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Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior 2020 review: preview drive

• Nissan Navara
• Nissan Navara 2020
• Nissan Navara Reviews
• Nissan Reviews
• Nissan Ute Range

Daily driver score

Adventure score, adventure guide rank.

Larger obstacles, steeper climbs and deeper water crossings; plus tracks marked as '4WD only'

With the market fairly screaming out for high-spec and high-performance dual-cab utes, along comes the latest in a long line of beefed-up work-and-play horses.

The problem is we've all become a bit cynical about anything touted as an action-ready ute because what's come before has been a mish-mash procession of wannabes (basically sticker-packs) with a smattering of more substantial examples ( Ford Ranger Raptor ).

Nissan Australia has answered the call in the most gung-ho way possible by handing responsibility for the entire process of creating a halo-grade Navara N-Trek over to Aussie company Premcar, a highly-regarded automotive product development and engineering mob. And by "entire process" I mean the "entire process": to develop, source, engineer, validate and manufacture the new pumped-up version of the N-Trek.

As part of the mammoth job, undertaken in a high-pressure time-frame, the operation employed 40 people – with engineering and local manufacturing experience from several automotive manufacturers, which had recently closed down – to work exclusively on the N-Trek Warrior.

Reflecting the scale of the operation, Premcar dedicated a production line at its new 6300 square metre production facility in Epping, to the manufacture of the Warrior.

In July 2019, Nissan invited a select group of motoring journalists to their outback testing facility in Victoria's Big Desert Wilderness Area for an exclusive first drive of a pre-production Warrior during final stages of testing and tweaking.

They were dead-set keen to show off the results of hundreds of man-hours spent developing the Warrior, including exhaustive testing on Australian roads and tracks in harsh conditions.

But, after all of that, is the Warrior actually any good?

$19,490 - $56,999

Based on 237 car listings in the last 6 months

Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

The Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior will be available only as a dual-cab ute with a six-speed manual transmission or seven-speed auto .

It has a lot of carry-over equipment from the N-Trek, including the new 8.0-inch infotainment system (featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto ), as well as black stuff everywhere (such as grille, fender flares, sports bar, side steps, roof rails etc), and heated front seats and partial leather seats with dark orange fabric seat inserts.

But the big news is the stack of Warrior-specific features, which are many and include: 275/70/R17 Cooper Tires Discoverer AT3 LT (light truck) All-Terrain tyres, upgraded (and Premcar-tuned) dampers, a 40mm lift over N-Trek, a hoopless, body-coloured steel bullbar (from EGR), 3mm stainless-steel front underbody protection (Frontline), integrated 470mm LED light bar (Hella), 17-inch black alloy wheels (Rosta Wheels), re-engineered towbar cross-member (to fit the full-size spare; Frontline), full-size spare wheel and tyre (Rosta Wheels), orange-accented fog-lamp bezel with integrated "bark buster" (RP Group), "Navara" tailgate decal (3M), N-Trek Warrior decal package (3M), N-Trek Warrior embroidered front head-rest (Zervi), orange-accented floor mats (Roadgear), and plastic components specific to N-Trek Warrior (RP Group).

At time of writing, no official price had yet been released and none was even hinted at, but given the amount of aftermarket-style add-ons and work that have gone into the N-Trek Warrior – and the fact the N-Trek costs from $59,000 and the Raptor, which Nissan Australia officials have described as the Warrior's "primary competitor", costs $75,990 – I reckon Nissan's new high-spec ute will cost upwards of $65,000.

Is there anything interesting about its design?

As mentioned, we drove a pre-production Warrior back in July, so appearance-wise it was not wholly indicative of what will go into production and finally be available to buy – but at least it gave us a good hint. In a nutshell: it looks pretty good. Like an N-Trek but on the 'roids, but in a good way.

Premcar has embraced the challenge of fitting out the Warrior, outside and in, and, in chasing its goal, has sourced a range of parts, including the all-terrain tyres, the bullbar and underbody protection, from top-tier OEM level suppliers, as well as black alloy wheels and stuff like orange-accented floor mats to round out the package.

What are the key stats for the engine and transmission?

The Warrior has the N-Trek's 2.3-litre twin turbo-diesel engine (producing 140kW at 3750rpm and 450Nm at 1500-2500rpm), as well as a seven-speed automatic transmission and dual-range transfer case.

How practical is the space inside?

The interior will look a lot like the N-Trek's apart from Warrior-specific features such as embroidered front headrest and carpet floor mats with orange accenting (front and rear).

The cabin of our pre-production test vehicle housed plenty of tech gear to monitor vehicle activity, such as the suspension set-up's performance, and boofy blokes for the duration.

What's it like as a daily driver?

We didn't do much bitumen driving – a few kays to a rural airport to catch our flight home after having covered a lot of bush-track territory – but it seemed fine; it was subdued and compliant, certainly moreso than the N-Trek we drove as a direct comparison.

But the aim of our visit was to drive the Warrior off-road, so that's what we did.

What's it like for touring?

Our pre-production test vehicle – codenamed: Samurai – spent the lion's share of its time caked in mud and covered in sand and dirt while we were privy to the testing process. And that's how any 4WD worth its salt should spend its time. Bloody dirty.

I've always said that aftermarket tyres and suspension will improve any off-roader's performance in the rough stuff and, sure enough, that's what Nissan focussed on.

The Warrior has a 40mm lift over the N-Trek – 15mm of that is attributed to new off-road-enabled springs and dampers; and 25mm of that is from the Warrior's Cooper AT3 All-Terrain tyres.

Wheel track is 1600mm, front and rear, which is 30mm wider than the N-Trek's (1570mm, front and rear).

Ground clearance has increased from 228mm in the N-Trek to 300mm in this ute. Its approach, departure and ramp-over angles also reflect its total 40mm lift over the N-Trek's – check out the table below for those figures.

Nissan reckons it used "a softer primary spring for ride comfort and off road articulation, with a higher but more progressive secondary rate to maintain composure and performance – both in cornering, heavy duty off-roading, when laden and when towing".

The increased spring length takes the larger wheel and tyre further away from the body.

Also, the dampers have been upgraded from the Nissan original equipment part to provide added compression damping on top of the piston for quicker response.

"The outer tube diameter is larger with greater oil volume to improve cooling and rough road capability. The piston rod diameter has been increased to improve strength."

Premcar tuned the front and rear dampers with an internal valve code to match the springs and tyres. Its damper tuning program was claimed to have lifted all attributes – ride, handling, steering response, cornering balance and body control.

That suspension set-up has achieved slightly less bump compression, softer rebound, better wheel articulation and better control over bumps – and has made this ute a better all-round and more comfortable drive on- and off-road than an N-Trek.

The more aggressive all-terrain tyres are, of course, better suited to improved performance when you hit 4WD territory.

All of this aims to produce a more off-road capable and comfortable vehicle, something nearing the realm of a high-performance ute, something that's better than the standard Navara N-Trek, which we drove back-to-back with the test Warrior.

On our drive loops – a mix of gravel roads, rutted and sandy tracks along with a few steep sand dunes – the standard N-Trek tended to thump through undulations, and there was plenty of rack rattle over even minor track imperfections, while the Warrior test vehicle was a lot more controlled, and subdued, but much more responsive all round, in terms of steering, throttle and braking.

The differences were certainly significant.

Steering wheel jitter was greatly reduced, it held better around corners and through lumps and bumps and the Warrior seemed like an all-round more composed and stable off-roader than it was in standard form.

