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What's the difference?
Nissan Australia and Melbourne-based vehicle engineering company, Premcar, have very successfully combined forces to create finessed versions of the Navara and Patrol as part of their on-going Warrior program.
Premcar has proven it can be entrusted with crucial conversion work, engineering upgrades and the fitment of adventure-ready accessories to add real value to Nissan’s 4WDs.
That’s all well and good but we had a burning question: How will a Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior perform if the weather turns bad, the roads are flooded, tracks are washed out… and your two teenaged kids are in the back seat ready to punch the living daylights out of each other?
Well, with that in mind we embarked on a 3500km trip from Sydney to South-East Queensland and back to put this ute through a series of difficult challenges, some planned, some not.
We dodged around the wild edge of Tropical Cyclone Jasper, we fought our way through extreme electrical storms, and we drove in knee-deep river sand to avoid rapidly rising floodwaters.
So, how did this adventure-ready ute go?
Read on.
Mitsubishi reckons the Triton deserves to be the third best-selling ute in the Australian market. In fact, it thinks it deserves to be challenging the Ranger and HiLux for out-and-out dual-cab supremacy, but how about we start with third place and see where we go from there, hey?
Third place, of course, is currently occupied by the Isuzu D-Max, which means Mitsubishi will need to unseat it. To do it, it has launched a new-gen Triton, which is now bigger, more powerful, more practical, and has more space in the cabin.
In fact, Mitsubishi says the Triton has been improved right across the dual-cab board.
But has it done enough? Let’s find out.
The Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior is a purpose-built adventure vehicle and it’s ready for action as is.
It drives nicely on-road – making those long necessary road-trip days on bitumen less of a chore – and is impressively capable off-road.
Buyers benefit when companies such as Premcar complete top-quality conversion work on vehicles with their design, development and testing undertaken in Australia and all of that work and the fitment of accessories are then covered by a comprehensive warranty.
There will always be 4WD enthusiasts who prefer to cherry-pick their own aftermarket accessories for their off-roader – because researching and hunting is a lot of fun. But there will also be just as much demand for the convenience of adventure-ready 4WDs that are capable of being driven straight out of a car dealership and into the Simpson Desert.
And the Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior is one of those vehicles.
There's no denying this new Triton is a marked improvement over the model it replaces. It drives better, has more power, a more comfortable cabin and more driver-friendly tech.
Whether that's enough to rattle the segment's leaders remains to be seen, but this feels like a far more modern ute for modern times.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.
This is the coolest and toughest Navara on the mainstream market.
The Warrior is 1895mm high, 1920mm wide, 5350mm long (with a 3150mm-long wheelbase) and has a listed kerb weight of 2298kg.
It is taller than a standard Navara, with 40mm more ground clearance than its Pro-4X stablemate and the wheel track has been extended by 30mm (from 1570mm to 1600mm) giving it an aggressive posture.
The bullbar, eye-catching red steel bash plates, wheel arch flares, chunky Cooper Discoverer All Terrain AT3s and black stainless-steel double tube sports bar with sail panel all add to that tough appearance.
Well, if you like utes, have I got some good news for you! Because the new Mitsubishi Triton looks a lot like, well, a ute.
That's not to undersell the work Mitsubishi has done here. There's a new 'Yamabuki Orange' colour for the flagship GSR, for example, and it looks particularly sharp with the black alloys and silver skid plate.
I even like the new body-colour lines crossing over the top of the blacked-out grille – though I concede they could be polarising.
But, yes, it's a ute.
Inside, though, it's a vastly improved space. We've spent most our time in the top-spec model, and it's a solid mix of utility, technology and comfort.
It feels vaguely premium, owing to clever cabin materials, but never fussy, which would feel out of place in a dual cab that is still ostensibly a workhorse.
I love the fact that all your core functions – climate controls and the like – are still controlled by tactile switches, and I even love the old-school handbrake.
I'm also a big fan of the big-enough central screen with its wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the wireless charger and USB connections. It's tough meets tech, and it all works really well.
Inside the cabin, the new updated dash – with an easy-to-use 8.0-inch multimedia screen, which has wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – is the focal point.
The cabin is a well designed space, a neat combination of nice materials and good build quality. But even with leather accents, ‘Warrior’ branding and other nice touches, the cabin feels a bit old and a little smaller and squeezed for space inside than some rivals.
The driver's seat is eight-way power-adjustable, but the front passenger seat is four-way manually adjustable – and that’s disappointing in a circa-$71,000 vehicle.
There are plenty of storage spaces, cupholders, bottle holders and receptacles in which to place your everyday carry gear.
There’s a USB-A charge point in the console tray, and a USB-A and a USB-C in the centre console proper, as well as a 12V outlet in the console tray and one in the centre console.
