New Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior debuts in South Africa

A new, tougher Nissan Navara Warrior is now on sale.

The flagship model has been jointly developed with Premcar, an Australian engineering consultancy and second-tier manufacturer firm.

In 2019, Nissan Australia chose Premcar to develop a tougher Navara model for its domestic market, resulting in the Navara N-Trek Warrior.

Now they have extended the treatment to that model’s successor — the Nissan Navara PRO-4X — which Nissan South Africa is building at its Rosslyn plant in Pretoria for local and export markets.

The Warrior name is borrowed from the US Titan Warrior truck and the company, with 28 years' experience, also crafts stronger Nissan Patrol models.

The deal sees Premcar set up shop inside Nissan SA’s Pretoria plant, able to quickly pluck a car off the production line to transform into a Warrior, which shares much of its makeup with the regular Pro-4X model.

The vehicle retains the same engine, transmission, interior bits and warranty but the tow bar is adapted and the gross vehicle mass increases by 100kg to maintain the 3,500kg tow rating. 

According to Premcar CEO and engineering director Bernard Quinn, his company doesn’t sacrifice the engineered texture of the car but boosts its capability.

In the case of the Navara Warrior, the standard amenities of the Pro4X — including leather seats, LED lights and cruise control — remain intact.

The Warrior, however, is set apart with a blacked-out front grille, door handles, roof rack, side steps and wheels, red accents and a black and red Nissan badge.

At the front, Premcar adds a modified bumper that amplifies the approach angle by 35º from 33º. The departure angle stays at 27º but wider 17" alloys hidden under flared fenders increase the wheel tracks by 30mm.

Larger dampers are integrated on the Navara Warrior with 232mm of ground clearance and 30mm more in height.

It’s a bolder off-road image that’s at home on the roads, with the knobby and standard Maxxi all-terrain rubber not intruding in the cabin with tyre roar.

To a large degree, the standard model’s inherent cushy drive with good surface absorption is retained, with little body sway evidenced due to the increased height.

The 2.5l turbodiesel engine producing 140kW and 450Nm of torque is paired with a 7-speed automatic transmission, while selectable 4x4 and a diff-lock are unchanged.

A revised rear suspension set-up enhances load stability on uneven surfaces, but it’s what the new off-road modifications do under apt conditions that are the tick-off points.

With the help of the standard fitment 360º camera and its bird’s eye view of the road, the Navara Pro4X Warrior took on the rocky Piesang Kloof off-road track in the North West with newfound confidence, able to skirt over protruding rocks with ease.

With a launch price of R924,000, the modifications add an R80,000 premium over the standard Pro-4X model and the most obvious cars to compare it with are the Toyota Hilux 2.8GD-6 48V 4x4 Legend and the Isuzu D-Max 3.0TD V-Cross 4x4. The Mitsubishi Triton Xtreme is also in the mix.

The new Warrior treatment is not available as an after-market fitment, nor is it offered with the Pro-2X rear-wheel drive model. It’s exclusive to brand new Navara Pro-4X models, and Nissan SA informs that one more special edition Navara model is on the cards for 2025.

In a few days’ time, the newly-launched Navara Pro-4X Warrior will be involved in a daring Guinness world record attempt to drive 1,000km continuously under off-road conditions.

While our first drive verdict is positive, we look forward to spending more time going deeper under the skin when we have it for a longer test period.

The new Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior is sold with the company’s standard six-year/150,000km warranty and six-year/90,000km service plan.