I know I always harp on about the importance of tyre pressures but the issue did come to the fore during our test drive. The Warrior, supposedly set at 30 psi (pounds per square inch) by product team members, cleared its first run up a steep-ish sand dune that had a long approach and then a chopped-up section just before its crest, but then it failed to do so on the next couple of attempts. Another driver (me) had a crack and cleared it, but the Warrior would have done it a lot easier if the tyres had been aired down more. (We dropped them to 20 psi soon after and had no issues after that.)

The 2.3-litre engine still makes a fair bit of noise at low speeds and when you give it the boot, but that grumble is no deal-breaker and, otherwise, it's a solid, dependable unit.

The N-Trek (auto) has a payload of 917kg; the N-Trek Warrior has a 724kg payload.

The Warrior retains the Navara's 3.5 tonne towing capacity .

How much fuel does it consume?

Fuel consumption is claimed as 7.0L/100km (auto) . We didn't have the chance to do a fill-to-fill fuel-consumption calculation.

What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating?

It has a five-star ANCAP safety rating , as a result of Navara testing in 2015.

The Warrior does not have AEB but it does have driver and passenger front airbags, driver's knee-bag, driver and front passenger side airbags and curtain airbags for both rows. It also has a reversing camera, reversing sensors, the 360-degree Around View monitor, two ISOFIX child-seat mounts , vehicle dynamic control with brake limited slip differential, hill start assist, hill descent control, and an electronic rear differential lock.

What does it cost to own? What warranty is offered?

Premcar worked hard to ensure that its local testing validated the changes so the N-Trek Warrior could be covered by a five-year / unlimited kilometre warranty . Roadside assistance is included.

Service intervals are scheduled for every 12 months/20,000km.

Navara service costs total an average of $629 a year.

The Navara has always been a fairly decent off-roader, but the Warrior takes it to the next level.

This is no sticker-pack special, this is an OEM-level conversion. From the decent off-road tyres to tweaked dampers and suspension, the Warrior is better ready for 4WDing than any Navara before it. There's a fair bit of style, sure, but there's a chunk of substance as well.

I'd like to spend a lot more time in the N-Trek Warrior before making an informed judgement. I'd like to throw a load in there – see how it rides with that – and I'd like to take it camping – to see how it handles those duties – but at the moment, all signs are pretty positive.

Note: Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior pricing and its on-sale date will be announced soon.

Note: carsguide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel and meals provided..

Dry weather gravel roads and formed trails with no obstacles, very shallow water crossings.

Hard-packed sand, slight to medium hills with minor obstacles in all weather.

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2020 Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior Review: Is The Ranger Raptor Rival As Good As It Looks?

The new Navara N-Trek Warrior is a serious off-roader that costs AU$20k / US$12k less than the Raptor Ranger

by Brad Anderson

Say hello to the 2020 Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior . It looks pretty serious, doesn’t it? That’s because it is.

Introduced late last year by Nissan in Australia, the Navara N-Trek Warrior sits atop the Japanese carmaker’s mid-size pickup truck family and caters towards shoppers looking for a tough-looking pickup that performs just as well along difficult off-road tracks as it does in urban environments.

The Warrior competes against the likes of the Toyota HiLux Rugged X we reviewed last year as well as the HSV Colorado SportsCat. The Ford Ranger Raptor can also be considered a rival although its price premium and trick suspension make it a touch more capable.

Looks to scare off other motorists

All it takes is a cursory glance at the front end of the Warrior to understand that this thing means business. The front end is dominated by a brutish steel bumper and matte black fenders, providing the pickup with a huge amount of road presence. Also featured at the front is a gloss black grille, LED light bar, and a skid plate to help protect the undertray when the going gets tough. Looks may be subjective but we think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t think this thing stands out on the road.

The custom touches extend beyond the front end and include distinctive side skirts, special graphics running along the sides, a sports bar in the bed, and a tow package at the rear.

What’s different over the Navara N-Trek?

While the lesser Navara N-Trek features similar visual tweaks, they’re not quite as aggressive as those adorning the Warrior. This isn’t just a styling exercise either, as the Warrior also sits 15 mm higher than the N-Trek and other Navara models and also rolls on a set of bespoke 17-inch alloy wheels sporting Cooper Discoverer AT3 All-Terrain tires measuring a beefy 275/70/17 at all four corners.

Read Also: We Drive The 2020 Nissan Navara N-Trek

Interestingly, Nissan itself isn’t responsible for producing the Warrior. Instead, each example lands in Australia in standard form before being delivered to Melbourne engineering firm Premcar who fit all the bespoke parts, perform the modifications, and then have them shipped out to showrooms.

Yes, it’s h ugely capable

Throughout our week with the ultimate Navara, we briefly tested it on some simple gravel tracks and roads and despite not attempting anything particularly treacherous, immediately found it to be more confidence-inspiring than the ‘regular’ N-Trek. This is helped in no small part by the higher front bumper that improves the approach angle from 33.2 degrees up to 35 degrees. In addition, the presence of the 3 mm thick stainless steel bash plate helps to reassure you that any rocks and tree branches that may flick up won’t cause any damage.

Among the most significant upgrades enjoyed by the Warrior is the presence of heavy-duty shock absorbers that help to smooth out rough terrain and reassure you that few things short of car-sized boulders can stop you.

Then we come to the tires. Lesser N-Trek models roll on standard street tires and while they do a reasonable job off-road, they become unstuck in slippery and muddy conditions and are the definite weak point. That’s not the case with the Warrior as the beefy all-terrain tires offer superb amounts of grip regardless of the road surface. They also suit the exterior look to a tee.

Although the Warrior is the most capable off-roader in the Navara family, the truth is that the vast majority will spend most of their lives on normal roads. And, despite the looks, the pickup does a fine job of handling the daily grind.

Everyday usability and weekend fun

The presence of aggressive all-terrain tires like those used by the Warrior all too often create unwanted levels of drone in the cabin. Not with the Warrior. In fact, these tires were no noisier than the street rubber of the lesser N-Trek model and actually seemed to smooth out the ride.

Aiding in the comfort is the presence of coil rear suspension at the rear as opposed to the leaf springs found at the rear of rivals such as the Toyota HiLux Rugged X and HSV Colorado SportsCat.

A familiar powertrain

Driving the Navara N-Trek Warrior is the brand’s familiar twin-turbo 2.3-liter diesel engine that provides 140 kW (187 hp) and 331 lb-ft (450 Nm) of torque. This engine can be coupled with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic. We only had the opportunity to test out the auto ‘box and found it to be more than capable and handling the demands of normal commuting and off-roading with little fuss. Power and torque delivery from the diesel is great.

Nissan claims this engine is good for 7 l/100 km (33.6 mpg US / 40.3 mpg UK) although we recorded figures in the mid-8 liter range (around 27.8 mpg US / 33.2 mpg UK).

The cabin of the Warrior is virtually identical to the lesser N-Trek model and comes complete with leather seats featuring heated functions and a host of orange accents. The most notable change between the N-Trek and the Warrior is the presence of stitching denoting the specific model on the headrest.

All in all, the interior offers a nice mix between rugged versatility and comfort. Sitting in the center of the dashboard is an 8-inch infotainment system that includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There is the same three-spoke steering wheel as lesser variants which could be improved if it could be adjusted slightly higher and also had the ability to telescope forwards and backward.

Ford and Toyota need to watch their backs

Car manufacturers that have ventured into this space of toughened-up pickups have discovered the perfect recipe to expand their ranges, providing minimal mechanical modifications and a focus on parts off the shelf that many off-road enthusiasts would need to venture into the aftermarket to find, such as LED light bars.