The seats are quite comfortable and though some people might whinge about them being undersized I reckon they’re okay.
The rear seat, while comfortable enough, is really the realm of two adults only or three children. It’d be a bit squeezy for three adults.
There is a fold-down armrest with cupholders, as well as bottle holders in the doors, map pockets on the seat-backs, directional air vents but only one USB-A charging point on the back of the centre console.
Get ready for the teenage arguments over that!
The Triton's practicality perks are split into two camps – the tough stuff, and the workhorse stuff.
But let's start with the former. While there are two-wheel drive Triton options, most send power to all four wheels.
However, the best off-road gear starts with the GLX+, which adds a rear differential lock, while the GLS and GSR add Mitsubishi's Super Select 4WD-II – which incorporates a Torsen centre differential, Terrain Control and Hill Descent Control.
We put the GSR through its paces on a genuinely tough off-road course that required plenty of low-range crawling, and the Triton shone in the rough stuff.
Onto the workhorse stuff, every Triton will tow a 3.5-tonne braked trailer, while payloads range from 1030kg to 1110kg, depending on the model, courtesy of a slightly bigger 1555mm tray. The tray has been lowered slightly, too, to make loading or unloading easier.
The Triton has also grown in every meaningful way, stretching 5320mm in length and 1865mm in width, and that means more space in the cabin. I'm 175cm, and found I had oodles of room in the back seat.
There are some other thoughtful practicality perks on offer, too. All the doors take 1.25-litre bottles, there's device storage, space for the clipboard and that sort of thing.
The Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior, based on the SL Navara, only comes in dual-cab guise with either a six-speed manual gearbox ($68,265, excluding on-road costs) or a seven-speed automatic transmission ($70,765, excluding on-road costs).
For your reference, the Pro-4X automatic is $61,405 (excluding on-road costs) and Pro-4X manual is $58,905 (excluding on-road costs).
Standard features on our test vehicle – a Pro-4X Warrior with a seven-speed auto – include an 8.0-inch multimedia touch-screen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as sat nav, dual-zone climate control, AEB, lane-keeping assist, around-view monitor and a rear diff-lock.
Standard paint is 'Black Star'. Premium paint choices are 'White Diamond' and 'Stealth Grey' (on our test vehicle) at a cost of $650. As always, check with your dealer on up-to-date pricing.
As part of the Premcar engineering upgrade more than $9000 worth of extras in the Warrior (over the standard Pro-4X) include a winch-compatible bull bar with integrated light bar, a Nissan Genuine Warrior-specific tow bar, a larger 3.0mm steel bash-plate, Cooper Discoverer All Terrain AT3 275/70R17 tyres (and a full-sized alloy spare), a 100kg GVM upgrade (now 3250kg), 260mm ground clearance (up 40mm, with springs and tyres making up 15mm and 25mm, respectively), 30mm wider tracks (to 1600mm), revised suspension with new spring rates and dampers (aimed at improving ride and handling), and a larger and taller jounce bumper for less impact harshness at full suspension travel.
But, beyond the engineering upgrades, what’s also interesting about the Pro-4X Warrior is what has had to happen behind the scenes, under Premcar’s direction, to get the vehicle to this stage.
Australia has some of the harshest driving conditions and road/track surfaces in the world. Chopped-up bitumen back roads, soft spirit-sapping beach and desert sand through to spine-rattling corrugations.
And those surfaces and conditions put immense stress and strain on vehicles, drivetrains and components.
Premcar designs, manufactures and validates its vehicle work here in Australia in the harshest of conditions those 4WDs may face day in, day out for the term of their vehicular ‘life’. It’s not testing, it’s punishment.
Australia’s aftermarket sector is great – thriving and always innovating – but unfortunately, as in any industry, there are ‘cowboys’ out there and some of the modifications done to vehicles may be, shall we say, less than ideal and even illegal or non-compliant in terms of engineering approval. The work done to your 4WD may even void your vehicle’s warranty.
But, with Premcar’s Nissan collab, any engineering work or accessory fitment on the Pro-4X Warrior is all covered by a Premcar warranty that matches Nissan’s five-year/unlimited km cover.
The Triton can be had as an entry-level GLX 4x2 ($43,690) or 4x4 ($50,940), before the range steps up to the GLX+ 4x4 ($53,290), the GLS ($59,090), and then tops out with the flagship GSR 4x4 ($63,840), all of which share the same diesel engine and six-speed transmission.
The bad news? Every Triton model is more expensive, and not by a little bit. We're talking between roughly $3K and $8K here.
The cheapest Triton GLX model is a mix of utility and technology, and features 17-inch steel wheels, cloth seats, vinyl flooring, electric lumbar support for the driver, keyless entry, a 7.0-inch driver display and second 9.0-inch multimedia screen with navigation, Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay.
