Nissan Navara Review and buyer’s guide
There’s a new Navara ute coming to Australia after 10 years of dwindling sales and an il-fated cross-breeding with Mercedes. Is the new Navara finally worth your time and money, or is it simply a re-badged Triton?
The Nissan Navara is an outlier in the Australian ute market these days, one of the last authentically Nissan-built vehicles left, and it’s about to be replaced.
The outgoing Navara offers reasonable value with its balance of bi-turbo grunt, the decent but simple off-road performance and what it offer in terms of features. But there’s a dark cloud looming over both Nissan and the Navara, so let’s see if it still holds up in 2026.
The Nissan Navara (NP300/D23) is one of the oldest ute platforms on sale in Australia right nowin 2025, having replaced the notoriously unreliable D40 back in 2014. For the majority of its life, the NP300 has been a medium volume seller and today is surrounded on all sides, metaphorically, by upstart utes brands from China, the Mitsubishi Triton and Mazda BT-50, and the Kia Tasman despite its poor sales performance to date.
The fact is Nissan hasn’t had the financial impramada to innovate with the Navara in recent years and has instead outsourced that work to a company called Premcar to do all the R&D work. Now, props to Nissan Australia for helping to employ people locally in Melbourne, Victoria, utilising Australian talent to develop new bits to go on the Navara and Patrol to become the Warrior sub-brand.
But we need to acknowledge here that Nissan could have done this themselves - employing locals and growing their in-house Australian engineering base to develop these products - if they had the economic stability to grow this big, new arm. Clearly this has not been the case.
Evidently it’s been more rational to simply outsource this work instead, meaning someone else’s business has to deal with the overheads and all the rest of the risk associated with designing new stickers, putting some new dampers in, designing a new dashboard, screwing up some new wheelarch flares and bolting on some laser-cut, red powder-coated bash plates.
Despite all the machismo and supposed toughness this Warrior pack has brought to the Navara range, sales have been consistently worsening with every passing year.
With old Navara sales hovering at less than 7000 units at the end of 2025, and rivals like Ranger on 45,000, Hilux on 40,000, D-Max on 20,000, the Triton on about 15,000 and the BYD Shark 6 on 17,000 - it’s hard to see the new Navara doing much damage to the likes of these more popular utes.
The other less pertinent aspect that haunts the outgoing Navara is resale value and depreciation. Clearly, no ute is going to throw shade over the Hilux on resale value, but it’s interesting how it compares with the Triton, Ranger and D-Max.
A 2023 Navara Pro-4X auto, the top-spec model without going into the Warrior territory, is currently selling privately for $51,700 in excellent condition, and trading for $46,700 in excellent condition - according to Redbook.com.au data. Priced at (rounding up) $61,000 when new (excl. govt. charges). That’s a depreciation of about 15 per cent in two years, best case scenario.
For a 2023 Triton (the previous generation) selling today at $44,000 privavtely and $39,500 trade-in, you would think it’s going to be terrible for depreciation, but at $57K (before on-roads) to buy, that means it’s 22 per cent depreciation is worse - but you saved $4000 on the purchase. So it’s about level.
Ranger Wildrack, same age, selling privately for $68,500, sold for $75K, means 8 per cent depreciation, and for D-Max X-Terrain (selling at $70.5K new and selling privately today for $61K) means 13 per cent depreciation.
So overall, the Navara is techncially not the worst of these four on resale value; it actually depreciates better than a Ranger Wildtrak and it’s almost the same as a D-Max which was $9000 more expensive to buy outright.
There is some positive aspects to buying one new in 2025 - or considering the new Triton-based Navara in 2026 when it arrives.
Until the Kia Tasman arrived, the Navara was one of the best mainstream dual-cab utes for lightly laden ride quality - the knock-on effect of having that coil-spring rear suspension. And because it hasn’t been priced like the Mercedes X-Class wank tractor Nissan compromised the Navara’s design to accommodate, the outgoing Pro-4X actually is/was pretty good value against the ridiculous pricing of Hilux Rogue, D-Max Blade and Ranger Wildtrak in the over-$75K class.