People are willing to pay a generous premium for these types of vehicles and the Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior is no different, with prices starting at AU$62,990 (US$38,835) with the six-speed manual and AU$65,490 (US$40,376) with the seven-speed auto, making it roughly AU$7,0000 (US$4,315) more than the lesser N-Trek model. Is it worth the premium? Absolutely.

Read Also: The Ford Ranger Raptor Is Less Truck, More Off-Road Sports Car

With the Warrior, Nissan has created a pickup that has perhaps even more road presence than the Ranger Raptor for roughly AU$20,000 (US$12,330) less. Its off-road abilities go well beyond what most buyers will need and it makes a serious statement on the road. What’s not to love?

Photo credits: Brad Anderson/CarScoops

Drive Section

• Car Reviews

2020 Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior Review

With just how popular dual-cab utes are in Australia, and how common it is for owners to modify them extensively, many manufacturers have taken to offering factory-modified examples of their 4×4 utes that are ready to tackle tough terrain right off the dealership floor, and all with the piece of mind that everything fitted to it is manufacturer approved and covered by the car’s warranty.

Although beaten to the punch by the likes of Ford, Toyota, and HSV, Nissan Australia is the latest company to enter the arena with the Navara N-Trek Warrior , which you may be surprised to learn is actually doing its little bit to help keep the scraps of Aussie car manufacturing alive.

Priced from $62,990 drive-away and sold exclusively in Australia and New Zealand for now, you might think that it’s an awful lot of money to pay for a Navara, and I’d ordinarily agree, but, you see, there’s nothing ordinary at all about this Navara. Don’t think for a second that this is all show and no trousers, as plenty of Aussie engineering has gone into making it feel perfectly adapted to our conditions.

Starting out in life as a regular Navara N-Trek when it rolls off the production line in Thailand, it then gets shipped to Premcar – the outfit that rose from the ashes of Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) – in Melbourne to have a host of upgrades fitted to it.

At first glance, you’ll notice that a hoopless body-coloured steel bullbar replaces the typical plastic bumper and has a 470mm LED lightbar bolted to it, there’s a 3mm thick stainless steel bash plate to protect the engine sump and front diff, it sports some massively pumped-up bolt-on wheel arch flares, a smattering of decals and orange highlights have been plastered all over the thing, a towbar with a unique cross-member is fitted as stndard, and there’s a set of Rosta alloy wheels that are unique to the Warrior.

Get past the undeniably tough visuals, though, and you’ll discover that the changes underneath are quite substantial. Those alloy wheels, for instance, are an inch smaller in diameter than on the regular N-Trek model but a kilo lighter and a centimetre wider to allow for the fitment of some serious off-road rubber – American-made 275/70 Cooper Discoverer AT3s with light truck construction that measure in at 32.2 inches in diameter, to be precise. The wider rubber means the wheel track is now widened by 30mm, too.

Dig deeper though and it’s the suspension that has been given the biggest overhaul here. After cycling through multiple suspension tunes, Premcar settled on giving the Navara 20mm suspension lift with non-progressive front coil springs and progressive rear coil springs that are softer than those on the regular model, along with beefy 35mm twin-tube shock absorbers from Tenneco and larger but softer front bump stops to deliver more control when the suspension is at maximum compression.

Combined with the extra height from the tyres, the Warrior rides 42mm higher than the regular N-Trek, affording it an impressive 268mm of ground clearance and 27.5 degree breakover angle which is up by 2.8 degrees. The design of the steel bullbar also increases its approach angle by 1.8 degrees taking it to 35 degrees, although the standard towbar fitment reduces its departure angle to 19 degrees.

However, while its towing capacity remains at the same 3500kg as the regular N-Trek, the extra weight of all the Warrior’s extra bits of kit like that heavy steel bullbar mean that its payload is reduced by nearly 200kg to just 724kg due to a lack of any GVM increase.

This isn’t the end of the world as far as I’m concerned though, as while most lower-tier Navara variants feature rear leaf springs like most utes do, the higher-spec’d models including both the regular N-Trek and this N-Trek Warrior have coil springs in the rear as mentioned before. If past load-lugging experiences with the D40 Navara have taught me anything, it’s that coil springs are not ideal for it one bit as they cause the rear of the ute sag under a heavy load, reducing traction over the front wheels.

But while its departure angle and payload may be downgraded, there are plenty of nice upgrades inside. Like the normal N-Trek, it features heated leather seats with an orange cloth centre section and power adjustment for the driver, orange contrast stitching on the steering wheel and armrests, a digital speedometer, dual-zone climate control, and a brand-new 8.0-inch infotainment system that is an unbelievably massive step up over the old unit as its graphics are vastly improved and it now features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto although digital radio is an omission.

Unique to the N-Trek Warrior is the model designation embroidered onto the front seat headrests in orange, along with carpet floor mats with orange stitching and ‘Navara’ embroidery. It is curious that carpet mats, rather than rubber, are fitted, however, as it seems somewhat counterintuitive to fit it with floor mats that will be more difficult to clean and care for.

Although the cabin finishes are nice and the switchgear all feels pretty solid, it’s not an interior I found I bonded with well at 6’2″ due to some ergonomic challenges such as my knee hitting against the door card, the steering wheel not going high enough and lacking reach adjustment, and the seat feeling a tad firm on longer drives.

The interior storage spaces aren’t quite right in my eyes, either, as both the trays atop the dash and behind the shifter are too slippery and shallow, causing your phone to fly out and across the cabin at the first sign of a corner, while the door bins aren’t deep enough for storing paperwork in.

Whether its because this press demonstrator may have been rushed through production or not, I’m not sure, but there were some build quality issues on my tester worth noting as well, such as some lifting trim on and big panel gaps around the front bumper, while the heated seats didn’t seem to work at all despite me pulling the fuse – the obvious first point of call – and finding that it wasn’t blown.

The floor section of the plastic tubliner was missing, too, although while we’re on the topic of the tray I must praise the very clever adjustable tie down points Nissan fits to it which are a genius idea in my eyes as it allows you to truly ensure you’re securing items you put back there in the right place.

Under the bonnet of the N-Trek Warrior is the same 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel you’ll find in most other Navara variants which produces 140kW and 450Nm – both numbers that were quite healthy a few years ago, but are starting to fall behind some of the competition.

A six-speed manual gearbox comes standard, but for $2500 extra you can upgrade to a seven-speed torque converter automatic like what was fitted to my tester, with both options channeling the power to a selectable part-time four-wheel drive system with dual-range.

With the Navara’s engine – which is relatively small by class standards – utilising a sequential turbocharging system, the power delivery in some regards reminds me of the engine in a Subaru Liberty B4 , as it doesn’t feel all that potent while on the first turbo, there’s a perceptible gulf in the power band as it switches to the second, and only does it feel like it really gets on the power once the second turbo is fully spooled above 3000rpm.

As a result, the extra weight of the Warrior with all of its additions means that at lower revs, such as around town, the lack of low-end grunt does feel to be more clearly exacerbated. However, when you’re on the open road and can drive it more spiritedly, it does really feel to open up the harder you push it and certainly feels potent enough when kept higher in the rev range, which is admittedly strange for a diesel.

While I can’t speak for the manual, not that I expect that many buyers to opt for it anyway, the seven-speed auto tested here is a real treat – incredibly smooth to shift and fairly responsive, it’s geared well, too, with its shorter ratios working well to keep the engine in its sweet spot while being driven with vigour, while also offering a tall seventh that keeps the revs low and the engine feeling relaxed on the open road.

And driving on the open road, I did a lot of, as to put this toughened-up off-roading Navara to the test, I decided to head out to the Loveday 4×4 Adventure Park in the South Australian Riverland, which was a 520km round trip from my home in the Adelaide Hills.

