Nissan Note Reviews

Solid state batteries, the 'holy grail' of EV tech, continues to hit hurdles.

The next-generation Navara is shaping up as being the most important new-vehicle release for Nissan Australia this decade. Expected to be unveiled globally next year, ahead of an on-sale date by early 2027, the fourth-generation ute (which may be codenamed D24) and the tenth in a continuing series that started in 1955, will have the future of the brand as a major player riding on its broad shoulders. According to Nissan Oceania Vice President and Managing Director, Andrew Humberstone, the next Navara must hit the ground running in Australia in a way that the current D23 Navara has not been able to in the 11 years-plus that it has been on sale here, or otherwise the alternative would be unthinkable.

The long-promised electric revolution appears to have been pushed back, at least for a couple more years, with established brands and Chinese newcomers alike doubling down on big ICE-powered SUVs and utes – some without any electrification at all.

The head of Nissan in Australia has revealed he would buy the latest version of the ageing Y62 Patrol now rather than wait for its Y63 replacement to arrive late next year, because there will not be another one like it.Nissan Oceania Vice President and Managing Director, Andrew Humberstone, believes that, as the last of the affordable V8 SUVs on the market, putting one away for a rainy day may end up being a prudent investment.“Personally, selfishly, this is the car to buy, now,” he said.“That’s the one I would keep and not sell, because I think residual values are going to go through the roof, because I think that’s what people are going to want… if I was into any sort of boating, or any sort of camping or any sort of boating.”Humberstone may have a point, with Patrol sales down only 4.2 per cent year-to-date in Australia, compared to nearly 38 per cent for the much-newer (and V6 twin-turbo-only) Toyota LandCruiser 300, in an Upper Large SUV segment that has stumbled 27 per cent.While the international car-industry veteran is quick to point out the advances that the upcoming all-new Y63 Patrol with its twin-turbo V6 will have over its 15-year-old Y62 predecessor, he admits that the V8 will be missed.“The Y63 is an amazing vehicle,” he explained. “But I’m old-school still. I have to manage my conscious with one electric car and then one V8, and then I can say I’m neutral, I’m doing my bit for the environment in that way.”So, why is Nissan even releasing an updated old Patrol when a new one is already on sale in other parts of the world, including in the Middle East and in North America (as the Nissan Armada)?Humberstone revealed the facelift coming out at this time was always part of a larger plan, to maximise its appeal and give consumers both existing and new-to-the-series a reason to revisit the Y62 in 2025… especially now that Toyota does not offer a V8-powered LandCruiser as an alternative.“It was a little bit more strategic, because at the end of the day, we were aware of our Y63, we were aware of the kind of demand that would generate, and we wanted to optimise on the specification,” he said.Furthermore, Nissan timed the MY25 Patrol launch very carefully, so there is still up to 18 months before the Y63 Patrol – which has yet to be produced in right-hand-drive guise – arrives in Australia, making the purchase now and then again for another one from 2027 justifiable in the minds of consumers as well as commercially prudent for the carmaker.“On the run out of the V8, we were aware of what the competitors were doing,” Humberstone said. “We had a pretty good idea of what was happening with the V8 space in the V8 market.“So, we knew we'd have a window of opportunity, and we wanted to optimise on the (partly redesigned for MY25) dash, and the technology on the vehicle as best as we could.”Nissan’s big step up in ownership, that includes the availability of a conditional 10-year/300,000km warranty and lower-priced servicing, as well as having an in-house finance arm to facilitate the buying process, have also played a part in the MY25 Patrol strategy.“So, building up the spec, arguably giving the best product, or the best version of the Patrol V8 at the end of its life cycle is…strategic,” Humberstone added.

