Earlier this week, Nissan slapped its badge on the Outlander PHEV to roll out the new Rogue Plug-In Hybrid. It’s now launching a completely different vehicle, also with Mitsubishi roots. Meet the new Navara, a mid-size pickup closely related to the latest-generation Triton introduced in 2023.
It’s not unusual for trucks in this segment to share platforms. After all, the Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok are cut from the same cloth, while the Mazda BT-50 is closely tied to the Isuzu D-Max. The previous Navara itself shared its bones with the Renault Alaskan and the ill-fated Mercedes X-Class. In China, the Dongfeng Rich 6 is essentially a Navara in disguise. This approach reduces development time and financial strain in a highly competitive segment.
Photo by: Nissan
Nissan did more than just swap badges and call it a day. The fourth-generation Navara underwent testing in Australia, where local company Premcar worked on the suspension to ensure it could handle a wide range of tasks. The automotive engineering specialist evaluated everything from urban and off-road driving to towing and operating the truck with a full payload.
But yes, the styling does betray the truck’s origins. To be fair, Nissan put some effort into giving the Navara a distinctive look, and dare we say it, it looks better than the Triton. Most of the sheet metal appears to be carried over, but the front-end changes do make the truck look more rugged. It also helps that we’re looking at the tougher Warrior version, whereas the cheaper trims will do without some of the off-road bits.
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