Nissan Navara Warrior to return in 2021 facelifted form with sub-assembly in Melbourne

Nissan Australia’s contract with Melbourne automotive specialist Premcar will be extended in 2021 with the Japanese manufacturer confirming that the locally sub-assembled Navara Warrior ute will be renewed in facelifted form.

Nissan today revealed a substantial update to the company’s Navara pick-up ute, which takes on more assertive front- and rear-end styling modelled on this brand’s Titan full-size truck sold in American markets.

The Japanese manufacturer revealed a new Navara PRO-4X trim today that will replace the existing Navara N-Trek – as well as a mid-specification SL fitted with a range of new genuine accessories.

However, Nissan Australia managing director Stephen Lester also confirmed that the offroad-focussed Navara Warrior will also be updated in line with the new styling. The Warrior chassis arrives from Thailand in basic form before receiving a substantial range of suspension alterations and aesthetic components at Premcar’s assembly in Epping, Victoria.

The Australian-engineered and sub-assembled Navara Warrior, which competes with the Toyota HiLux Rugged X and Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain, rides 40mm higher than the standard Navara, thanks to larger 32-inch Cooper Discoverer tyres and a 15mm suspension lift that incorporates Australian-made Monroe springs and dampers.

The mechanical package otherwise mirrors the standard Nissan Navara – making use of the company’s 2.3-litre twin-turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine producing 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic gearbox.

While the series-production Navara range will arrive in Australia in early 2021, Mr Lester confirmed that there would be a gap in Warrior production – with that top-shelf Navara grade set to return to market once Nissan’s global engineers had certified Premcar’s engineering process for the facelifted model.

This recertification is necessary due to the substantial changes to the Navara’s front end, which will affect the fitment of the existing Warrior grade’s bespoke front bar and LED lighting.

At launch, Premcar was sub-assembling ten Navara Warriors daily at the company’s facility outside Melbourne, Victoria.

However, while there will be a gap for the Navara Warrior programme, rumours have been gathering steam that Premcar will soon begin sub-assembling a Warrior version of the full-size Nissan Patrol 4×4, which uses a 5.6-litre petrol V8 engine.