Mercifully, then, the Warrior makes for a fantastic open-road cruiser. For one thing, the gearing of its top ratio is excellent for keeping the engine whisper quiet by class standards when sitting at 110km/h all day, which is merciful given the engine is horribly clattery under load and not actually all that gruff-sounding like you may hope for in a ute, instead reminding more of its origins as a Renault van engine.

While the rear coil springs might be rubbish for carrying a load in the tray, they are marvellous for ironing out the bumps even in the ‘normal’ Navara, but with the softer springs and beefier shocks fitted by Premcar, the Warrior feels even better, and is testament to the fact that those who’ll do the best job of tailoring a car’s ride to suit Australia’s unique conditions are Aussies.

Not only does its ride feel better-judged, but it handles more competently than the standard Navara, too, remaining far flatter through the bends and displaying barely a fraction of the body roll. Truly, it’s a noticeable improvement all-around when it comes to its on-road performance.

But as soon as I hit even the 3km long driveway the the Loveday Tavern, the check-in and payment point I’d need to visit before hitting the ‘Tour Track’ I subsequently pitted the Warrior against, it already displayed a big difference in the Navara’s handling of bumpy gravel roads, as the beefed-up suspension keeps it feeling nicely sorted, and doesn’t throw you around nearly as much as, say, the comparably-priced Toyota HiLux Rugged X.

Fee paid, sticker stuck on windscreen, and low range selected, it was time to finally hit the sandy Mallee soil, and quickly it became clear that at these fairly low speeds – the track had a 40km/h speed limit, not that there were that many opportunities to get it up to that speed – the all-terrain Cooper tyres certainly didn’t struggle for traction at all on the soft surface, even when it did occasionally get a bit sludgier after the rains came mid-way through the day. I must note, though, that on a different day out on the sand of Goolwa Beach, it didn’t feel quite as tractable and secure as many other cars I’ve put to the test out there.

The Warrior’s dramatically increased approach and breakover angles – thanks to the bulbar and lift respectively – meant that not once did I hear a scrape from anything despite the steepness of some of the inclines and subsequent declines littered throughout the track.

If there’s any weakness to be picked out anywhere, its a lack of articulation from the rear axle that saw it cocking a hind leg both here on some of the more testing parts of the track at Loveday and on some of my usual benchmarking four-wheel drive spots around the Adelaide Hills, although the standard fitment of a rear differential lock means it isn’t nearly as much of an issue as it could be.

The 360-degree camera system also came in incredibly handy for judging where you were placing the vehicle through tighter obstacles, although it must be said that the resolution of it is laughably poor and the lightbar does obstruct the view from the front-facing camera.

Despite the slight gutlessness of the low-displacement engine on the road, its low-range gearing does actually make it feel a lot torquier low down than you might think, although when trying to pull yourself out of stickier situations, it certainly does require a few more revs than many other oilers would.

Truth be told though, around the incredibly enjoyable Tour Track at Loveday, which puts both your vehicle and your driving skills to the test without ever feeling too perilous and as if it were designed solely to do its best job of trying to break your car like some courses, the Warrior failed to struggle with anything that was thrown at it, and even if things did get trickier, there was at least the peace of mind of the underside of it being protected with that thick steel sump guard.

In comparison with the normal Navara, the N-Trek Warrior feels like a better vehicle in almost every measurable way. Far more comfortable, nicer to drive, better looking, and vastly improved when it comes to its off-roading abilities, the only drawbacks it really seems to suffer are those the regular Navara suffers from also.

Some minor build quality issues aside, which is perhaps understandable with what can be viewed as both a modified vehicle and a semi-hand-made one, there’s nothing to complain about when it comes to the additions Premcar has given it, and it must be said that the work being done locally and independently does mean that the price is kept down significantly in comparison to the ute most will compare it against – the Ford Ranger Raptor.

For the money though, I truly think it presents far more pros than it does cons. The best off-road ute out there? Perhaps not, but it is an undoubtedly impressive effort from Nissan Australia that warrants a lot of attention and I doubt will leave buyers disappointed.

2020 Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior Drive-Away Price: $62,990 | As Tested: $66,040

• 7.5/10 Performance - 7.5/10
• 8.5/10 Ride & Handling - 8.5/10
• 8/10 Tech & Features - 8/10
• 7.5/10 Practicality - 7.5/10
• 8/10 Value for Money - 8/10

Pros: Incredibly quiet and comfortable on the open road, revised suspension helps it handle and ride better than the standard Navara, truly impressive off-road performance, great new infotainment system, looks the business Cons: Challenging cabin ergonomics for taller folks, big payload reduction, underwhelming lightbar, could do with more low-down grunt to compensate for weight gain, some minor build quality issues

In a nutshell: The N-Trek Warrior not only marks a massive improvement over the regular Navara, but delivers truly impressive off-road chops and presents a fair amount of value for the money. 

Full Disclosure: The vehicle tested here was provided by Nissan Australia for a week with a full tank of fuel. All additional fuel costs and Loveday 4×4 Adventure Park entry fees were paid for by the author.

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Dressed for battle

We headed to the beach to put the Bushranger Max Air III Compressor through its paces.

WORDS BY TOBY HAGON, IMAGES BY MANUFACTURER

We headed to the Victorian High Country to see if the locally developed and built Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior was more than just a sticker pack.

Who would have thought we’d be chatting about a locally engineered and locally modified 4X4 with factory approval in 2019, two years after Holden rolled the last locally manufactured car off an Australian production line?

But that’s exactly what Nissan has delivered with its new Navara Warrior. Officially known as the Navara N-Trek Warrior, the newcomer focuses on suspension modifications and new wheels and tyres to create a tough truck that steps up the off-road ability of the regular Navara dual-cab.

The Warrior is imported into the country as a regular Navara N-Trek and is trucked to the Premcar engineering facilities in Melbourne, where it undergoes a major transformation. Premcar is better known in a previous life for making Ford Falcon V8s even faster; one of its most recent projects was the Holy Grail, a Falcon that was originally planned to be the last ever Falcon GT.

As a respected engineering and manufacturing outfit Premcar tested and developed various components, tyres and suspension tunes to create what is now known as the Warrior.

As well as being better on- and off-road, it is also covered by Nissan’s five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, adding peace of mind that the additions and modifications are not only road legal but also designed to go the distance.

VEHICLES Navara N-Trek Warrior review

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TERMS & CONDITIONS

ABOVE  Solitude in the Karakum desert, Turkmenistan // BELOW  Shipping the car in the container to Perth

Where’d we drive it ? Our drive involved small on-road sections around Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain as well as vast chunks of the tracks and trails of the Victorian High Country.

We tackled the rocky Blue Rag track up to Trig Point before heading south (and deep) into the High Country. There were creek crossings and various climbs and descents, as well as loads of meandering gravel roads, some smooth, some rocky.

The Warrior handled everything fine and no cars experienced issues that we were aware of. There wasn’t even a puncture, and at times we were making reasonable pace.

How much does it cost ? The Warrior starts at $62,990 drive-away for a six-speed manual or $64,490 for the seven-speed auto that most buyers will choose. That makes it $6500 more than an N-Trek.

It gets all the same standard gear that’s in the regular N-Trek, including smart key entry, heated front seats, sat-nav, 8.0-inch touchscreen, an electrically adjusted driver’s seat, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

However, the 18-inch wheels are replaced by 17-inch units that were designed by Premcar and manufactured by Rosta (which has previously produced FPV and HSV wheels) in Taiwan. Those wheels are wrapped in Cooper Discover AT3 all-terrain tyres measuring 275mm across and with a 70-series profile. The tyres start with 12.7mm of tread depth; that’s less than the 14-15mm typical of mud terrain tyres but is a full 5mm more than the standard road-focused rubber fitted to the Navara. With a light truck construction, they’re also tougher in the sidewall and coped with plenty of rocky punishment during our drive.

