Nissan Note Reviews

A fix for a huge electric car problem is in the works. The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) has announced a $1.43 million investment into a national EV charging roadmap.  The EVC said in its 2026 State of EVs report that Australia still needs "substantial public charging investment”.  It called for better data on demand use, reliability and coverage, with Australia’s charging infrastructure conundrum more complex than merely installing more fast chargers.  The roadmap is expected to be finalised in mid-2027.  The $1.43 million is made up of funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) ($1.06 million) as well as contributions from the EVC and other project partners.  The roadmap will look at charging demand, pressure points and where greater coordination could inform investment decisions through to 2035. It aims to introduce a coordinated charging network for passenger cars and heavy vehicles in metropolitan and regional Australia.  “Other major EV markets have recognised the value of coordinated national planning,” EVC Chief Executive officer Julie Delvecchio said.  “This Roadmap will bring that to Australia, shaped around our distances, our electricity system and the needs of everything from passenger cars to heavy trucks.” Owning a petrol or diesel car is becoming more expensive in Australia, and buyers are making the switch to EV power.  The Tesla Model Y has consistently featured in the top five best-selling cars, and in June 2026, it achieved a recording-breaking 8072 sales.  The BYD Sealion 7 has also recorded a serious increase in sales as it provides tough competition for the Model Y, while Geely’s EX5 has had a bumper 2026.  The federal government is targeting 5 million electric cars on Aussie roads by 2035, which would require the total number of EVs on the road to increase tenfold. Electric cars are now among the cheapest on offer in Australia.  The BYD Atto 1 starts from $19,990, drive-away (until December 15, 2026), while the Geely EX2 is available from $26,490, before on-road costs.  The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) is helping to increase EV choices for buyers, with high-emission cars incurring hefty fines under the scheme. 

Nissan is on the cusp of unleashing a torrent of Chinese-sourced vehicles, and this could be one of the next to arrive. Nissan has just confirmed it will bring the Navara Pro plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute, which spawned from its partnership with China’s Dongfeng, to Australia next year. It has also hinted at more to come, with several prototypes undergoing testing in Australia. Nissan is preparing to launch the NX7 plug-in hybrid SUV in China later this year, which puts it on the timeline where it could be one of the prototypes testing Down Under. It has now been spotted testing in China. It looks typical of Chinese electric and PHEVs, with lots of rounded edges and a face that blends into a crowd. It measures 4785mm long, 1932mm wide and 1665mm tall, according to regulatory filings in China. This makes it longer and wider than its main rival, the Toyota RAV4. Underneath it features a monster circa-41kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, which is roughly double what is found in most mid-size PHEV SUVs currently on sale in Australia. There is no word on charging speeds, but it should have moderate DC fast-charging capabilities. It is claimed the battery provides an electric driving range of more than 200km, albeit via the more lenient Chinese test cycle, rather than the benchmark WLTP. It uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine and electric motor, with combined power figures still under wraps. The Nissan Navara Pro PHEV is the first to come to Australia. It is a ladder-frame dual-cab ute with PHEV grunt. It uses a 2.0-litre petrol engine and electric motor that makes a combined 300kW and 800Nm. It has four-wheel drive, multiple drive modes, can tow up to 3500kg and a payload of up to 1000kg. It will spawn a SUV, dubbed Terrano, which is also likely to come to Australia. Nissan’s N-Series of SUVs are also possible starters with the NX7 and NX8 bigger brother. The NX8 is an range-extender hybrid (REEV), which means it only uses its petrol engine to charge its battery and the wheels are driven by electric motors. This gives it the driving prowess and instant torque of an EV, with the total driving range of a hybrid.

