rating | Five stars (December 2020) |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP report |
What safety technology does the 2022 Nissan Navara have?
The 2022 Nissan Navara Pro-4X gets seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking with forward collision alert, trailer sway assist, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, automatic high beams, a driver fatigue detector, rear parking sensors, the 360-degree camera, and tyre pressure monitoring. Hill descent control and hill start assist are also included.
However, the Navara doesn’t feature radar cruise control, speed sign recognition, or a centre airbag between the front seats, features that are now standard for D-Max, BT-50 and Ranger. Even though Navara has been around for a few years now, updates that add these features would make a big difference against newer competition.
How much does the 2022 Nissan Navara cost to maintain?
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. Buyers also get five years of complimentary roadside assist.
The Navara Pro-4X will cost you approximately $2065 per annum to insure based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
| At a glance | 2022 Nissan Navara Pro-4X |
| Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 20,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1816 (3 years) $2971 (5 years) |
Is the 2022 Nissan Navara fuel-efficient?
Not so long ago, single-figure fuel usage from a dual cab would have been the stuff of fantasy. Or an owner who liked to tell tall stories about the smoothness of their throttle application. Now, though, against an ADR-claimed 7.9L/100km, we used just 8.8L/100km in mostly city driving. Get out of the congestion and you’ll be able to get right down near (or under) that 7.9L claim.
The kicker here is not asking the Navara’s twin-turbo, four-cylinder to work too hard. If you’re towing or working your way through heavy terrain off-road, the Navara can get thirsty. Around town, though, and tackling light-duty work as this Pro-4X is most likely to do, the real-world fuel efficiency is solid.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 7.9L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 8.8L/100km |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Fuel tank size | 80L |
What is the 2022 Nissan Navara like to drive?
As noted above, we focused on around-town manners for this test, with the usage of the regular buyer in mind. We know from previous tests that if you’re towing a heavy trailer, for example, the Navara’s 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel engine can’t match the best in the segment. However, with 140kW and 450Nm on offer, the Navara can get around town without ever working hard.
The peak torque figure being available so low in the rev range means it always feels punchy in traffic, whether you need to get moving speedily from rest or roll onto the motorway. There’s a clean surge of punch from down low that keeps delivering to up near the redline. Navara will happily sit on 110km/h all day if you want it to, and remain efficient doing it. If you like the idea of family road trips on the weekend, the Navara will make light work of touring duties.
Where the engine works hard when towing, it never feels – or sounds – stressed around town, and that makes for a relaxing experience whether you’re cruising along the motorway or in stop/start traffic. Cleverly matched to the engine, the automatic’s seven ratios work away without the transmission seeming to hunt or constantly shift gears just for the sake of it. The gearbox didn’t do anything weird or clunky at any time during our week of testing.
While the Pro-4X does get all-terrain tyres, it’s well behaved in the city, even on a wet surface, with a light feel to the steering that makes moving it around a cinch too. The brakes work well, without needing a heavy shove to pull the Navara up, and whether or not you take the Navara off-road, the off-road-focused rubber doesn’t detract from the on-road reality.
It’s really quite interesting testing a dual cab in town, where you can watch hundreds of others being used for exactly that purpose. No matter how good they are off-road or at work, the reality for the more expensive variants is that they will be doing exactly what I’ve been doing on test.
As such, the Navara’s coil-spring rear end is a bonus. While it can’t haul huge weight as easily as leaves can, that’s irrelevant for anyone who doesn’t do that, and the Navara does ride effortlessly over poor surfaces. In the major cities at the moment, we have plenty of poor surfaces to give a dual cab a workout too.
There’s a sense of solidity and insulation to the way the Navara works its way through rubbish patches of road, right up to highway speed. It’s not perfect, but it’s composed and comfortable. Put the Navara head-to-head on-road with a new Ranger Wildtrak, and Nissan’s venerable dual cab is starting to feel its age. But a Ranger is more expensive, and the Navara is still accomplished at getting around town in a relaxed manner.
| Key details | 2022 Nissan Navara Pro-4X |
| Engine | 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel |
| Power | 140kW @ 3750rpm |
| Torque | 450Nm @ 1500–2500rpm |
| Drive type | Four-wheel drive (inc. low-range) |
| Transmission | Seven-speed torque converter automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 65kW/t |
| Weight | 2146kg |
| Spare tyre type | Full-size |
| Tow rating | 3500kg braked 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 12.5m |
Should I buy a 2022 Nissan Navara Pro-4X?
It’s impossible to ignore the chops of the newer competition in such a competitive market, and yet the reasons we’ve liked the Navara since launch remain. Its coil-spring rear end brings a sense of composure the other dual cabs can’t equal unladen, and there’s still the car-like feel to the cabin that is only bettered by Ford’s excellent Ranger.
With sharp pricing, tough styling, and Nissan durability, the Navara – especially in Pro-4X form – remains a solid option in a real battleground segment.
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