A Navara ST-X for $57,000 driveaway is outrgeously good value. It even gives the Mitsubishi Triton GSR at $65K a run for the title of best-value dual-cab ute from a mainstream brand. And you have to admit the Pro-4X does have presence that the Triton does not, but you can also argue the Triton is a bit more grown-up in terms of having no big stickers and colour blocking.
The underlying problem for Navara is Nissan’s reputation and the fact Triton has a superior drivetrain. This is the cause-and-effect of Nissan being in deep financial trouble globally, amidst the rise of an increasingly disperate market, particularly here in Australia.
If you look at the sales trends of both Triton and Navara since 2015, using 10 years worth of sales data, you can see how Triton has remains steadily the most popular of the two.
Triton & Navara sales 2015-2024
FEATURES & PRICING
NAVARA SL : Dual-cab 4X4 auto | 2.3L twin-turbo diesel 4-cyl | $47,900 driveaway approx.
includes:
Cloth seat trim
Vinyl floors, carpet floors (king cab)
7 Airbags (incl. driver knee | excl. front-centre)
Power adjustable door mirrors
Tailgate assist (PU only)
Auto emergency braking, forward collision warning, driver alert
Reversing camera (Pickup only)
7-inch driver display
Electronic rear differential lock (4WD only)
Automatic headlights ∙
17-inch steel wheels , full-size spare wheel (steel), all-season (255/65/R17) tyres
8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth
Trailer Sway Control
Hill Descent Control (4WD only)
Rear Differential Lock
Steel underbody protector (below radiator)
Halogen: headlights (auto), taillights, daytime running lights
Black plastic door mirrors
Cruise sontrol
Ellectrically adjustable door mirrors
Remote keyless entry
Air conditioning (manual)
Air conditioning - row 2 air vent
6-speaker stereo
2 x 12V outlet (console tray & centre console)
3 x USB charging: 1 x USB-A console tray, 1 x -A & -C centre console, 1 x USB-A (row 2, rear centre console)
Front seats: driver: 6-way electric adjustment | passenger: 4-way manual adjustment
ISOFIX (Outboard rear seats on DC only)
Flip up rear seats
NAVARA ST: Dual-cab 4X4 auto | 2.3L twin-turbo diesel 4-cyl | $53,150 driveaway approx.
adds:
17-inch alloy wheels (fuell-size spare, steel)
Rear Differential Lock
Off Road Monitor
Drive Mode Selector (Sport/Off-Road/Tow/Normal)
LED: headlights, tail lamps, daytime running lamps, side indicators, front foglamps
High Beam Assist
Side Steps - Black Plastic
Door Mirrors - Body Colour
Rear power sliding window
Automatic Dimming Internal Rear View Mirror
Automatic Rain Sensing Wipers
Heated Door Mirrors
Digital Speedometer
Leather accented steering wheel, gearshift lever
carpet floor
360-degree camera
Rear parking sensors
Blindspot warning, blindspot intervention, rear cross-traffic alert
NAVARA ST-X: Dual-cab 4X4 auto | 2.3L twin-turbo diesel 4-cyl | $57,000 driveaway approx.
adds:
Leather accented seats
18-inch alloy wheels (full-size spare), all-season 255/60/R18 tyres
Towbar (excl. towball & D-shackles)
Adjustable 2-channel tie down points
Sports bar
Privacy glass
Tubliner
Auto electrically folding door mirrors
Proximity key, push-button ignition
Dual-zone climate control
Carpet floor mats
Tyre pressure monitoring
Heated Door Mirrors
Lane departure warning, keeping
NAVARA Pro-4X:: Dual-cab 4X4 auto | 2.3L twin-turbo diesel 4-cyl | $60,000 driveaway approx.
adds:
Unique 17-inch black alloys (full-size spare, steel), 17x7-inch all-terrain 255/65/R17 tyres
Darkened styling theme with red accenting
All terrain tyres
Black fender flares
Black stainless steel double tube sports bar with sail panel
Leather-accented# seats with PRO-4X embroidery
Roof Rails - Black
Front seats: Driver:8-way electrically adjustable, Passenger: manual | Heated: driver & passenger
ENGINE
What was good about the old D40 Navara, despite being an abject safety and quality falure, was that it had the ST-X 550 at the top of the range as the most powerful ute on the market (at the time). That meant you had bragging rights thanks to its V6 turbo-diesel with 550Nm - impressive in the 2010s.
