Nissan Navara Pro-4X 2024 review

When I was in high school, my parents owned a 2007 Nissan Navara D40 ST-X with a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine. They nicknamed it Yamato, after the Japanese equivalent of the World War 2-era Bismarck battleship.

Like the Japanese warship Yamato, our Navara also had a terrible turning circle and was a big thing for its time, but in our eyes at least, it was quite the beast. In 2007, a 5296mm-long dual-cab ute was impressive, but a real pain in the neck to park – especially without a reversing camera.

Our D40 Navara’s 2.5-litre engine was the real highlight, though, and with its old-school turbocharger lag, it made for an interesting experience on a wet day. Nevertheless, as a family we loved the thing.

But how far has the Navara come since those distant times?

This week I was handed the keys to a 2024 Nissan Navara Pro-4X. While this dual-cab ute should not be mistaken for the flagship, Premcar-fettled Pro-4X Warrior, the standard Pro-4X is, at least in my eyes, the next best thing.

Up to and including May 2024, Nissan has sold just 4020 4×4 units of its Navara ute this year, which equates to just 4.6 percent share of its segment.

While the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger rule the streets and tracks across Australia, the Navara is still fighting its way through the shadows of its rivals.

A new-generation Navara lurks in the not-too-distant future, so what is it about this current Pro-4X variant that makes so much sense? And is the Navara still the strong contender that it was in its last generation?

The regular Pro-4X may not be as capable off-road as the all-out Pro-4X Warrior, but is this the best ute for the average Australian lifestyle?

With its tough looks and strong engine, is this Navara a modern-day Yamato?

What are the Navara Pro-4X’s features and options for the price?

This Navara Pro-4X we have on test is priced at $61,405 before on-road costs. However, the Pro-4X is currently priced with a very tempting $59,990 driveaway offer. Our example wore optional Stealth Grey paint ($700), but no other extras.

In Pro-4X guise, this dual-cab gains unique features such as:

• Blacked-out exterior elements including darkened grille and roof rails
• Black 17-inch alloy wheels 
• Yokohama all-terrain tyres 
• Black-painted rear sailplane 
• Pro-4X body decals 
• Pro-4X embossed leather seat upholstery 

Other standard features for the 2024 Navara include:

• 8.0-inch touchscreen 
• Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto 
• USB-A charge ports
• Six-speaker sound system
• 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster 
• Electrically adjustable driver’s seat
• Leather upholstery and steering wheel
• 360-degree camera
• LED headlights and daytime running lights
• Part-time 4×4 system
• Towbar 
• Off-road monitor 
• Rear differential lock 
• Hill-descent control

All up, I think the Navara in Pro-4X specification is well-equipped for the outlay and is very fit-for-purpose as a more lifestyle type of ute. 

How does the Navara Pro-4X drive?

Getting behind the wheel of a Navara for the first time in a very long time, I felt pretty well at home in the captain’s chair of the Pro-4X.

Firing the 2.3-litre four-cylinder to life and setting off through my city commute, this ute felt comfortable at doing the daily grind. Thanks to Nissan’s use of a multi-link, coil-sprung rear suspension setup (a rarity in the Aussie ute segment), the Navara is easily one of the best riding utes around town.

Sure, it’s a little firm, but it’s controlled and surprisingly comfortable. Most of all, it doesn’t have the terrible leaf-sprung jitter that still plagues a lot of modern utes today.

I get it: utes aren’t passenger vehicles. They are commercial first and foremost, but the Navara makes a good impression of a large SUV, especially when on the highway. It’s surprisingly smooth and unfussed at 110km/h, and even when facing a decent bump in the road, the Navara handles things with surefootedness and a definite degree of confidence.

Nissan has been using its 2.3-litre twin-turbocharged diesel four-cylinder engine since 2010. It’s a Renault–Nissan-built engine that produces 140kW/450Nm. And while those outputs might not blow people away in 2024, remember that these are the same figures as Isuzu’s 3.0-litre 4JJ3 engine.

However, Nissan’s engine has its torque band start a little earlier, at just 1500rpm. And with sequential, two-stage turbochargers, this feels to certainly be the more linear and natural-feeling type of power delivery over Isuzu’s less smooth 3.0-litre.

Around town, the Navara effortlessly powers along with very little fuss. The engine is surprisingly refined and quiet, and doesn’t make an enormous fanfare. At higher speeds, the 2.3-litre unit settles nicely – paired with Nissan’s seven-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.

The Australian ute tribespeople might look at the Navara’s outputs and simply laugh, but the reality is that I didn’t feel that it was in any way underpowered.

The little 2.3-litre might not be able to keep up with what many would call the class-leading 184kW/600Nm turbo-diesel V6 found nestled within the engine bay of many Ford Rangers and Volkswagen Amaroks. But despite having 700cc less capacity, the Navara does the job just fine and dandy.

In the week prior to our Navara Pro-4X testing, it happened to bucket down in Sydney. When it came time to hit the tracks, conditions weren’t ideal for driving up ridiculous inclines and hitting the deepest of bog holes. However, I bravely went onto a forestry trail north of Sydney, and for the most part, the Navara did the job.

With a well-tuned traction-control system, decent-enough articulation and linear throttle response from the 2.3-litre engine, I questioned whether or not you would even need to spend the extra money for a Warrior.