Nissan has just confirmed the launch of its first Chinese-sourced, joint-venture model in Australia and more models are in the plans. “We are working on business cases and I think we’ve been pretty open,” said Nissan Australia Managing Director Steve Milette to CarsGuide. “There’s a lot of vehicles that were revealed at the Auto China [motor show this year]. “I mean, we have our hand up for many of those and it’s just a matter of going through the proper business cases, just like we went through on the Navara Pro PHEV, but there definitely is a need for us to continue down the electrification of our portfolio and expanding the line-up and so more to come in the future.” Nissan engineers have conducted over 20,000km of local testing of the new Navara Pro PHEV since 2025 and Milette noted that prototypes of other Chinese Nissan vehicles are already being driven around in Australia. At this stage it’s unclear which Chinese-made models Nissan will bring to Australia next, but at the Auto China motor show earlier in 2026 it revealed the following vehicles: Nissan NX8 electric (EV) and range-extender (REEV) large SUV Nissan Terrano PHEV concept Nissan Urban SUV PHEV concept Nissan has since revealed the NX7 PHEV mid-size SUV, which is based on the Urban SUV PHEV concept. While a production version of the Terrano PHEV concept hasn’t been revealed yet, Nissan notes that it will be revealed before April 2027. A camouflaged, production-specification Nissan Terrano PHEV prototype was spied earlier this year and it’s understood to share many components and its body-on-frame platform with the Navara Pro PHEV dual-cab ute. This means the production-specification Terrano PHEV will likely have either a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol PHEV or 2.0-litre turbo-petrol PHEV, like the Navara Pro PHEV. The latter offers total system outputs of 300kW and 800Nm. It’s unclear whether any other powertrain options will be available in the Terrano. For reference, the Frontier Pro/Navara Pro is also offered with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel. If the Terrano PHEV comes to Australia, it will sit underneath the flagship Patrol. It will be a key rival to the likes of the GWM Tank 500 PHEV, Denza B5 and Denza B8, while also a rival to diesel alternatives like the Ford Everest and Toyota Prado. Beyond the Nissan Terrano PHEV, the Japanese carmaker has a series of other Chinese-made models that have previously been earmarked for a local launch. Examples include the Nissan NX8 electric and REEV large SUV, NX7 PHEV mid-size SUV, as well as the N7 electric sedan. The latter vehicle was most recently confirmed for a launch in the Philippines as the Primera EV earlier this year. Nissan has been ramping up the exports from its Chinese production facility which it operates as part of a joint-venture with Dongfeng.

Nissan Australia has confirmed it will not build a locally-fettled Warrior version of its new Navara dual-cab ute. A concept version of a new Navara Warrior was shown to Australian media in November 2025 when the current, D27-generation Navara was first revealed. Nissan claims it was around 70 to 80 per cent of the way through the development process. The plug was pulled after the ability to fast-track the new, Chinese-sourced Navara Pro PHEV became an option. Like all Nissan Warrior models, the D27-generation Navara Warrior concept was equipped with a series of upgrades to enhance its off-road capabilities. These included a suspension lift kit, aftermarket 17-inch wheels that provided wider track for increased stability and presence and 32-inch all-terrain tyres for improved clearances. Additionally there was a Warrior-specific bullbar, wheel arch flares, a multi-stage bash plate and two extra recovery points as well as aftermarket driving lights. At the reveal event last November, Nissan had only committed to creating the flagship Pro-4X Warrior, but it was looking to potentially introduce lower versions. Nissan’s off-road-oriented Warrior models have been developed in partnership with Melbourne-based engineering and manufacturing firm, Premcar, since 2019. The first Nissan Warrior model was the Navara N-Trek Warrior, which launched that year. It was replaced by the Navara Pro-4X Warrior in 2022. Later, the budget-oriented Navara SL Warrior joined the line-up. Premcar applied itself to the Y62 Patrol, creating the Patrol Warrior that launched in 2023. With the launch of both new-generation Navara and Patrol models, it’s unclear what the future of the Warrior nameplate is for now. Both the D27 Navara and Y63 Patrol offer off-road-oriented Pro-4X trims, but neither have been further tweaked by Premcar. The decision to shelve the D27-generation Navara Warrior follows Nissan fast-tracking the Navara Pro PHEV. This new, Chinese-sourced dual-cab ute is set to launch locally in 2027 and has been subjected to an “extensive” local development and evaluation program since 2025. Prototypes have already travelled over 20,000km on Australian soil. A new 2.0-litre turbo-petrol PHEV powertrain has been selected and tested for the Australian market. It produces total system outputs of 300kW and 800Nm. Additionally, Nissan is targeting a 3500kg braked towing capacity, as well as a payload capacity of approximately 1000kg.

