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Nissan Navara 2021 review: Pro-4X off-road test

The Navara Pro-4X is the all-new range-topping variant in Nissan’s 2021 ute line-up. 

As part of a 2000-kilometre, multi-day test, I drove the Pro-4X from Sydney to an outback location about 900 kilometres north-west of Sydney as part of a more-than 2000km city-to-red-dirt-and-back adventure.

The town of Bourke is more than 750km west of Sydney. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) The town of Bourke is more than 750km west of Sydney. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

Our test took the Pro-4X over a variety of road and track surfaces – and to scrutinise the ute’s long-distance towing ability, I hauled a 1.5 tonne Opus camper-trailer on the trip.

So, how does the Pro-4X perform on-road, off-road and towing over long distances? Read on.

The Pro-4x has black trim all over the shop. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) The Pro-4x has black trim all over the shop. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

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

The Pro-4X is only available as a dual-cab pick-up-style ute but with either a six-speed manual gearbox (with a manufacturer suggested retail price of $61, 290, as of May 5), or a seven-speed automatic transmission (MSRP $62,790).

Our Pro-4X has the auto and, at time of testing, it had a Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price of $60,630 as standard, but it had the $650 premium paint (Diamond White) bringing its price as tested to $61,280, at time of testing.

Standard features include an 8.0-inch multimedia touch-screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, AEB, lane keeping assist, reversing camera, trailer-sway control and a rear diff-lock. 

Inside is a 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) Inside is a 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

It also has red-in-black ‘Nissan’ badging, Pro-4X decals, black fender flares, black door mirrors, side steps, grille and door handles, black roof rails, black stainless-steel double tube sports bar with sail panels, black alloy wheels, Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain tyres and, on the inside, leather-accented Pro-4 branded seats.

The Pro-4X has a Nissan Genuine towbar* as standard.

The interior is impressive and errs on the side of practical. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) The interior is impressive and errs on the side of practical. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

The Navara line-up has a five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in 2015.

Black star is listed as a standard colour on the Pro-4X, but Burning Red, White Pearl (Diamond White) and Stealth Grey are all premium options, costing $650.

*Note: the tow bar consists of cross member, tongue and harness only. The tow ball, safety chain, and D shackles are customer cost optional dealer-fit accessories.

The Pro-4X wears 17-inch alloy wheels. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) The Pro-4X wears 17-inch alloy wheels. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

Is there anything interesting about its design?

Let’s be honest, the Pro-4X’s styling is its major point of difference when compared to the second-from-top-spec Navara, the ST-X.

The Pro-4X has Nissan's big new US-style grille. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) The Pro-4X has Nissan's big new US-style grille. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

The Pro-4X has the line-up’s big new US-style grille (but it’s strikingly blacked-out on the Pro-4X), quad LED headlights with horseshoe-shaped DRLs, LED tail-lights, black trim all over the shop with red accents here and there (two under the front bumper, and one each atop the fender flares etc), black alloy wheels, the sail-plane sports bar, and a revised rear bumper with a step.

It’s a sporty-looking package and will certainly appeal to those already inclined to like a Navara.

We took two identical Pro-4Xs on this trip. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) We took two identical Pro-4Xs on this trip. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

What are the key stats for the engine and transmission?

The Pro-4X has a 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin turbo-diesel engine producing 140kW at 3750rpm and 450Nm at 1500-2500rpm.

It has a part-time 4WD system – a dual-range transfer case, with 2WD (two-wheel drive), 4H (4WD high-range) and 4Lo (4WD low-range) options selectable at the turn of a dial in front of the auto shifter – as well as button-activated rear diff lock and hill descent control.

The Pro-4X is powered by a 2.3-litre twin-turbo-diesel, producing 140kW/450Nm. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) The Pro-4X is powered by a 2.3-litre twin-turbo-diesel, producing 140kW/450Nm. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

In terms of other touring-relevant driver-assist tech, it has AEB, lane keeping assist, reversing camera, trailer-sway control, as well as hill hold assist, hill descent control and a surround-view camera which can come in handy during low-speed low-range 4WDing.

How practical is the space inside?