Stepping up to the GLX+ adds a rear diff-lock, side steps, fog lamps, 17-inch alloys, LED brake lights, tinted rear privacy glass and some added safety kit (all of which we'll get to in a moment).
Springing for the GLS earns you Mitsubishi's 'Super Select 4WD II' system - including its Torsen centre differential and some added off-road functions.
There are also 18-inch alloys, a tray liner, heated electric door mirrors, LED lights, a black grille, dual-zone climate and push-button start.
Finally, the flagship GSR is fitted with black 18-inch alloy wheels, a body-colour side bars across the black grille, a sport bar and roof rails.
Inside, there are leather seats, unique floor mats, better cabin materials and power driver's seat adjustment.
The Pro-4X has the Navara line-up’s 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo-diesel engine, which produces 140kW at 3750rpm and 450Nm at 1500-2500rpm.
That's okay because that engine and auto work really well together, yielding more of a subdued, quietly effective partnership than an exciting one.
This ute has a part-time four-wheel drive system with high- and low-range 4WD, and a rear diff lock.
The engine is no bigger, but is now a twin-turbo offering, meaning the 2.4-litre diesel produces 150kW at 3500rpm and 470Nm from 1500rpm.
That power is fed through a six-speed automatic to two or all four wheels. There will be manual versions coming along shortly, but they're not here yet.
Fuel consumption is listed as 8.1L/100km on a combined cycle.
Fuel consumption on this test was 9.9L/100km. That’s fine considering we included a lot of high- and low-range 4WDing during this test’s hours-long off-road section.
The Warrior has an 80-litre fuel tank, so, going by those fuel-consumption figures I’d expect an effective touring range of about 778km, but remember that figure includes a built-in 30km safe-distance buffer.
That's a fair travelling distance for a contemporary dual-cab ute, but keep in mind that your fuel-consumption will be higher than that because you'll be carrying a lot more gear than we had onboard during our test.
That included vehicle-recovery equipment, a portable air compressor, tool bag, puncture-repair kit, a tyre deflator as well as food and water.
The Triton's four-wheel drive variants sip a claimed 7.7L per hundred kilometres on the combined cycle, with emissions pegged at 203g/km. Two-wheel drive models are marginally more efficient.
There's now also a 17-litre AdBlue tank, which you'll have to top up (AdBlue is a liquid that helps reduce emissions from diesel engines, by the way, which pairs with a particulate filter) as well as a 75-litre fuel tank.
At today's prices in Sydney, that would mean $150 to fill the Triton up, which – based on the claimed fuel use – should deliver a driving range of bang-on 1000km.
The Navara line-up had the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in 2015, but that rating has now expired.
Safety gear includes seven airbags (dual front, front-side, curtain and driver’s knee SRS items), AEB, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, intelligent lane intervention, blind-spot warning, a surround-view monitor (with moving object detection), rear cross traffic alert and more.
The rear seat has three child-seat anchorage points and one ISOFIX point each on the left and right seats.
Off-road driver-assist tech includes off-road monitor, tyre pressure monitoring system, hill start assist, trailer sway control, hill descent control and an electronic locking rear differential.
This top-spec variant is missing adaptive cruise control and is not quite as comprehensively equipped with driver-assist tech as some of its rivals.
Gone are the days of utes getting the rough end of the pineapple when it comes to standard safety kit, which is a very good thing.
Even the cheapest GLX Triton scores eight airbags, including a front centre bag, along with a whole heap of high-tech active safety stuff.
Expect AEB with pedestrian, cyclist and junction protection, as well as auto-braking in reverse.
There's also adaptive cruise, blind-spot warning and lane change alert, active lane departure warning and prevention, front and rear parking sensors, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, auto high beams and a driver monitoring system.
Oh, and there's 'Front Cross Traffic Alert', but it's being offered as a no-cost dealer option, which I take to mean you need to ask for it.
The Navara range is covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and capped price servicing. That’s adequate in terms of years, not the best, but the unlimited km factor is in its favour.
Service intervals are set for 12 months or 20,000km. Capped price servicing is available for up to six years, with prices ranging from $574 for the first service through to $916 for the sixth service. The annual average is $703.50. Not particularly cheap.
Like all Mitsubishi's the Triton is offered with a 10-year and 200,000km warranty and 10 years of capped-price servicing.
You only get the full decade-long warranty cover if you service with Mitsubishi, though, otherwise it drops to five years and 100,000 kilometres.
Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, and the first five years are capped at $489 per visit. After that, it goes $799, $749, $949, $849 and $899, bringing your 10-year total to $6690, an annual average of, you guessed it, $669.