Nissan will develop a fleet of new ladder-frame SUVs to take on everything from the Ford Everest to the Toyota LandCruiser Prado, according to new reports out of the USA.In fact, the brand is working on a plan that will use an American factory to tap into the tough off-roader market, according to US site Automotive News.According to the site, the brand will manufacture two "flagship" SUVs in the USA rather than Japan – presumably the Nissan Armada and Infiniti QX80 – but will also develop two new ute-based SUVs.Ute-based means they will use a ladder-frame chassis as an underpinning, much like the Ford Everest and Toyota LandCruiser Prado.One vehicle is suggested to be the SUV version of the recently revealed Nissan Frontier Pro plug-in hybrid ute, which was revealed at the 2025 Shanghai Motor Show in April.That plug-in powerhouse develops a substantial 300kW and 800Nm from its 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and a single electric motor.The second model remains something of a mystery, but is expected to be another ladder-frame SUV, powered by either Nissan's e-Power hybrid tech, or a PHEV system. It would potentially sit above the Frontier-Navara-based model, giving the brand three models that step from, in Toyota parlance, Fortuner, Prado and LC300.While Nissan is yet to officially confirm the plans, a person with knowledge of the plan told Automotive News that the brands is developing a “comprehensive body-on-frame product strategy” for the US plant.Further, a Nissan representative told the site that it is “actively exploring” ways to develop body-on-frame vehicles.The news fits neatly with the word earlier this year that the Xterra is at the top of the brand's product wish list, with one of the brand's most senior executives pushing for a "functional and affordable" ute-based SUV that would take on the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.Chairman of Nissan Americas, Christian Meunier, said he recognised buyers want "a return to authenticity and simplicity, not having all the gizmos and gadgets" in a ute-based SUV.Asked what white space Nissan has in its American lineup, the executive told Automotive News that "if I could bring a car tomorrow, it would be the Xterra", referencing the Navara-based SUV that was discontinued in 2015 before being reborn in the Middle East in 2021."This is a white space because many competitors target the higher end of the adventure market. People desire a sense of freedom," he said."There‘s a return to authenticity and simplicity, not having all the gizmos and gadgets. People want a comfortable, functional and affordable vehicle."

Taiwanese cars built in Japan? Foxconn eyes off historic Nissan factory as potential joint-venture.

Nissan has introduced a more affordable hybrid entry offering in Australia, with a new Qashqai electrified variant sneaking in under the $50K mark. The 2026 Nissan Qashqai can now be had as a Ti e-Power, a roughly middle-of-the-range variant.

Which Mitsubishi do you wish would make a comeback? Pajero? Lancer?  Well, Mitsubishi is currently undertaking a massive overhaul of its Australian line-up with several new models to come to fill the gaps. So while they're at it we’ve put together our wishlist of cars they really should really revive or bring here. The changes to the Australian Design rules (ADRs) in March this year meant Mitsubishi had to axe three vehicles from its local lineup.  These were the ASX small SUV, the bigger Eclipse Cross SUV and the Pajero Sport off-roader. This leaves Mitsubishi with just two cars on sale in Australia — the Triton ute and Outlander mid-sized SUV. Meanwhile Toyota has 23 models on sale.Now we're not suggesting that Mitsubishi needs another 21 models, Ford is managing just fine on pretty much the Ranger, Everest and Mustang, but I definitely think there are some essentials the brand could use and a few dream cars while we're at it.Probably the most obvious model Mitsubishi needs right now is the Pajero. Yep once-upon-a-1990s the Toyota Prado and Mitsubishi Pajero wrestled for dominance all over Australia, from the outback to suburbia. The Pajero eventually lost the battle and was axed by Mitsubishi in 2020 … or so we thought! Imagine the comeback. Just when the new generation Prado had arrived and was still gloating, the Pajero could make its return. Sure the Pajero Sport is coming back in 2026, but that’s a Ford Everest rival. The beauty is Mitsubishi could easily plonk another, posher-looking SUV body on the ladder frame and call it the Pajero. And they’ve already got the badges made up. You just just take the “Sport” bit off. Think of the savings.Next on our wish list is not really a car that would sell in high numbers, but it'd be the halo car in many ways the brand needs so badly right now —  a reborn Lancer, and yes, with an Evolution grade as well. Or maybe just a standalone Lancer Evo XI. I think we’re up to XI, I can't remember but I tested the very final one in 2015.Back in the final glory days of Ford Falcon versus Holden Commodore there were two other tribes going to war: Subaru WRX v Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. These days the WRX lives on, but it looks so lonely without the Lancer EVO to play with.Finally, and given the number of grey imports we see of this car, Mitsubishi needs to add the Delica people mover to its Aussie line-up. What’s not to like about a high-riding all-wheel drive six-seater van?A sixth-generation of the people mover is expected in the next two years and whether it looks anything like the futuristic and silly Delica concept Mitsubishi revealed at the 2023 Tokyo Motorshow is yet to be seen.A wishlist for Mitsubishi could go one forever, who wouldn’t want to see the Colt come back, or the Cordia Turbo? Or the 3000GT?In reality the ASX will be back and so too will the Pajero Sport, and that might be all Mitsubishi needs as it faces bigger problems.  Challenges like how on Earth will it adapt to a rapidly changing market that’s been inundated with excellent electric vehicles from brands which hardly existed five years ago. Currently Mitsubishi doesn’t even sell one purely electric vehicle in Australia at all.