Nissan Australia is, like many legacy brands, in the unenviable position of trying to tackle an increasingly volatile market that’s favouring newcomer brands from China. With a new Managing Director at the helm in Oceania, former Nissan Canada President Steve Milette, the brand’s next moves include ‘going back to basics’ to remind customers why they liked Nissan in the past, and what Nissan is bringing to the table in an increasingly electric market. But it’s not full-EV that Nissan’s got a key focus on just yet, after the long-serving Nissan Leaf and the low-volume Nissan Ariya, the brand is looking at tech it’s been using for years as a way to improve its positioning - including to bring down its potentially hefty NVES emissions fines. Nissan’s e-Power hybrid system has been around for a while, but the view from the top at the brand’s local arm is that Australians have perhaps not been properly introduced to the tech. The way e-Power works is as a series hybrid, which means the engine charges a battery and electric motors propel the car alone. It’s different to the more traditional parallel hybrid system, which involves the engine also helping power the wheels, as Toyota and Honda have been using for quite some time. Unfortunately for Nissan, it no longer has the upper-hand on series hybrid tech. When CarsGuide asked Milette, along with Nissan Australia’s Senior Manager of Corporate Communications Angus Thompson, if it was frustrating to see customers flock to newcomer brands offering an ‘EV driving experience in a hybrid’, the answer from both was an agreed ‘yes’. “I think it wasn't a wake up call,” Thompson told CarsGuide. “I think it was just something where we had to look at ourselves and say we need to do a better job of telling our story.” It lines up with a comment Milette had just made about Nissan Australia’s messaging when it comes to what e-Power is. “We were focused on ‘e-Power’ and forgetting the hybrid, and some people didn't really know what e-Power was, and so now we're trying to connect.  “I mean, in Australia, we're doing a mall tour. We're going through key cities, key malls, and it's all about ePower, and you know, explaining what it's all about and inviting them for test drives. “I think that's, again, back to my challenger mindset. We're going back to the basics.”

Nissan has confirmed it will launch the Navara Pro plug-in hybrid (PHEV) dual-cab ute in Australia in 2027. Dubbed the Nissan Frontier Pro in other markets, the Navara Pro will be Nissan’s first PHEV in Australia and shapes up as a key rival to the likes of the BYD Shark 6, GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV and forthcoming Chery Stockman. The Nissan Navara Pro PHEV is the first Chinese-made Dongfeng joint-venture model to launch locally. It’s also the first time it’ll be offered in right-hand drive. Nissan has been testing Navara Pro PHEV prototypes locally since 2025 and what is set to be offered is a unique set-up. Final pricing and specifications will be confirmed closer to its launch. Nissan evaluated the globally announced 1.5-litre turbo-petrol PHEV powertrain, as well as a new 2.0-litre turbo-petrol PHEV powertrain in Australia. The latter has been selected for the Australian-specification Navara Pro PHEV. The 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine has a 'high-output' electric motor integrated into an eight-speed automatic transmission, with total system outputs of 300kW and 800Nm. There is a four-wheel drive system with a series of drive and terrain modes. Nissan is targeting a 3500kg braked towing capacity with the Navara Pro PHEV, as well as a payload capacity of approximately 1000kg (both subject to final homologation). Nissan hasn’t confirmed the battery size of the Australian-specification Navara Pro PHEV. Globally there are 17kWh and 32.85kWh units available, but these are aligned with the smaller 1.5-litre turbo-petrol PHEV powertrain. As a result, the claimed EV range will be announced closer to the Navara Pro PHEV’s local launch. Vehicle-to-load (V2L) is set to be offered at an as yet unknown rate. This will allow for electrical appliances to be powered remotely. Final specifications are yet to be locked in, but Nissan notes available features, depending on the trim level, include a large central touchscreen, digital instrument cluster, panoramic glass sunroof, as well as heated and ventilated front seats. Nissan has been testing five examples of the Navara Pro PHEV in Australia since 2025 and they have collectively travelled more than 20,000km Down Under. The Japanese carmaker is yet to finalise the Aussie set-up and has evaluated leaf-spring and multi-link coil rear suspension configurations. The final suspension arrangement will be confirmed closer to the car's launch in 2027. Additionally, the Navara Pro PHEV’s powertrain, advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) calibrations, drive and terrain modes, tyres and differential lock configuration have all been evaluated locally. This is above and beyond towing and load performance testing in Australia. The Nissan Navara Pro PHEV is set to be the first Chinese-made Nissan offered in Australia. However, a series of other Chinese-made Nissans are made within its Dongfeng joint-venture operation. These include the N6 PHEV sedan, N7 electric sedan, NX7 PHEV SUV and NX8 electric and range-extender (REEV) SUV. None of these have been confirmed for right-hand drive production yet. The Navara Pro is also offered with regular turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel powertrains in other markets. It’s unclear whether any other Chinese-made Nissan models will come here, however Oceania has been identified as a key export market opportunity.

