It’s as much an exercise in engineering as styling, but with Navara updates announced, are its best fighting days behind it?

Price: $76,990

Powertrain and economy: 2.3-litre twin turbo four-cylinder diesel, 140kW/450Nm, 7-speed automatic, 4WD, combined economy 7.0L/100km, CO2 186g/km.

Vital statistics: 5385mm long, 1920mm wide, 1895mm high, 3150mm wheelbase, 17-inch alloy wheels and 275/70 R17 tyres.

We like: The concept; excellent ride, assured handling for the type.

We don't like: Donor is dated, shown up for driver assist functions, pricey.

ENTIRELY coincidental but really poor timing all the same - on the day I took command of the ‘newest’ kind of Navara, it became just a bit old and less attractive.

Having brought the N-Trek Warrior home, I had barely settled into behind the computer when that an e-mail pinged to alert incoming news from Nissan, revealing long-expected updates, arriving early next year, to the Navara model line that provides the basis for the special edition on test.

This was an international announcement, so it wasn’t specific in respect to what the future is for the N-Trek Warrior, a derivative that is availed purely to customers in New Zealand and Australia. An equivalent, of sorts, to the Ford Ranger Raptor in delivering with a wide wheelarch, lifted-suspension and big wheel appearance and intent, it’s nonetheless different.

Whereas the Raptor is factory-built and fully Ford-designed, the N-Trek Warrior is more akin to Toyota’s New Zealand’s Hilux Mako, in being a factory product – this case the ST-X Special Edition doublecab - that achieves attention from an aftermarket specialist, Premcar (the the current embodiment of the Prodrive, Tickford and Ford Performance Vehicles dynasty) in the state of Victoria, with brand sanction and a full factory warranty.

Good idea? Very much so. For one, from a visual perspective, it looks the way so many people are modifying their otherwise stock double cabs to appear more interesting. The specification is also improved and there are pluses to the dynamic side. On those grounds, it seems to be the right kind of model for this market.

So you’d hope Premcar will get dibs to rework the facelift in due course. Australian media have speculated this is going to happen; they reckon what I was driving for this test will re-emerge, in due course, as an adaptation of the new flagship, which is to be called Pro-4X. Navara Pro-4X Warrior is being bandied already.

I’d be happy to drive it. What I’m less certain about, though, is whether taking the N-Trek Warrior – or any Navara – in current form is all that sensible, given the level of change that is incoming. Although the base elements are unaltered – there’s no revision to the chassis, engine or suspension – the update will modernise a vehicle that has been around for quite a few years now and, frankly, is gagging for attention.

The unavoidable styling revisions are expansive – there’s a surprising level of sheet metal alteration to enable it to tie into a more familial look with North America’s impressive next-size up Titan - but really the hook is what sits behind the styling.

As positive as the N-Trek experience was – for reasons I’ll get back to – it couldn’t disguise that the donor truck has really slipped behind for driver assist technology. Bad news: It’s not going to take the full gambit of revisions required to bring it up to pace with the new class barometer, the Isuzu D-Max/Mazda BT-50. But, good news, it will at last adopt autonomous emergency braking, forward crash alert, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and blind zone warning. Having those items on board will have to enhance the Navara’s prospects for family use, still very a role being undertaken by doublecab utes.

As with the Raptor and Mako, the primarily intent with the N-Trek Warrior’s enhancements and modifications is to make it the more proficient off-road. That’s been an all-out job; the model has a taller ride height, a wider foot print and more ground clearance. The enhanced approach and departure angles and under body protection and Cooper Discoverer AT3 tyres are standard with the package. Basically, it looks set to succeed in places you wouldn’t normally take a regular ute.

Those places were not on the test itinerary. But keeping it out of the rough was hardly underutilising the package because the end result of the revisions also delivers positively in everyday driving. It’s much less compromised by its off-road capability than the Ford or the Toyota.