The interior is impressive and errs on the side of practical rather than premium. Intentional or not?

There is plenty of room and it’s a comfortable space in which to spend a lot of time – as we did.

The front seats are very supportive and comfortable. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) The front seats are very supportive and comfortable. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

It’s all rather well laid-out with good build quality and nice materials: there’s the usual mix of hard plastic surfaces for work and play, as well as leather accents here and there, on the steering wheel, auto shifter and seats.

The driver’s seat is eight-way manually-adjustable.

Up-front, the driver and front-seat passenger have access to the 8.0-inch multimedia screen (Apple CarPlay & Android Auto), USB charge points, and plenty of storage spaces, two cupholders, bottle holders in the doors, and the centre console. I had no strife pairing my smartphone (Android Auto OS) to the multimedia system in the ST and ST-X I recently tested, but I did have some problems this time though. Don’t know why and I did eventually get it sorted out, but it took time and a fair few swear words.

The rear seats offer usual ute-like comfort. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) The rear seats offer usual ute-like comfort. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

The rear seats offer more of the usual ute-like comfort and would better suit two adults on the outboards seats, or children across the row.

The rear seat has an ISOFIX point on each outboard seat and a top-tether child-seat anchor point.

There’s a fold-down arm-rest with two cupholders, bottle holders in the doors, map pockets in the setbacks, and a USB charging point and directional air vents in the back of the centre console.

What's it like as a daily driver?

The Pro-4X is rather comfortable and quite refined for a ute, but no surprise there because I’ve already been quietly impressed by the new ST and ST-X variants. 

The front seats are very supportive and comfortable and with a nice patterned back-rest. They are very easy to spend long hours in.

In terms of dimensions, the Pro-4X is 5311mm long (with a 3150mm wheelbase). It is 1875mm wide and 1855mm high. Though the turning circle is 12.5m the Pro-4X mostly avoids feeling to unwieldy for quick turnarounds in the city or on a bush track.

The Pro-4X is rather comfortable and quite refined for a ute. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) The Pro-4X is rather comfortable and quite refined for a ute. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

It has a listed kerb weight of 2137kg.

Visibility is on the right side of good and the driving position offers a commanding view around the vehicle.

Steering is sporty with a real precision to it at most speeds.

Throttle response is sharp too, handy for under-pressure off-the-mark city manoeuvres and at-pace overtaking moves on the open road.

The Navara isn't small and measures in at 5311mm long. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) The Navara isn't small and measures in at 5311mm long. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

The engine and seven-speed auto are, for the most part, a nice combination, generally finding a happy measure of power and torque delivery at an unstressed rate of revs.

Ride and handling are well sorted out with the suspension set-up – double wishbone front and five-point multi-link suspension rear, with coil springs all-round – producing a settled driving experience on-road, even when the ute is unladen. Good news for Navara fans everywhere.

The cabin’s noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels have been tamed and much of that is surely due to the cabin’s improved sound deadening.

What's it like for touring?

The Pro-4X felt even more settled with weight in the tray and towing a load – as a ute should – but the thing is, it had never been diabolical when unladen.

The 1500kg* Opus camper-trailer was not an over-the-top burden, but it’s a fair load and a nice approximation of what a recreational tourer might take out bush – especially seeing as how camper-trailers and caravans are so in-demand right now. (*Actual weight cited was 1515kg with the roof racks on, which our towed load did have.)

Towing capacity is 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg (braked). (image credit: Glen Sullivan) Towing capacity is 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg (braked). (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

Ride and handling continued to impress: only minor rear-end skipping was ever noticeable and even then only when the Pro-4X was punching through sections of severe corrugations and deeper potholes.

The brakes – ventilated discs at the front and drums at the rear – exhibited good stopping power when required, on bitumen and dirt: one occasion was a planned braking set-piece; the other was an actual emergency-braking scenario in order to spare the lives of some wild goats that had strayed onto the track.

Again, even on rough dirt tracks, this ute’s NVH levels were well subdued.