When the NP300 Navara came along, that person buying the ST-X 550 went on to buying a Holden Colorado when the Narava’s higher end grades managed just 450 Newton-metres from a twin-turbo 2.3-litre 4-cylinder diesel. Not class-leading, but was a pretty impressive engine.
But today we have the Ford Ranger at the top of the tree, Hilux right behind and lots of new competitors all offering similarly powerful engines, impressive payload and towing capability, big trays, generally good powertrain and driveline integration.
The so-called ‘new’ Navara uses exactly the same biturbo design as the 2024-launched Mitsubishi Triton. It offers 450Nm from the same 2.4-litre biturbo-diesel which allows a small turbo to spool up quickly at low revs, which delivers inspiring low-rpm performance.
At higher revs, boost is increased by a bigger turbo, with more rotational inertia, which takes longer to spool up. Each turbo compensates for the shortcomings in the other (the small turbo masks the bigger one's inability to come on song fast, and the big one masks the smaller one's inability to deliver copious boost volumes at higher revs) and this is the basic methodology of improving overall performance and milking the smaller displacement for all it's worth.
Peak torque kicks in from just 1500rpm and keeps churning away until 2500rpm - and there’s a six-speed auto, so you’re pretty much going to be operating in the 450 Newton-metre rev zone in all conceivable driving conditions.
And, let's face it, in the real world there are not many jobs a healthy 450Nm will not accomplish with distinction.
In terms of specific power output, which is what you get when you divide the peak power by the cubic capacity, the twin-turbo 2.3 is right up there with other leading, hi-tech diesels like Mazda’s stonking 3.3-litre unit, Hyundai-Kia’s 2.2L engine in the Kia Tasman and the new turbo 2.2 in the Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50. These are all an impressive piece of contemporary turbo-diesel engineering that make older diesel engines look thirsty, unreliable and poorly designed.
What's really interesting here is the significant number of e-mails I get from prospective buyers of utes and also ute-based wagons (Pajero Sport, et. al.) who are disinclined to purchase the current generation of smaller-displacement diesels. (Such as the 2.3 in the case of outgoing Navara and the 2.4 in the case of Triton and Pajero Sport.) These people often adopt this position because they believe the smaller engine is more highly stressed. (And intrinsically these smaller engines are doing a bigger job, per litre.)
Many such people use this reservation as a justification to purchase - in particular - a 3.2-litre five-cylinder Ranger or BT-50 instead. However, I really don't think there's any evidence that the smaller displacement - per se - is a reliability or longevity liability. That's all down to the engineering development work going on in the background.
An interesting twist here: this small displacement-driven reservation seems reserved for the hardcore four-wheel driver - focussed upon serious off-roading and heavy towing. Look around. Small capacity engines are everywhere, and they’re proving pretty good, performance wise, in plenty of new Chinese utes.
If a smaller engine can be made to do a bigger job reliably, you should embrace the advantages, such as lighter weight, faster throttle response, greater thermal efficiency - all of which are real, tangible advantages not to be sneezed at. At best these 'small capacity' consumer reservations are expressed in the complete absence of evidence and are purely speculative.
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TRANSMISSION
The 6-speed epicyclic auto in the incoming Navara is the same unit Mitsubishi has run in the Triton since its 2024 launch, which was itself a carryover from the previous MR Triton. Is this to be scoffed at or ridiculed? Well that depends.
