2017 Ford Ranger vs Nissan Navara

What's the difference?

Toyota's HiLux is feeling the heat from Ford's (PXII) Ranger in Australia's hotly contested 4x4 ute market. Recent national sales figures show the Ranger is outselling the former undisputed champion of this segment and closing the gap on the Toyota's long-standing dominance of the 4x2 ute segment, as well.

Ford is obviously in a buoyant mood, celebrating the Ranger's success in early 2017 with the first XLT dual cab 4x4-based special edition called the FX4. Fans of Ford's US pick-ups will be familiar with this moniker. It was first applied to Ford's best-selling F-150 as a special off-road option package with heavy duty suspension, underbody protection and unique body accents.

The Aussie version gets the body accents but no mechanical upgrades. However, Ford Australia has form in this area from decades past, so it's no surprise to see a new millennium reprise of special editions which offer the same cake with different icing.

When Nissan launched its all-new NP300 Navara range in 2015, it certainly raised eyebrows with its bold decision to equip all of its dual cabs except cab chassis with coil-spring rear suspension.

This was a notable departure from the long accepted wisdom of leaf springs, which since the horse-and-cart days have (in most cases) been the preferred method for suspending heavy payloads.

Nissan argued that coil springs provide superior ride quality to leaf springs particularly when unladen, which is the majority of time for most ute owners. Even so, in late 2016 the company released a Series 2 Navara range which amongst numerous changes included a locally-engineered suspension revision based on feedback from customers and dealers.

The major goals were to provide a firmer ride and less of a tail-down-nose-up stance under load without sacrificing unladen ride quality. These changes included revised front and rear shock absorber bump and rebound valving, 10 per cent stiffer rear coil springs and reshaping of the rear rubber cones (or second stage suspension) to provide more progressive engagement with the chassis rails under heavy loads.

Nissan claims this has resulted in more refined ride and handling, with improved lateral stability when carrying loads, but we have to admit the changes are subtle.