Premcar also considered BF Goodrich KO2 and Mickey Thompson, among others. But it settled on the Coopers in part because they were relatively quiet on bitumen.

Other additions include a front bash plate made of 304-grade stainless steel that is 3mm thick (coincidentally the same thickness as the stainless steel used on the Tesla Cybertruck). Things like the sump are still exposed; Premcar looked at providing more coverage underneath but it would have compromised cooling to the front diff and transmission.

The plastic bumper has been replaced by a steel unit. It’s a modified version of the Nissan steel bulbar but has had the hoops removed and additional plastic mounts to improve the aesthetics and cover the holes where the hoops would have been. There’s also a 16-LED Hella light bar for improved high beam performance.

A 3500kg tow kit is standard and includes wiring for lights. The towbar is unique to the Warrior, with a broader section that accommodates the 275mm-wide Cooper tyre as a spare.

The towbar hitch receiver has also been mounted lower below the bar to accommodate for the 40mm ride height lift (more on that later). That naturally affects the departure angle, something we’ll touch on later.

That means there are seats that are a mix of black leather and orange fabric, the start of many orange highlights that also include the floor mats and stitching on various components. There’s an 8.0-inch infotainment unit that is easy to navigate and includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

As with all Navaras, storage is generous, there’s no reach adjustment to the steering wheel and the seats could do with more support. Comfortable and liveable, without setting any benchmarks.

What’s it like on the inside? The Warrior is almost identical to the Navara N-Trek once you settle into the cabin. The only difference is the Warrior logo embroidered into the front headrests and a speedo that’s been recalibrated for the larger tyres.

What’s the engine like? One area that was completely untouched in the Warrior was the 2.3-litre twin-turbo engine. Nissan’s reasoning is that the sequential turbo unit already outperforms the top-selling ute in the country, Toyota’s Hilux. So, it’s in the hunt and most buyers aren’t prioritising straight line performance – or, at least, not once you’ve got the decent torque spread offered in the Navara. Speaking of which, the 450Nm peak is produced between 1500rpm and 2500rpm, making it thoroughly usable a lot of the time. There’s also 140kW of power, although the reality is most buyers will be leaning far more heavily on the torque.

What’s the performance like? We only drove the seven-speed automatic transmission, and nothing has changed from its life in other Navaras. It’s smooth on shifts and generally intelligent enough to slot into an appropriate gear, although twisting gravel roads could encourage you to use the sequential shifter and stop it unnecessarily upshifting.

While the gearing is identical to other Navaras, the speeds in each gear have increased by 7.3 percent across the board due to those tyres with a bigger circumference than what comes on a Navara. That also meant engineers had to recalibrate the speedos.

Premcar and Nissan considered changing the final drive ratio to adjust, but it hadn’t changed the driving experience enough to warrant the effort. Yes, the Warrior is marginally more leisurely in acceleration due to those taller tyres that effectively change the gearing – and the extra 193kg all the accessories add to it. But the stout torque ensures more than two tonnes is still shifted relatively effortlessly.

The Navara also maintains its claimed 7.0 litres per 100km official fuel label, even though you’re likely to use more in the real world.

With a cone shape that gets thicker towards the bottom they work progressively the more load is put into them. And rather than rebound the car dramatically, they’re designed to absorb shock and control the car; similar in theory to those on competition off-roaders.

Premcar says they will come into play during most driving, even when driven over speed humps or gentle bumps. About the only time they won’t be used is when driving on flat roads with no bumps.

The stance of the Warrior is much different, too, with each wheel sitting 15mm wider than usual courtesy of a different offset with the wheels. It’s about improving cornering stability as much as the location and look of those chunky tyres. Premcar acknowledges this would ordinarily add more stress on various components.

However, the softer sidewall of the tyres and softer springs mean that less overall load is going into the chassis over big hits, something that helps ensure longevity.

It all adds up to a substantial improvement over the standard Navara, one that brings benefits on- and off-road. There’s nothing like the suppleness of a Ford Ranger Raptor – with its expensive Fox shocks – but the Warrior still fends off big shunts nicely and it controls the body beautifully.

How much has the suspension changed and what’s it like? The geometry and basic architecture of the Warrior’s modified suspension is identical to the standard Navara dual-cab. That means coil springs all around with an independent double wishbone setup up front and five-link live axle at the rear.

Having coils all round was something Premcar said was a good starting point for modifications rather than having to deal with changing leafs. The Warrior still uses dual-pitch rear coils, which have loosely bound coils teamed with tighter bound ones within the same spring.

But the details within the suspension system are much different, starting with springs and dampers. For starters, the springs have been raised 15mm. And the chunky tyres contribute another 25mm to the ride height, taking the overall lift to 40mm.

Premcar went for softer Monroe springs; the rate is 6 percent softer at the front and 10 percent at the rear, at least for the primary spring at the rear. The second, more tightly wound section of the spring has actually increased its rate by 10 percent, so that it holds up better when heavily laden or over large bumps.

Dampers supplied by Tenneco are designed to better control unwanted movement, something most noticeable at higher speeds when you hit big bumps. The way the Warrior absorbs then recovers from bumps is impressive; in some ways it gets better the harder you drive it.

One other crucial suspension component is the bump stops, which sits only about 15-20mm from the chassis end stop. Rather than a hard rubber mount with little thought put into its construction, the Warrior’s front bump stops are regularly used to supplement the motion of the springs and dampers.

What’s it like off-road? No surprises that the Warrior does a much better job than a regular Navara in rough terrain. The tyres alone give it a better chance of scrabbling over loose rocks or dusty gravel, two terrains we did plenty of in our day and a bit with the Warrior.

The bash plate also provides confidence you can attack things without them causing big damage underneath the front. But the basics of the Navara remain unchanged, starting with its dual-range four-wheel drive system. Shift-on-the-fly capability gets you into 4H but then it’s a stop for 4L. We did most of our running in 4H and 4L using the traction control to apportion drive to the wheels with grip.

Even with the taller ratio afforded by those larger tyres 4L proved fine down moderately steep descents, making for smoother progress than the hill descent control. You’ll need the occasional dab of the brakes, but for the most part the engine braking in first gear is very useful.

Only once did we engage the rear diff lock to maximise our chances of getting over some deep opposing holes on a steep ascent, something the car did with some slips of wheelspin but an otherwise generally uninterrupted movement.

The extra ground clearance is also handy, as are the corner cutaways on the front bumper, something that allows more aggressive attacks.

One place that has gone backwards is the departure angle. At 19 degrees it’s prone to scraping its tail over steep departures. But those handy with a spanner can temporarily remove the towbar to increase that departure angle to 29 degrees.

Better off-road but is it any good on the blacktop? Perhaps the biggest surprise is the improvements to the Navara’s manners on bitumen. Sure, the steering is still overly light, and lacks feel, and response is not improved by those baggier Cooper tyres.

But the wider track and suspension tuning makes for a more surefooted demeanour mid-corner. Despite chunky and aggressive tread blocks the tyres are also respectably quiet, at least until you push them through a tight corner, at which point they’ll start to squeal and squirm.

How safe is it? Nothing’s changed with how the Navara Warrior avoids or crash or protects its occupants when having one.

There are seven airbags and a basic structure that scored a five-star ANCAP rating (the Warrior is officially unrated because it hasn’t been tested with the steel bulbar up front).

The Warrior lacks the latest safety systems such as autonomous emergency braking, which are on rivals such as the Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton. Not that it’ll upset those heading into the bush… it’s just one less thing to go wrong.