Crafty drove the Pro-4X from Sydney to an outback location about 900 kilometres north-west of Sydney. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) Crafty drove the Pro-4X from Sydney to an outback location about 900 kilometres north-west of Sydney. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

When it came to low-speed, low-range 4WDing, the Pro-4X did as well as expected.

It offers up a decent amount of torque at low revs in 4WD Low and it’s generally pretty unstressed about the tough stuff.

As with most contemporary utes, it can be somewhat let down by its physical dimensions and off-road-relevant measures and angles: those being 224mm (ground clearance) and 32 degrees (approach), 19.8 degrees (departure) and 22.9 degrees (rampover). It feels like a low rider at times and you have to drive to counter that.

Wading depth is listed as 600mm, but even though there’d be plenty of rain out west just prior to our trip, we never had a chance to truly test that measure.

Wading depth is listed as 600mm. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) Wading depth is listed as 600mm. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

The Pro-4X rides on Yokohama Geolandar A/T (all-terrain) tyres (255/65R17), and they work reasonably well when 4WDing but they’re more showy than gnarly, and I’d prefer a set of aftermarket all-terrain tyres.

In terms of the tray’s packability, dimensions wise: it is 1509mm long, 1560mm wide, 1134mm (between wheel arches) and 519mm deep.

The tray is 1509mm long and 1560mm wide. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) The tray is 1509mm long and 1560mm wide. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

And it really is a versatile load space with Nissan’s Utili-track system, which is basically moveable tie-down points, plus the four fixed-in-place tie-down points and a durable tub liner.

The tray is a really is a versatile load space. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) The tray is a really is a versatile load space. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

Payload is listed as 1105kg in the specs, which is damn good.

Towing capacity is 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg (braked). We used a portable electric brake controller unit on this trip.

This Navara has a GVM (gross vehicle mass) of 3150kg and a GCM (gross combined mass) of 5910kg.

Ride and handling are well sorted. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) Ride and handling are well sorted. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

How much fuel does it consume?

The Pro-4X has an official fuel consumption of 8.1L/100km on a combined cycle.

We actually took two identical Pro-4Xs on this trip – one was our tow vehicle and one was our camera vehicle – and recorded separate fuel-consumption figures for the vehicles over the trip’s duration. Both vehicles carried similar loads, aside from the camper being towed, over more than 2000km of mixed terrain.

On our tow test the Pro-4X recorded 11.9L/100km. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) On our tow test the Pro-4X recorded 11.9L/100km. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

The camera vehicle recorded an on-test fuel consumption of 8.7L/100km and the tow vehicle recorded 11.9L/100km. While that tow vehicle's fuel-consumption might seem a little high for having towed a camper-trailer that size, bear in mind that some of the track surfaces we travelled on were pretty rough.

The Pro-4X has an 80-lite fuel tank.

What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating?

The Navara line-up has a five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in 2015.

It has seven airbags (front, side seat, curtain, driver knee), cruise control, automatic headlights, AEB, hill-start assist and trailer-sway control.

The Pro-4X also has a reversing camera, a surround-view monitor, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, rear parking sensors and a tyre-pressure monitoring system.

The Pro-4X felt settled while towing a load. (image credit: Glen Sullivan) The Pro-4X felt settled while towing a load. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

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

The 2021 Pro-4X proved itself a worthy touring and towing platform on this four-day, long-distance test.

It is a comfortable ute on-road and it is capable off-road, and there’s more than a dash of styling to please those into that sort of thing.

If you’re after a new dual-cab 4WD ute you could do a lot worse than put a PRO-4X on your shopping list.

$31,996 - $69,999

Based on 214 car listings in the last 6 months

VIEW PRICING & SPECS

Daily driver score

3.8/5

Adventure score

3.5/5

adventureguide rank

  • Light

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

  • Medium

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

  • Heavy

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

Price Guide

$31,996 - $69,999

Based on 214 car listings in the last 6 months

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Disclaimer: The pricing information shown in the editorial content (Review Prices) is to be used as a guide only and is based on information provided to Carsguide Autotrader Media Solutions Pty Ltd (Carsguide) both by third party sources and the car manufacturer at the time of publication. The Review Prices were correct at the time of publication.  Carsguide does not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.