Nissan Australia is one of several legacy brands under pressure from changing market forces and new entrants to Australia, but its new Managing Director for Oceania isn’t worried about newcomers taking over. In the role since April is former Nissan Canada President Steve Milette, who was most recently the Vice President for Dealer Network Development, Customer Resources, Training and Customer Experience for Nissan and Infiniti in the US and Canada. He told CarsGuide that in his first few months in the top job for Nissan, he’s noticed how effective new entrants to the Australian market, especially from China, have been in terms of climbing the sales charts. He says after his time in Canada and the US, he was surprised how much ground new brands have made here compared to the “inexistent” presence of brands from China in North America. “But it is surprising, now it's not an overnight success. Like it's 10 years in the making for some of them,” Milette told CarsGuide. “Some of those brands have come and gone and come back, and so you'd think that consumers would remember that. You know that it could be temporary in nature.” Milette said despite the dramatic changes in the new car market, past crises and economic instability has often resulted in the car industry finding its way back to a familiar balance. “But I do think that there's like a perfect storm, right?  “Of the Iran crisis, if you will, the spike in fuel prices, the hyperinflation, rates were up again yesterday in Australia, and so it does create pressure on the consumer. “And at the initial stages of this Middle East crisis, there was not only fuel pricing up, but there could be a shortage of fuel, and so people just jumped. It was the perfect opportunity to jump into a relatively inexpensive EV from a new entrant.” The latest sales figures show Australians are not only moving their buying habits to new cars from China, but doing it in droves. Most new cars sold in Australia in September 2026 were from China, around 40,000 compared to the next-highest, around 23,000 from Japan. In the top 10 cars for that month, four came from Chinese brands and five were built in China. Four of September’s top 10 brands were also Chinese. But Milette says as the fuel crisis subsides and economic pressures change, people will revert to previous buying behaviours. “I do think all that will come back to the mean, I think crisis or history shows that they're always resolved, and everything reverts back to the mean.  “And so, I do think for me, it's just to continue pushing on the values that we have, and the vehicles that we have, and working closely with our dealers. And I think, you know, things are only going to go up for us here, from a business perspective in Australia.” The idea of dramatically changing market trends isn’t a reason to hit the emergency button and change the brand’s entire approach, says Milette.  In fact, he’s surprised there’s been a narrative around Nissan being one of the brands under the most pressure in the current new car industry climate. “I'd say from a sales perspective, obviously we're one of the brands that has decreased year over year,” Milette said. “I mean, if you look at you know the winners and losers, if you count sales volume as the criteria, most new entrants are at the top of the chart, and most legacy brands are at the bottom of the chart, and all of them, not just Nissan.  “Some are in worse shape than we are, but for us, what I've seen maybe that's different to… the markets I've come from… is the rhetoric around ‘hey is Nissan here to stay or what's happening with Nissan globally?’  “I had not heard that in Canada or the US in years, at least a couple years.  “You know, there are articles written sometimes about legacy OEMs having a hard time, and you know some are leaving, and then they'll show our logo. But the article had nothing to do with us, and so we need to break through that because we're not just here to survive; we're here to thrive as a company.”