What’s missing? Nissan focused on the most commonly upgraded components for the Warrior, being tyres, suspension, underbody protection and a bull bar. Some were relatively simple additions. The bull bar, for example, is a modified hoopless version of Nissan’s steel bulbar accessory, one that had already undergone durability and safety testing.

However, there’s no snorkel, no rated recovery points and no winch, with Nissan instead leaving those to aftermarket suppliers. Nissan also considered rock rails instead of the standard side steps that will crunch at the first impact with a rock or log. However, it would have required significant engineering work and approval to meet side impact crash regulations. So, again, they’ve been left to the aftermarket suppliers.

Things could change with those modifications and more in future with the Warrior, though. There’s a very good change Nissan will do a more expensive and even more capable version of the Navara Warrior. Nissan Australia boss Stephen Lester told us he wants more Warrior models, with a Patrol a likely contender. And he said the Navara could even get more serious Warrior gear, perhaps as a Warrior+ or Warrior X. Stay tuned…

Should you buy one? The Navara N-Trek Warrior plays in an interesting space that pitches it directly against the likes of the Ford Ranger Wildtrak and Toyota HiLux Rugged X.

Considering it brings substantial local chassis and wheel upgrades that deliver genuine improvements to the basic Navara package it makes the mid-$60s price tag a tempting proposition.

And it’s off-road where the Warrior’s biggest improvements are. While decent aftermarket mods might be able to achieve a similar goal, they won’t have the factory warranty protection that makes the $6500 Warrior step-up look very appealing.

*ACT TP 19/04262. NSW Permit No. LTPS/19/38382. Visit www.tjm.com.au/club-tjm for full T&Cs.

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Warrior is Ready: Nissan Navara Pro-4x Warrior By Premcar Launching

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• Warrior by PREMCAR

WARRIOR IS READY TO RUMBLE:NISSAN NAVARA PRO-4X WARRIOR BY PREMCAR LAUNCHING SEPTEMBER 1

MELBOURNE, Australia (July 15, 2021) – Australia is set to welcome a new Warrior, with the Navara PRO-4X Warrior to arrive in Nissan dealerships nationally from September 1.

Development and testing is now complete on the locally developed Navara flagship, and the countdown is now on to the official launch of the Navara PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar.

Premcar has been Nissan’s core engineering partner since the launch of the lauded Warrior program, with vehicles re-engineered in Victoria to create tough flagship models that are tailor-made for Australian conditions.

That legacy began with the Navara N-TREK Warrior in 2019, and will continue with the launch of the Navara PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar in September — a vehicle that improves on the Warrior formula in every key area, from safety to technology, capability to payload.

Starting at just MSRP $67,490^ for a manual-equipped variant, and $69,990^ for the automatic-equipped variant, the PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar presents incredible value, pairing the safety, technology and comfort enhancements already found in the Navara PRO-4X with a host of engineering upgrades designed specifically for Australia’s unique and rugged landscape.

The result is a vehicle engineered for Australian conditions, whether on the road or off it, and a dual-cab ute designed from the outset to be the toughest Navara in the world.

“The PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar is a true Warrior 2.0, delivering more technology, more capability and more go-anywhere toughness than any Navara before it,” says Premcar Engineering Director, Bernie Quinn.

“We set out to create the most capable Navara ever, and this new Warrior is exactly that.  It’s been engineered from the ground up to tackle the toughest terrain Australia can deliver, all without sacrificing comfort.

“Any new model should be a true evolution, and that’s exactly what we’ve achieved with this Warrior. It benefits from all of our learnings, our customer feedback, and from the improvements made to the Navara PRO-4X, creating a new dual-cab ute that is tailor-made for Australian conditions.

“Now all that’s left is to get people behind the wheel, and that time is almost here.”To ensure the new Warrior more than lives up to its title of world’s toughest Navara, key enhancements include:

• A new Nissan Genuine winch-compatible, Safari-style bulbar and integrated light bar
• A new Warrior-specific towbar
• A new ‘Navara’ branded red bash plate and a 3mm steel second-stage under body protection plate
• 275 / 70 / R17 Cooper Discoverer All Terrain AT3 tyres with increased tread depth, and an off-road focused tread pattern
• A 100kg GVM upgrade; now 3,250kg
• A 961kg* payload for vehicles equipped with a manual transmission (952kg* automatic)
• Increased ground clearance, from 220m to 260mm
• Wider track, from 1,570mm to 1,600mm
• Improved approach angle, from 32 degrees to 36 degrees, and near-identical departure angle, from 19.8 degrees to 19 degrees
• Revised suspension with new spring rates for more front-end support and less body roll
• Revised front and rear damping for better compliance, improved isolation from impacts and reduced float when towing or carrying a load
• New larger, taller jounce bumper for better control of wheel movement at maximum suspension travel, and reduced transmission of large impacts into cabin 
• New Warrior-specific fender flares
• New Warrior decal pack
• New Warrior headrest embroidery
• Full-sized spare tyre with alloy wheel

Complete coverage for total peace of mind

The Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar is built for the tough stuff, and its owners will be afforded complete peace of mind thanks to a comprehensive five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty covering all Nissan and Premcar parts.

Nissan’s comprehensive five-year factory warranty applies to all manufacturer components, while Premcar matches Nissan warranty on all Warrior enhancements. Customers need simply present at their Nissan Australia Dealership when it comes time for servicing, or if they have a warranty query, and Nissan’s service team will take care of the rest.

“Ensuring a hassle free Warrior purchase and ownership experience is extremely important,” says Matt Baily, Nissan Australia’s Senior Manager – Local Product Development & Enhancement.

“With the PRO-4X Warrior model, you’re supported, just like any other Navara owner would be. The same goes for servicing and capped-price servicing, ensuring our customers get the best OEM and Premcar equipment, with everything  taken care of by your Nissan dealer.”

Nissan’s Navara PRO-4X has provided the strongest of foundations for the new Warrior, and ensures it’s as comfortable as it is capable.

The new Warrior includes the Navara’s 7.0-inch Advanced Drive-Assist instrument cluster display, along with a high-contrast 8.0-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ connectivity. The automatic transmission includes Navara’s Drive Mode Selector, with Sport, Off-Road, Tow and Normal modes.

Safety systems include Intelligent Forward Collision Warning, Intelligent Emergency Braking, Intelligent Driver Alertness, Lane Departure Warning, Intelligent Lane Intervention, Blind Spot Warning, Intelligent Blind Spot Intervention and an Intelligent Around View Monitor, including an Off-Road Monitor, and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

The Warrior is also equipped with the Navara’s tested and torque-rich 2.3-litre common-rail four-cylinder twin-turbo-diesel, producing 140kW and 450Nm from as low as 1500rpm. Towing capacity is rated at 3.5 tonnes braked.

^Manufacturer suggested retail prices (MSRP) are provided for media purposes only and do not include statutory charges or other on-road costs.

*Payload is the GVM minus the Kerb mass. The kerb mass does not include passengers, luggage, cargo, any additional accessories fitted or any towball download (as appropriate). Payload is distributed across both the front and rear axles, never exceed the GVM or the axle limits.

About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, INFINITI and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2016, the company sold 5.63 million vehicles globally, generating revenues of 11.72 trillion yen. In fiscal 2017, the company embarked on Nissan M.OV.E. to 2022, a six-year plan targeting a 30 per cent increase in annualised revenues to 16.5 trillion yen by the end of fiscal 2022, along with a core operating profit margin of 8 per cent and cumulative free cash flow of 2.5 trillion yen. As part of Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022, the company plans to extend its leadership in electric vehicles, symbolised by the world's best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: Asia & Oceania; Africa, the Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America; and North America. Nissan has a global workforce of 247,500 and has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999. In 2016, Nissan acquired a 34 per cent stake in Mitsubishi Motors. Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi is today the world’s largest automotive partnership, with combined annual sales of more than 10 million vehicles a year.