Triton has proven itself one of the top four big-boy dual-cab utes in the Aussie market for years, despite being notionally ‘only’ being able to tow 3100kg in a field of 3500kg claimants. This was actually something praiseworthy of Mitsubishi Australia for keeping an air of snsibility with towing capacities and what it meant for inherent on-road safety among the public, reduced premature wear-and-tear on driveline components, as well as natural reputational protection it offered the brand for not appearing in quite so many Dashcam Owners Australia compilations.
Considering this transmission and the Triton’s driveline generally has been so dependable for the last decade - and being sold at $20,000 less than a Ranger equivalent - should suggest it’s not all bad news for Navara becoming a Triton in new clothes. Just look at the relative sales success Triton has had (despite the downward trend), and compare that with the NP300 which has never managed better than 17,000 units.
Obviously that’s not entirely down to their respective transmissions - but there is a correlation here. Triton’s had its centre differntial locking capability which has offered on-road 4-high driveability in situations like heavy rain, snowy conditions or high quality gravel roads. The Navara has never had such capability; stuck with the same crude 4WD system as the Hilux, D-Max, BT-50 and previous generation Ranger.
So you have a simple decision to make here. Do you wait for the new Triton-based Navara which will be more expensive than the current one, but ultimately offers you substantially better capability both on-road and off-road?
Or do you haggle like your life depended on it and get an outrageously good deal on one of the last NP300 Navaras while they’re still available between now and the end of Q1, 2026?
Just keep in mind the current Triton enjoys a greater value proposition than Ranger, Hilux, Tasman and Isuzu D-Max - value the new Navara will probably share as well given that they’re clones with different hair and make-up.
TOWING
Picture this: It’s Friday afternoon and you’ve just knocked off work for the weekend. You’ve got the tool trailer on the back, weighing about 2500 kilos, probably a bit more thanks to the leftover bags of concrete and the extra tools you’re carrying, because you’re giving the boys a lift home (after Apprentice 1 broke down this morning).
So you’ve got your own kids to get home to, and you’ve gotten get the young blokes home to their parents as well. You’re a good boss. You’ve packed up a bit early to try and get across town to beat the rain. But it was never going to happen. The rain starts pelting down as you’re heading through the twistier section of the road when something happens up ahead in the congaline of cars and trucks. You’re suddenly out of room and time.
Having a Navara or Triton with 4-high engaged in these conditions, as you dart into a different lane to get out of the congaline means the drive is split between the front and the rear, while anybody in a BT-50/D-Max, Hilux, PXII series Ranger, or even the latest, overpriced model Hilux is going to be skidding down the road with the trailer shunting the rear end around.
The next Navara will have both the Super-Select 4WD system from Triton for high-traction surface driving in dodgy conditions, and it’ll also have the same leaf-sprung rear end that is better suited to load-carrying in the tray especially.
Nissan says it’ll be rated for 3500kg of braked towing capacity, with 350kg of towball download permitted. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea or inherently safe a limit to push.
The GVM of current Triton is 3200kg with a kerb weight of 2170kg (which includes a full tank of diesel). The GCM is 6250kg, and it’s hard to imagine the Navara would get rated for figures better than any of these - especially given that they’re basically the same figures for equivalent BT-50 and D-Max.
Towing performance is going to be virtually identical in Triton and Navara (when it gets here).
There will, no doubt, be an exception for the Warrior version with its modified suspension, tyres and added accessories which will cahnge its kerb weight and be more targeted to off-roading thatn outright towing prowess.
FUNCTIONALITY
If you’re had a look in the back of a Triton, you pretty much know what’s going on in the back of new Navrara’s tray.
So if you need an abundance of space in the tray, Triton/Navara is good, but not quite the segment benchmark, which is the Kia Tasman. Having said that, there are plenty of upsides to the rear end here. starting with the available space between those wheelarches.
New Navara won’t be much longer than the 5.32 metres of its Triton twin, which is just 9mm longer than the outgoing D23, so there’s no tangible difference in size. It’s 80mm wider than the D23, so there’s going to be better on-road cornering dynamics and greater shoulder room in the cabin.
A Ranger still has and extra 140mm of wheelbase, 70mm of length and 105mm of width over Navara, meaning the profile remains more conservative, on a technicality, but you’ll never really notice.