The latest Australian new-car sales figures show one clear leader among Chinese brands. GWM could be the first one to crack the top five for year-to-date sales in Australia as it overtakes MG and Isuzu.Japanese and Korean brands along with Ford have dominated for the past decade with their range of utes and SUVs drawing in plenty of buyers.Now manufacturers from China are storming up the sales charts. The original success story was MG, which rapidly fought its way to the top 10 off the back of an appealing array of cars at price points now abandoned by rivals, and a steady supply of new vehicles during COVID-era shortages.MG has now been surpassed by one of the longest-serving Chinese automakers in Australia, GWM.GWM has sold 25,189 new vehicles in Australia through the first six months of this year, which places it just ahead of both MG (21,674) and Isuzu (21,883).This puts it in a solid seventh position in Australia, with something of a gap between it and Mitsubishi in sixth (33,379).Mitsubishi will be looking over its shoulder in the second half of this year with stock of its ASX, Eclipse Cross and Pajero Sport SUVs runs dry, as the Japanese brand awaits new generation vehicles.GWM itself is rapidly being chased down by BYD (23,335), with its rate of growth at 144.6 per cent year-on-year much higher than that of GWM, which is up what would normally be an impressive 17 per cent.The rise of both GWM and BYD is thanks to a rapidly expanded or updated model line-up, which includes in-demand vehicles not being fulfilled by big name players.Both GWM and BYD now offer a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute, as well as a range of sharply priced PHEV SUVs (BYD), hybrid SUVs and off-roaders (GWM), and affordable electric cars.MG has languished slightly off the loss of its bargain-basement previous-generation MG3 hatch, ZS small SUV, and HS mid-sizer, which have all been replaced by more expensive new-generation offerings.MG is no doubt hoping its Kluger-rivalling QS large SUV and incoming U9 ute will be major volume additions in the latter part of the year. They will also be joined by the Camry-rivalling MG7 sedan.The next-biggest Chinese challenger, Chery, is also leaping up the sales charts, up an unprecedented 228.8 per cent so far in 2025 thanks to its bargain Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 mid-size SUV pair, and the Tiggo 4 small SUV which seems to have replaced the MG ZS as the bargain entry-level SUV of choice. It is still several thousand units away from a top-10 entry, but will almost certainly be within striking distance in 2026 if its growth continues.The rise of MG, GWM, and BYD has seen Nissan join Subaru as top-10 has-beens.The biggest gap remains between Toyota and the rest, with the 'Big T' still having moved a steady 120,978 units in 2025.

Nissan Australia is looking to boost sales and has drawn on the Japanese translation of the numbers two (Ni) and three (San) to generate a revised pricing structure for its X-Trail SUV, as the long-serving mid-size ‘Ni San’ model turns, you guessed it, 23 years old.Currently the sixth-placed player in the white-hot medium SUV segment behind family favourites such as the all-conquering Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson, the current fourth-generation Nissan X-Trail has been in market here since early 2022.As recently arrived challengers like the BYD Sealion 6, Chery Tiggo 7 Pro, Geely EX5 and MG HS add extra pressure to this already hyper-competitive segment, price adjustments from established players are almost inevitable.And so it is, that with zero change to model specification the X-Trail’s Australian pricing has been reduced by between $1000 to $3000, depending on model.With a starting price now less than $37K, before on-road costs, the X-Trail throws down the gauntlet to the now hybrid-only RAV4 (from $42,260), Mitsubishi Outlander (from $37,740) and Mazda CX-5 (from $36,740) as well as newcomers like the BYD Sealion 6 (from $48,990) and Geely EX5 (from $40,990).But it’s still some distance away from the budget-focused MG HS (from $33,990 drive-away) and sharply-priced Chery Tiggo 7 Pro (from $29,990 drive-away). The current ‘T33’ X-Trail is offered across five model grades, with the entry-level ST’s standard features list including LED head and tail-lights, six-speaker audio (including digital radio) managed through an 8.0-inch multimedia display, 17-inch alloy rims, adaptive cruise control and more.Safety tech incorporates AEB (with pedestrian and cyclist detection), lane departure warning/prevention, blind-spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition and airbag coverage including a front centre ‘far side’ bag.The top-shelf Ti-L adds 10-speaker Bose audio, bigger alloys, a heated steering wheel, electric front seats (with memory), heated rear seats, Nappa leather-accented trim, ambient lighting, a hands-free tailgate and more.Earlier this year Nissan Australia also introduced a (dealer-servicing activated) 10-year/300,000km warranty operating in concert with a five-year ‘Flat Price Servicing Program’.Is this the first shot fired in a full-scale price war as more and more new brands enter what is a mature Australian new car market? Feels like the battle has only just begun.