For more information about Nissan's products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit nissan-global.com . You can also follow us on Facebook , Instagram , and  LinkedIn  and see all our latest videos on You Tube .

For more information visit: Nissan Australia Media Information:  http://www.nissan.com.au/news Nissan Australia YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/NissanAustralia Nissan Australia Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/Nissan_Aus Nissan Australia Instagram:  http://www.instagram.com/NissanAustralia Nissan Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/Nissan NISMO Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/NISMO NISMO Instagram:  http://www.instagram.com/NISMO NISMO Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/NISMO Nissan Global Newsroom:  https://newsroom.nissan-global.com/

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2020 Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior launch report

Words peter louisson.

Top-shelf decked-out utes are big business. Nissan saw an opportunity for a hero ute purpose built for Australasian 4WD conditions, and made it so. Is this the new mountain goat of the ute sector?

Aussies and Kiwis love their utes, especially loaded 4×4 double-cabs. These have been best sellers for years, both sides of the Tasman. Modern utes are popular because they function as both work and play vehicles, depending on the day of the week. Few utes leave the dealership without accessories like a tow bar or big wheels. Aftermarket lift kits are also popular but they’re are not always sorted and can put additional stresses on the driveline.

Nissan saw an opportunity for a well specified, staunch halo Navara with enhanced off-road capability. If that also translated to improved on-road behaviour, so much the better. While modern 4×4 utes are pretty capable off road, often more so than their owners imagine, there’s a sub-category who want even more from their ride. These folk are knowledgeable about off-roading and are experienced explorers. They know what they want, and the main things on the hit list is added ground clearance and dedicated rubber so they can explore more remote places.

Navara for the bush

Which brings us to the vehicle you see before you, the Navara N-Trek Warrior. Nissan Australia knew they wanted an athletic truck and sought local input to develop such a ute. Up stepped Premcar, formerly known as Prodrive, who assured Nissan it could design, engineer and test such a vehicle, and that the changes wouldn’t void the local warranty (here it’s three years/100,000km).

After a year of development, the result is this road and track-ready vehicle, put together at a purpose-built facility in Epping, North Melbourne. The team builds 10-13 new N-Trek Warriors per day, with production being flexible according to demand. Available in New Zealand in the first quarter, the superute is now on sale in Australia for $62,990 in manual trim and $65,490 for the auto. Local pricing is not yet set, but it should sell in New Zealand for somewhere around $75k based on the Australian price, comfortably undercutting the likes of the $85k Ranger Raptor.THIS IS READY TO TACKLE THE OUTBACK. OR, AS WE WOULD ULTIMATELY DISCOVER, ONE OF THE HIGHEST AND MOST DANGEROUS ROADS IN AUSTRALIA

The idea was to build a Navara that could take on the most serious off-road conditions, the wheel, tyre and suspension enhancements delivering added ground clearance and improved ride and handling, off-road and on. The secret to its newfound off-road chops is the provisioning of Tenneco springs and Monroe dampers, the result being a 15mm lift to the vehicle’s ride height. Might not sound like much but there’s new off-road footwear, 32-inch Cooper All-Terrain AT3 tyres, and they add a further 25mm of lift, for a total of 40mm. The result is ground clearance of 268mm. These tyres are 38mm bigger in diameter and are also wider, with 5mm of added tread depth. They deliver extra track width, out to 1600mm, and a beefier stance.

More visual aggression would come gratis as a natural byproduct of the upgrade. Think of this as more as a Navara that’s undergone Commando training and it’s ready for the World Cup of Adventure Trials. There’s even a bullbar present, not that you’d know it, masquerading as the original bumper. Other enhancements include 3mm stainless steel underbody protection up front, black fender flares, a sports bar, a black rear bumper and grille, black mirror caps, and black side steps with orange accents. There’s also a full-sized spare beneath the deck.

Premcar undertook extensive local testing and opted for a six per cent softer primary spring rate up front and eight per cent softer rate at the rear, to maintain ride comfort and improve off-road articulation. A 10 per cent higher secondary spring rate was chosen to maintain composure and performance in cornering, heavy duty off-roading, and when laden and towing.

The damper rods are 45 per cent bigger for better suspension and wheel control under heavy going, and provide extra compression capability for a quicker response. Rounding out the hidden changes are more robust front bump stops which evidently engage the chassis rail earlier in the suspension travel, and at a more progressive rate. This ensures better control of wheel movement at maximum suspension travel and a smoother transfer of energy into the chassis, reducing the harshness and noise that makes it into the body and cabin during rough off-road expeditions.

Navara maintains its 3.5 tonne towing capacity but with new bits and pieces like a sports bar, side steps and a unique crossbar member at the rear to fit the bigger spare the payload is down by 193kg to 720kg overall.

In terms of climbing, the approach angle improves by 1.8 degrees (to 35) as does departure angle (to 29 degrees, providing there’s no tow bar fitted). But given no Warrior is likely to leave the showroom without a hitch in tow, the departure angle actually drops slightly.

This is ready to tackle the Outback. Or, as we would ultimately discover, one of the highest and most dangerous roads in Australia, Victoria’s Blue Rag Road.

Rugged Roads? Too Easy

It really did ace this track, regarded as “remote and very difficult”, like nothing would stop it. Later in the day, it faced its toughest challenge, a steep incline with enormous mogul-like dips and humps. Our 4WD guide reckoned a regular Navara ST-X 450 4×4 wouldn’t manage this pinch without all sorts of physical abuse. The Warrior however, once prepped in 4-Low and with diff lock engaged, made complete use of its added ground clearance and articulation, the big tyres helping it to ease up and over without the need for going postal. All Warriors made it at the first attempt, except for one which faltered because the driver forgot to engage diff lock. Once activated it made the climb no problem. The other really impressive feature? We didn’t bottom out once, and one of the guys from PremCar backed this up. He said he’d been deliberately trying to use up all the ground clearance but he too failed. The odd noise we did hear was the independent wheel braking. At one point, climbing out of a boghole, we thought for sure we’d smack the bash plate but no. This doesn’t look particularly jacked up but it certainly acts like it.

Reach for the sky

The route itself kicked off at Mt Hotham village, 400km north east of Melbourne, the temperature around 20 degrees a sweet reprieve after the 40 degree sweltering welcome at Essingdon. After 20km of quite spectacular highway driving that took in the main skifields in the Mt Hotham area, we were soon onto gravel roads, with epic dust plumes. Only 40km or so of the drive programme involved tarmac, the remaining 150 were all on gravel/dirt roads or firetrails/unformed mountain tracks.

Within a few minutes we’d arrived at the base of the Blue Rag Range Track. Rated as one of Australia’s most challenging roads, it’s recommended that you attempt it only in a vehicle with good ground clearance and 4-Low capability too.

The twin-turbo 2.3 engine is unchanged, good for 140kW of power and, more importantly for climbing, 450Nm of torque from 1500-2500rpm. Much of the ascent saw the engine spinning below 2000rpm, such is the level of generous low down torque. With seven gears we often found ourselves climbing in third using 4L, or occasionally second, rarely first. Because of the dry conditions – this is Australia after all – even the extreme ascents didn’t seem to faze this Warrior. It’s well named for its ability to tackle and flatten tricky terrain. We tried HDC on one of the hairier downhill sections, leaving the trig point of the Blue Rag Road, but engine braking in low range is equally effective.