But the tray is 90mm (5 per cent) longer than the Ranger, which is where it actually matters. So there’s that win for real-world carrying capability. And then we get to the wheelarches.
At 1135mm, it’s exactly 1mm wider than outgoing Navara. Whoop-di-doo. So there’s not enough room for an Aussie-spec pallet in either, but you can probably get away with it for short distances by loading it in the trailing end of the tray with the tailgate down. The aperture is wider than the wheelarches, but not quite as wide as the rearmost section of the tray, and it has been demonstrated that an Aussie pallet will fit in this section.
But you need to be aware of two critical aspects: the rear axle limit of 2040kg; and the fact you’re adding this weight behind the rear axle, which is going to have a leavering affect on the front end while also inducing lateral sway in corners. So extreme conservatism is warranted here, as well as robust measures of restraint.
With new Navara you get adjustable tie down points that slide up and down the walls of the tub, and the tailgate is damped, so any heavy-handed apprentices won’t be able to destroy the latch mechanism within the first six months of your ownership.
INTERIOR
The new, incoming Navara’s interior is almost identical to the Triton - and Nissan knows it. The door handles are the same, the buttons and dials are the same, the 4WD rotary dial is the same part Mitsubishi makes, and the steering wheel is the same.
Nissan has done literally nothing to make Navara even look vageuly unique. But you need to ask yourself, yet again, a question. Does it matter?
Save for the badge, it might be cosmetically identical to the Triton, but that’s hardly a downgrade for Navara…
You get the same double glove box, the same centre console storage and the reasonable door bin storage along with room for a couple of phones in the front and two cup holders. There’s a combination of USB-A and USB-C ports which means old cables aren’t a throwaway and can still serve a purpose.
The ergonomics are excellent, having been done by Mitsubishi and as a result, you do still get the same driver stalking camera system atop the steering column (which you can thank/blame ANCAP for). Tragically, for the 90 per cent of Navara which is actualy a fantastic vehicle both to drive and haul/tow with, it is probably going to be just as annoying and unergonomic as the Triton due to that badly develped driver attention monitoring system. (Again, blame ANCAP).
Happily, there is a solution: cloth tape.
Nissan really hasn’t changed much in terms of the seating either, with exception of the Navara typeface embossed into the seat leather.
The rear seats remain the same, the back section folding down as a whole piece, with a single central top tether anchor point for the outboard child restraint positions with their corresponding ISOFix points.
Door bins in the back are okay without being great, and the fold-down armrest has a cupholder. But what’s also good about the rear seats is Nissan gets to use the Triton’s roof-mounted air vent system which is great at dispersing cool air into the hottest part of the cabin - the ceiling. So it’s quite efficient.
Their one drawback is that it’s harder for kids or shoter people to adjust the vent direction or to indeed close them entirely being on the roof. But they are within easy reach for the driver when safe to do so.
As for driver comfort, the seats are very comfortable and the driving position is spot-on. Legroom is generally very good for the vast majority of body sizes and headroom is very good.
Operating the infotainment screen is a breeze thanks to a well organised menu screen with big, clear icons and a simple layout. The rearview camera is pretty good without being extraordinary.
SAFETY
Navara will likely use the Triton’s ANCAP safety rating data to generate its own rating, and overall the Triton is very safe in all of the four key criteria.
You can download the 2026 Nissan Navara’s crash testing report here >>
Triton is among the safest utes your money can possibly buy, owing to the fact it is the only dual-cab 4X4 ute tested in 2024 to the latest protocols. But exactly what does that mean to you using this vehicle on a daily basis?
Prior to Triton’s arrival, the newest dual-cab ute on the market and to be rated by ANCAP was the Volkswagen Amarok tested in 2023, and before that it was the Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 tested in late 2022, and Ranger in mid-2022.