Chinese brands are having a monster 2026 on the sales charts. BYD further solidified second place in the top-selling brands race, so far bettering Ford, Kia, Mazda and Hyundai. The giant Chinese brand has more than doubled its Australian market share in 2026 compared to 2025. GWM, Chery and MG all now regularly feature in the top 10. Some individual Chinese models have even started to outsell entire legacy brands in Australia. The BYD Sealion 7 electric mid-size SUV was the fifth-best-selling car in September 2026, shifting 2687 units across the month. This represented a more than 42 per cent jump on September 2025, as it continues to be the closest rival to the Tesla Model Y. This means it nearly matched the Mitsubishi brand’s 2769 cars sold across its entire range in September. Overall, Mitsubishi has sold 33,245 cars up to September 2026, in excess of 10,000 more than the BYD Sealion 7’s 19,964 examples sold. Australian Design Rule changes forced the Japanese brand to discontinue sale of several of its strong-selling models. These included the ASX and Eclipse Cross small SUVs, as well as the adventure-pitched Pajero Sport. The old ASX used to be one of the most popular cars in Australia, owing to its less than $30,000 price tag and dependability. Mitsubishi is again beefing up its line-up in Australia. The much-anticipated Pajero 4WD and a fully-electric variant of the new ASX will launch in the coming months. Some of China’s other popular SUVs put up similarly spectacular numbers in September 2026. Chery registered 2059 sales for its Tiggo 4 small SUV, which is more than what Nissan (2028) and Subaru (2009) managed across their line-ups. The GWM Haval Jolion also outsold Subaru in September, with 2018 sales. The Tiggo 4 and Haval Jolion provide variety for buyers between petrol or conventional hybrid set-ups. They are also among some of the cheapest cars in Australia. Petrol grades of the Tiggo 4 ($23,990) and Haval Jolion ($26,990) are both sub-$30,000, drive-away, in Australia. Geely has stormed up the Aussie sales rankings in 2026, and its EX5 electric mid-size SUV ($41,990, before on-road costs) has led the way for the brand. The EX5’s 2008 sales in September 2026 were just shy of Subaru’s total, but above Suzuki (1049) and Volkswagen (1599). VW's figure does not include other brands in the VW group, such as Audi and Skoda, among others that would boost its sales to more than 3000 for September 2026.

The Nissan X-Trail has been well-liked since its inception 25 years ago and the current generation has done reasonably well in an increasingly crowded mid-size SUV market. While not the front-runner in terms of sales - the Toyota RAV4 holds that title, of course - the Nissan X-Trail is one of a few mid-size SUVs to break the 1000-sales mark this year so far, a feat increasingly achieved by newcomer Chinese models. To strengthen its place in the market, Nissan has broadened the X-Trail offering to include more affordable (and more efficient) two-wheel drive versions of its e-Power hybrid grades, as well as a style-focused soft-roader version called the Rock Creek. Starting with the most visually obvious addition, the X-Trail Rock Creek is a $48,315 ask, before-on roads, for its single seven-seat grade. The Rock Creek uses the same 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine as the rest of the combustion-powered range, with 135kW and 244Nm driving all four of its wheels. It’s built on the same spec as the ST-L, but adds plenty of unique styling and black trim, with orange accents and stitching inside, plus a unique set of 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside, ballistic nylon-trimmed seats are joined by a step-up from the donor ST-L in the form of a 12.3-inch driver display and 10.8-inch head-up display. The front seats are comfortable, spacious and ergonomically sensible, and the second row has a decent amount of room and some adjustability to account for the third row. That back row is, however, pretty useless for adults due to the cramped space. Nissan says the Rock Creek has the same 465 litres of boot space as other seven-seat grades, measured from floor to roof with the third folded flat. The 2WD e-Power on the other hand starts from $45,990 in ST-L grade, $50,915 for the mid-spec Ti and up to $54,715 for the Ti-L. They’re all five-seaters with equipment matching that of their 4WD counterparts. That means the ST-L gets some basics like leather-accented trim and a surround-view camera, while the Ti gets a sunroof and head-up display, and the Ti-L gets all the fruit like a Bose 