What’s most impressive compared with standard Navara is, unsurprisingly, the newfound ride composure over gnarly terrain. There’s no thrashing into big dips or over significant bumps, the progressive dual-rate springs, and uprated bump stops and dampers working in unison to ease progress. Seats are good too, especially the driver’s that features power operation and adjustable lumbar support.

Most of the roads were slow going, genuine 4×4 tracks, but en route to our overnight camp the dirt roads allowed quicker progress. Here the slightly quicker steering and accommodating ride again came to the fore, helped admittedly by a reduction in tyre pressure from 35 to 25PSI; still, refinement levels over a range of conditions seem a step up on the regular Navara. It’s also a hoot in 2WD, the rear stepping out under power before electronic intervention.

So not only is this nigh on unstoppable but it’s also a winning Warrior; it’s not often we Kiwis string those two words together. Compared with the Colorado we drove the previous week, the Warrior is undoubtedly more capable off road, with its added ground clearance and articulation, and it looks smarter inside and out. However, they’re closer on road, even if Navara does get the edge in refinement. Bear in mind there’s a $20k gap between this pair. If you’re the adventurous type and want one of the most versatile and staunch looking utes available at present, the N-Trek Warrior certainly qualifies. Nissan NZ is expecting this “to be a popular variant”. After this epic drive experience we reckon so too.

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Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century: No. 24 — Ed Sheeran

Few pop stars of the 2010s were as self-made as Ed Sheeran, who became a global superstar largely on his own unique terms.

By Jason Lipshutz

Jason Lipshutz

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With that in mind, the scale of Ed Sheeran ’s 21st century success is even more impressive. In a pop age where singer-songwriters generally bump against their commercial ceiling relatively early in their evolution, this red-headed kid from Halifax kept soaring higher and higher, eventually reaching a space where his longevity, global appeal, influence and multi-quadrant hits allowed him to stand alone. He used to be a teen busking on the streets of London; now, Sheeran often finds himself in the center of 80,000 people, an acoustic strapped to his shoulder, no one and nothing else in his vicinity. And considering everything he’s done, he doesn’t even look that out of place.

The bet paid off: In the heart of the EDM-fueled, turbo-pop assault at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 , the minimalist sing-along of “The A Team” counteracted the spastic movement of concurrent megapop hits by LMFAO and Pitbull. There had been no shortage of hushed, bleeding-heart singer-songwriter fare that had found its way to adult pop listeners prior to “The A Team” taking off, but Sheeran’s debut was a touch smarter (“A Team” refers to the “Class A drugs” that the song’s subject has taken), more sincere (the way Sheeran warbles “She don’t wanna go-o-o-o outside, tonight” as a major emotional payoff), and altogether more striking than the soundalike songs around it, climbing to No. 3 in Sheeran’s native U.K. and to No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Soon enough, those wider audiences would include Taylor Swift — a country superstar yet to fully cross over to pop in the early 2010s. Swift tapped Sheeran for the Red duet “Everything Has Changed,” which became a top 40 Hot 100 hit as one of the album’s later singles, then brought him on the road as the opening act on the Red arena tour. Swift’s co-sign was and remains a crucial stamp of approval for aspiring artists, but she went above and beyond as an early Sheeran supporter; the two remain close friends and collaborators more than a decade later, having recently re-recorded “Everything Has Changed” for Swift’s mega-selling Red (Taylor’s Version) .

By the time Sheeran’s stint on the Red Tour wrapped up in September 2013, he was a star in his own right, headlining Madison Square Garden for the first time that fall and picking up a best new artist Grammy nomination. The collaborators on his next album, 2014’s x , demonstrated the glow-up of the busker turned arena headliner: lead single “Sing” was produced by Pharrell Williams, working the same rhythmic magic that he applied to Justin Timberlake’s debut solo single “Like I Love You,” and follow-up single “Don’t” was helmed by the unlikely generation-separated super-producer duo of Rick Rubin and Benny Blanco.

As the wins kept accumulating for Sheeran in the mid-2010s, he started scoring hits that sounded like Ed Sheeran songs but came under the names of other artists. “Love Yourself,” an acoustic kiss-off performed by Justin Bieber, became a downtempo smash from his Purpose album by essentially replicating the Sheeran songwriting formula and serving it as a change-up from Bieber’s trop-pop hits “What Do You Mean” and “Sorry.” In the years leading up to “Love Yourself,” Sheeran also co-penned songs for artists like One Direction and Jessie Ware, but Bieber’s hit (which topped the Year-End Hot 100 in 2016) was an inflection point for the songwriting calls he started answering, and was followed by top 10 hits like Major Lazer’s “Cold Water,” Benny Blanco’s “Eastside” and Liam Payne’s “Strip That Down.” More often than that, the songs co-written by Sheeran smacked of his tone and melodic instincts, a superstar bending other perspectives and sounds toward his own.

Meanwhile, he also established himself as a must-see live performer. The x Tour was Sheeran’s first arena headlining trek, and he successfully translated his long-running stage setup — no backing band, no glitz or glamour, just a collection of pedal loops that allow him to re-create the sonic worlds of his songs on his own — for tens of thousands of ticket buyers. Whether perceived as a gimmick or an act of live-show wizardry, Sheeran’s touring approach gave him an identity in a crowded market as he accrued more hits to play for bigger audiences; no matter who else was out on the road, they weren’t going to put on a show quite like Ed’s.

Of course, the success of ÷ wasn’t limited to one song: “Castle on the Hill,” the racing rock single that Sheeran released on the same day as “Shape of You,” became a top 10 hit as well, and stands as one of his most emotionally resonant radio favorites. The Irish folk riff “Galway Girl” never reached the chart heights of its fellow singles on the track list, but quickly became a beloved fan track, and its streams have surpassed the 10-figure mark. And “Perfect,” another wedding-ready waltz in the mode of “Thinking Out Loud,” received a remix featuring none other than Beyoncé that December, which helped the single power to the top of the Hot 100. Toss in “End Game,” Swift’s Reputation track featuring Sheeran and Future, and Ed ended the biggest year of his career as an unquestioned A-lister, capable of leading hits on his own and holding his own alongside fellow superstars on blockbuster collaborations. (In 2019, Billboard named Sheeran the Greatest Pop Star of 2017.)

Sheeran’s next proper solo album, 2021’s = , powered him into his second decade as a star, with the singles “Bad Habits” and “Shivers” both riding uptempo pop productions and major hooks toward comfortable stays inside the top 10 of the Hot 100 chart. Swift appeared on a remix of the album’s “The Joker and the Queen,” and Lil Baby stopped by a new version of “2Step”; outside of = , Sheeran swung by a reworked version of “Peru,” from Nigerian star Fireboy DML, to notch another global hit that recalled some of the cross-genre pollination from No. 6 Collaborations Project . After that, a hard pivot: 2023’s – album marked a downbeat reflection on personal tragedies, including the death of Sheeran’s close friend and complications with his wife’s pregnancy, that was primarily produced by Aaron Dessner, who had helped Swift enter indie-folk terrain on Folklore and Evermore three years earlier. Both – and its surprise follow-up/counterpart, Autumn Variations , were too mournful to spawn any hit singles, as Sheeran seemingly issued both projects more for his own peace of mind than for radio gains.

Ed Sheeran has transcended every pop trend, succeeded in a variety of styles, and made his voice a familiar sound in every context of modern pop music. He’s still enormous, and probably will be for a long, long time. Not bad for a guy with an acoustic guitar and loop pedal.

Read more about the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century  here  and check back on Tuesday when our No. 23 artist is revealed!

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