Back on the road, the Nissan dual-cab also happened to be fairly fuel efficient. Over 350km of driving, we managed to beat the official 8.1L/100km combined consumption figure with a 7.6L/100km overall average. Pretty good effort!

But the Navara wouldn’t be called Yamato (at least in my family) without a couple of driving downsides – the first of which is the steering.

The Navara’s system would easily be one of the slowest steering racks I have ever experienced, with the clear exception being the Toyota Land Cruiser 79 Series. With this as it is, you really have to work the wheel to get places, which is very apparent during city commuting.

Also worth noting is the lack of intervention from the Navara’s safety systems. Although this ute will be getting an all-new generation eventually, I did expect a little more assistance from the onboard active-safety systems.

That’s odd because I hardly ever say that!

What is the Navara Pro-4X’s interior and tech like?

Inside the Navara, it’s certainly starting to look a little tired and outdated. While most of the interior materials are quite good, what’s not so good are the old-fashioned buttons and switches. There’s also some hard and scratchy door plastics but, realistically, this cabin has been built with longevity in mind, so I totally get it.

The front seats are quite comfortable and I like the use of Pro-4X embossing on the seat backs. The leather steering wheel also feels premium and good quality.

Front and centre for the driver is a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster which displays a stack of features, most of which can be controlled through handy steering-wheel buttons. What makes them great is that they actually tell you which button does what, and that’s not the case for all vehicle manufacturers.

Central to the interior is an 8.0-inch touchscreen that runs wired versions of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There is unfortunately no wireless functionality available.

However, I found that the Android Auto worked seamlessly and was nicely responsive to steering-wheel button inputs. The rest of Nissan’s infotainment system is pretty long in the tooth, however, and really needs to be updated (it’s coming, apparently!) but I guess for these times, it’s fine enough to get by.

Around the cabin, buyers also gain USB and AUX ports, two generous cupholders, deep door bins, a handy sunglasses holder and all the usual four-wheel-drive functions. This Pro-4X also gets a locking rear differential, along with hill-descent control.

In the back seat, things are definitely more cramped. You could fit three adults across the second row, but I can bet it’ll become both irritating and uncomfortable on long road-trips.

Therefore, Navara’s rear pew is best suited for kids. It’s nice to see air vents, a USB-A charging port and a decently sturdy fold-down armrest all as standard. The sliding rear cabin window is also electric to allow better air flow for all occupants.

At the very back you’ll find the integral part of every ute: the tray. The Nissan Navara’s measures in at a little over 1500mm long and 1130mm wide (between the wheelarches), with the best feature being the flexible tie-down points that can be adjusted depending on what load you are carrying. The Pro-4X comes with a soft tonneau cover as standard, as well as a scratch-resistant tray lining.

Is the Navara Pro-4X a safe car?

As of early July 2024, the Nissan Navara remains unrated with Australian vehicle safety body ANCAP (though it scored five stars using older testing methodology back in July 2015).

However, as standard, the Navara Pro-4X features the following safety features:

• Seven airbags 
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Reversing camera 
• 360-degree camera
• Driver alert 
• Lane-departure warning 
• Lane intervention 
• Blind-spot warning 
• Rear cross-traffic alert 
• Tyre-pressure monitoring system

The operation of these systems seemed fairly minimal in terms of annoyance, to the point where I wasn’t sure if they were switched on or not. I’m looking forward to seeing even more safety features for the next generation of Nissan Navara. 

What are the Navara Pro-4X’s ownership costs?

Navara owners will need to pay $2975 to service their vehicle over five years with a prepaid service plan. Service intervals are every 12 months or 20,000km, whichever occurs first.

All Nissans sold in Australia come with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

In terms of fuel efficiency, Nissan Australia claims that the Navara Pro-4X automatic will do 8.1L/100km on the combined cycle, however we bested that figure with an overall combined figure of 7.6L/100km over roughly 350km of testing in mixed driving environments.

The honest verdict on the Navara Pro-4X

The Nissan Navara might be getting a little bit long in the tooth (the current generation launched in Australia in 2015), but the Pro-4X proves that it’s one of the underdogs in the Australia dual-cab ute market.

With decent ride quality thanks to its coil-sprung rear, a surprisingly strong and willing 2.3-litre twin-turbo engine, and tough looks, the Navara Pro-4X is a lifestyle ute that I believe has broad appeal in our market.

However, its outdated interior and infotainment, and relaxed active-safety features, makes the Pro-4X a model certainly in need of a new generation.

But with a very tempting $59,990 driveaway deal currently available, it puts the Navara at a price point more than $16,500 cheaper than a Ford Ranger Wildtrak 2.0-litre dual-cab ute ($76,580 driveaway). Even the Toyota Hilux Rogue, currently priced at $77,400 driveaway, seems pretty expensive in comparison.

In 2024, Nissan may be struggling in the sales charts with its Navara ute, but if it can retain the fundamental goodness of this ute for its next generation, the Japanese brand will be onto something.

Old-school? Yes. Underdog? Definitely. A good deal in 2024? Absolutely.

If my parents drove the Pro-4X today, they’d certainly be calling it ‘Yamato the 2nd’. There are some battleship traits left in the old girl. It’s tough, looks aggressive and has decent-enough firepower under its bonnet.

Forget the four-wheel-drive sceptics – the Navara Pro-4X is a decent ute worthy of your attention.