The standard version’s coil-sprung rear has never delivered the improvement you’d hope for over the leaf-sprung opposition in standard trim; the brand made three updates to the tune over the ute’s life and still never got it quite right. They should have gone to Premcar; their set-up truly shines. Those longer springs and larger diameter dampers with Warrior-specific valving bring a quality of ride that is as controlled and comfortable on gravel as it is on seal.

It also has a nicely secure road stance, which wouldn’t be expected as the suspension job and the move to larger 32.2-inch all terrain tyres lifts the ride height by 40mm. That’d be enough to be get something tippy-toed if not done right. That the N-Trek Warrior has an assured and settled feel, not just on seal but also gravel, demonstrate the expertise at play here. The 275/70 R17 tyres are also a surprise; the tread cut is quite pronounced, so you’d expect plenty of road noise on chip seal surfaces. Yet it doesn’t occur.

Wet weather driving on this sort of tyre can be interesting, too, but again the vehicle felt okay at highway speed. It paid not to feed too much power in at take-off, though. Like most of its ilk, this ute is only four-wheel-drive when that’s enabled. In normal driving, it is expected to operate as a rear-drive model; a light rear, tall stance, knobbly tyres adds up to being a shortcut to off-the-line wheelspin if you’re not careful.

In respect to its power, it’s a pity the remit to Premcar didn’t include taking a look under the bonnet. Many Navara owners tend to performance chip their engines because they feel the standard tune from the 2.3-litre, twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder isn’t quite potent enough. That impression carried through into the test.

In typical bi-turbo style, it has reasonable off-idle response with its maximum torque on tap at just 1500rpm with a keenness to rev, yet there’s not enough muscle overall to suggest it’s among the powerhouses in the segment. The Warrior’s extra hardware adds some 200kg, and the taller tyres raise the overall gearing by just over seven percent, which also impacts on performance. The engine is relatively noisy and even harsh under load; again, moreso than many rival units. It was intriguing (and perturbing) that the sound-proofing material attached to the bonnet was scarred right above where the engine was closest to it. What was going on there?

The seven-speed automatic is a fairly decent accomplice and has close ratios that keep the engine working in its torque band. The Navara’s cited 7.0L/100km combined cycle consumption figure is even more optimistic in this setting than with the standard truck; the Warrior is sitting up higher in the airstream on bigger tyres. I saw 9.4 litres per 100km.

The Navara’s utility abilities are well-known; the tray is reasonably-sized (though the wellside depth is set to improved in 2021) and Nissan still scores extra points for those sturdy, adjustable rail tie-downs that no-one else have ever copied, more’s the pity. The N-Trek Warrior takes a plastic tub liner that’s a lot better than a bare-metal floor. Navara’s capability to haul 23.5 tonnes is maintained in this trim, and accordingly the N-Trek Warrior also comes with a towing kit, though it has to be wired up in New Zealand, as our requirements are different to Australia’s. That hadn’t been done for the test car, which also lacked a tow ball. So no hauling. The tow bar is specific to the Warrior to compensate for the raised ground clearance and accommodate the larger spare tyre.

Navara’s cabin architecture is quite dated it’s a bit of ergonomic mess; button in weird places and awkwardly configured (no more so than the control for the Warrior-specific front bumper-mounted light bar that, curiously, is the only switch in the cabin that doesn’t illuminate). The tilt-only steering wheel adjustment and a lumbar support too low in the seat are issues for tall drivers.

Being based on the ST-X Special Edition means it has the improvements made last year, including the new 8.0-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto plus native sat nav and reverse camera function. And at this level dual-zone climate control, two-stage heated front seats, an eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat with power lumbar adjuster also feature, while the leather/cloth combo seat trim achieves orange stitch highlights for this variant. It’s comfortable, save that the steering wheel adjust is limited, and offers good visibility, but in terms of general ambience, isn’t as plush nor as modern as the Hilux, Ranger or D-Max/BT-50.