10-speaker sound system and heated seats even in the second row. The five-seat e-Power has 575L of boot space with all the seats up, 10 litres less than the five-seat petrol. The e-Power 2WD has very similar outputs to the e-Power 4X4, with 150kW and 330Nm from its front-mounted electric motor. The same 106kW/250Nm 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine powers the very small 2.1kWh battery, but not the wheels. Regardless of grade, the X-Trail uses a 55L fuel tank and can run on 91RON unleaded fuel, though Nissan recommends 95RON for the e-Power. The 4X4 petrol Rock Creek sips 7.8L/100km on the combined cycle according to the claim, though with some off-roading and unsealed road driving the trip computer shower 9.7L. The 2WD e-Power should use 5.4L according to the specs, but 6.2L was the displayed rate on the drive. You shouldn’t need to try hard to get better figures than those we saw on the launch, as test-driving involved a combination of fast driving on twisty NZ roads and gentle off-roading around Lake Wakatipu and the Rees River. The current X-Trail has always been easy to work with from behind the wheel and the front-drive versions don’t lose much of the smoothness and urge the all-wheel drive version of the hybrid X-Trails boast. While it doesn’t feel like the lightest SUV, the steering is accurate enough to take any guesswork out of cornering and the electric motors get the mid-sizer moving quickly. Traction doesn’t suffer much without the rear wheels in play, though given the limited drive time in each grade on the launch it’s possible very wet conditions or rough roads could show up flaws. The Rock Creek on the other hand should be safe as houses when it comes to light off-roading, given its 4x4 system, though its on-road prowess is somewhat dulled by its petrol engine. Compared to the e-Power, the Rock Creek handles and rides similarly on the road, but its acceleration feels lacklustre and its efficiency takes a big hit. The X-Trail has a maximum five-star safety score from ANCAP, though this was tested in 2021 under more lenient criteria. Its 'Pro-Pilot' driver assistance systems remain, as mentioned, subtle and exist to prevent genuine mistakes rather than remind you constantly how to drive. Seven airbags join a series of features like front and rear AEB, pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control and a driver monitor that’s based on inputs rather than a visual sensor. Pretty much everything from a safety perspective is the same across the variants, though the Rock Creek gets a spare wheel rather than a repair kit as in the e-Power. Nissan offers a 10-year/300,000km warranty as long as you service with authorised Nissan dealers. Otherwise it’s five years and unlimited kilometres. You also get a flat price of $399 for any X-Trail grade at the first five services. These will come up every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

Nissan is set to confirm a new model for Australia on October 8 and it will be its first plug-in hybrid (PHEV). The Japanese carmaker has published a single teaser image showing the front end of the vehicle with an illuminated Nissan badge. Using the teaser image and available imagery, it looks very much like it is the Frontier Pro/Navara Pro PHEV. This Chinese-made dual-cab ute will be a key rival to the likes of the BYD Shark 6, GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV and upcoming Chery Stockman. Nissan says this forthcoming new vehicle has “electrified performance and new levels of capability”. It's also claimed to be "tailored to the needs of Australian customers in a key segment". Additionally Nissan claims this new model has been “extensively tested and tuned for local conditions”. Prototype examples of the Frontier Pro/Navara Pro PHEV have been spied in Australia over the last few weeks. Nissan hasn’t been shy about leveraging its joint-venture partnership with Dongfeng in China and Australia has been identified as a key market. The Frontier Pro/Navara Pro PHEV comes with a 2.0-litre petrol engine and dual electric motors for total system outputs of 320kW and 800Nm. It also offers up to 135km of CLTC-claimed electric range. Both turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel engines are available in the Frontier Pro/Navara Pro globally. It’s unclear whether these are on the radar for a local launch. Beyond the Frontier Pro/Navara Pro, Nissan also offers a series of other Chinese-made models for export markets. These include the NX8 electric and range-extender (REEV) SUV and N7 electric sedan, among others.