The current Nissan Navara has had a good long run on the New Zealand market.

In the last couple of years, though, Ford and VW have created a clear stratum at the top of the 4WD ute market.

In the same period, the previous government attempted to talk Kiwis out of their favourite vehicles and into electric appliances. Ute buyers were ‘using their vehicles inappropriately’. Naughty.

Welcome a new government, farewell the ute tax and EV subsidy. Buy the vehicle that suits Kiwi lifestyles, and buy an EV on merit.

Auto companies suffered through the final months of 2023 and can now look forward to a boost in vehicle sales and reduced governmental meddling in the market.

Nissan can look forward to a boost in Navara sales generally, and the flagship Pro4X will be part of that.

Though the new Ranger and the Amarok are an upper strata in the ute class, the Pro4X can arguably head up the next level, its 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel producing 140kW and 450Nm with a very useful torque spread low in the rev range.
The Pro4X is the smartest-looking of the range but is no show pony; it’s ready for work.

Backing up the ute’s tough character and businesslike exterior is Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility technologies. These prioritise convenience and safety without compromising the vehicle’s excellent driving performance, its 3,500kg braked towing capability, durability and overall reliability.

The peak torque figure being available so low in the rev range means it always feels punchy in traffic, whether moving speedily from rest or heading onto the motorway. There’s a clean surge of urge from down low that keeps delivering to somewhere near the redline. Navara will happily sit on 110km/h all day (speed limits allowing), and remain efficient doing it. Not so long ago, single-figure fuel usage from a dual cab would have been the stuff of fantasy. Now, though, against an official figure of 8.1l/100km, we saw 8.8l/100km in city driving and briefly got down to 8.2 on the open road before skewing the readings with off-road work. On a point-to-point open road trip it’s entirely possible to hit the official figure.

The key is not asking the twin-turbo four-cylinder engine to work too hard. If towing or working your way through heavy terrain off-road, the Navara can get thirsty. Around town or on the open road the real-world fuel efficiency is solid.

The engine will work hard when towing, but it never feels especially stressed cruising along the motorway or in stop/start traffic. Cleverly matched to the engine, the automatic transmission works away without seeming to hunt or constantly shift gears just for the sake of it.

In 4WD, the Navara activates a system called Active Brake Limited Slip Differential (ABLS), that manages power delivery and wheel braking between the front and rear axles and between the left and right of the vehicle, depending on traction and speed.

Working with the Vehicle Dynamic Control system (VDC) and ABS brakes, this system enables drivers to be more confident and feel secure when towing large payloads and driving through muddy terrain with less acceleration and brake operation.

The Navara’s five-link, coil-spring rear end is a ride quality bonus. While it can’t haul huge weight as easily as leaf springs can, it’s also an object lesson in rear suspension design, tracking straight and true through washboarding and potholes and pulling up without fuss in hard braking.

There’s a sense of solidity and insulation to the way the Navara works its way through rubbish patches of road, right up to highway speed.

Pro-4X does get all-terrain tyres – Yokohama Geolandars – but they are quite urban, cornering and braking accurately and without undue noise on tarmac. Having said that, the tyres did not inspire confidence in wet volcanic scoria/pumice mush on our tour through TECT Park trails near Tauranga. They quickly clogged and were not as quick to shed the muck.

The steering is light and communicates well on most surfaces.

Disc/drum brakes are well up to the job, never needing a heavy shove to pull the Navara up even when a fellow motorist changed lanes using Braille on the motorway.

Around town, Navara works well among hundreds of other diesel double cab utes that mostly won’t ever get into the dirt. No matter how good they are off-road or at work, the reality for the more expensive variants is that they will be doing urban motoring. A pity really.

When the new Navara arrived, the vehicle’s front end received a distinctly American-styled look. It carried the new “interlock” grille – a bold vertical shield-styled grille first introduced on the US-market Nissan Titan – creating a powerful front face for the vehicle. The interlocking frame grille gives Navara an unmistakeable road presence.

The grille carries the model’s name embossed across its upper edge.

The Navara features distinctive quad LED projector headlamps, increasing brightness and adding a level of sophistication to the rugged design. At the back, there are LED tail lamps.

There are leather seats for occupants, and the leather wheel carries the expected ‘smart’ functions. Navara’s cabin has always been well executed, and Pro4X is no exception.

Second-row passengers get air vents, and there’s dual-zone AC up front.

Two USB ports up front and two in the back take care of device charging, and we’ve always liked the sliding rear window, which aids with airflow through the cabin when the mood takes you. None of the Navara’s direct rivals have anything similar.
The cabin remains, as it has been since launch, comfortable and insulated around town or out on the highway.

It is a lovely touring dual-cab on any road. Those all-terrain tyres remain impressively quiet, even at highway speed.

Safety is – as it should be – world class. The 2023 Pro-4X gets seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking with forward collision alert, trailer sway assist, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, automatic high beams, a driver fatigue detector, rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, and tyre pressure monitoring. Hill descent control and hill start assist are also included.

All-up, it earns the Navara a five star ANCAP rating.

For a ute that looks the business and works hard – and is a visual point of difference from the Ranger throng – the Pro4X has much to offer.