Triton scored 34.6 points out of 40 for a percentage of 86 per cent. But Ranger and Amarok were only marked 32.2 out of 38 points in total having not been assessed against ANCAPs recently adopted (but fairly absurd) ‘Vehicle Submergence’ criteria like Triton. But more importantly, Triton beats Ranger in a key destructive test that actually matters to passengers.
The ‘Oblique pole’ test is conducted at a 35-degree angle at 32km/h. Why that speed? Because that’s about as fast as the vehicle needs to be travelling for you to survive when hitting a power pole or gumtree. Any faster than that and there’s not much the engineers at Mitsubishi (or any other car company R&D facility) can do to save you.
This test is very severe not just from the violence such a crash inflects on the test dummy, but also because of how horrifically relevant it is to real crashes. See, these crash tests are conducted based on what’s survivable and how common those types of crashes are in data obtained from actual crashes that happen on Australian and international roads where such data is collected.
Triton scored 5.89 out of 6 for the oblique pole test, whereas Ranger managed 5.15. Australian roads are infamous for how many big, solid trees line the shoulders. As much as modern civil engineering tries to reduce risk factors like these (such as wire rope barriers and guardrails) close to our big population centres, the fact is lots of dual-cab 4X4 ute owners like to travel long distances during school holidays, long weekends and often during the week for work.
In the Ranger’s oblique pole test score, the driver’s chest score was 2.14 (out of 4) whereas the Triton scored a much better 3.72 (near-perfect). But Ranger was objectively better performing in the full width frontal crash, where the test sends the vehicle into a flat wall at 50km/h. Ranger was marked down to 3.29 for the neck and 2.15 (both out of 4 points) for the rear occupant.
However, Triton performed objectively worse at just 0.43 for the chest, did pretty good for the next at 3.66, but was marked down 4 whole points due to submarining, where the dummy’s posterior takes too much of an excursion underneath the lap section of the seatbelt. But there’s more we need to consider here.
You have to give yourself a reality check here by asking yourself what are the the chances you’re going to hit something as immovable as a concrete wall at 50km/h in your Triton. It is an important test and the data is interesting in the context of how these vehicles perform.
But when it comes to like scenarios you’re going to face out there on the road, crossing traffic and being hit side-on, or accidentally coming off the road into a solid, tall, narrow object at lower speed is probably the more pertinent crash type to be conscious of here.
Triton also scored well in ‘Whiplash protection’ getting a better score in front driver/passenger dummy results, but also scoring a full point in rear occupant whiplash protection where the Ranger got a big fat zero back in 2022. Even Amarok, which is essentially a re-skinned Ranger, only managed 0.75.
DRIVING
Here’s an interesting Navara factoid: Mercedes-Benz is going to sell a ute, the GLT, and launch it in 2018 or 2019. And, rather than do any actual, time-consuming, expensive, fundamental research, design or engineering in-house … let’s let big, bad Benz talk it up the story:
“The Mercedes-Benz pickup will share some of the architecture of the all-new Nissan NP300 … but it will be engineered to meet the specific needs of its customers. The vehicle will have all of Mercedes-Benz’s distinctive characteristics and features.”
- official Mercedes-Benz Nissan re-badging apology
Features like the exhorbitant price, and the badge, I’m tipping. Clearly this is an example of prime-quality, carefully selected, European designed, gift wrapped, and hand delivered bullshit >>. The Benz pickup is going to be a hastily re-badged Nissan Navara with different hair and makeup. A minimum-required makeover, complemented by an all-out assault on the truth by the Benz marketing department. And I suspect it will be very successful. Especially here in ute-obsessed Australia.
You know, the principle benefit of this cross-brand grille and badge changeover project will be Navara being forced to meet Benz’s NVH and refinement targets, which will be intrinsic to the platform’s engineering. So you’ll get Mercedes-Benz refinement levels in a Nissan Navara, without the extortionate price. And you’ll get a bit of a giggle when a Benz pickup drives past, with some rich wanker at the helm.
Obviously this badge-sharing arrangement was a done deal when the NP300 was just a bunch of ones and zeroes in a super-secret Nissan R&D centre. But in order to get this deal across the line, you can bet Nissan had to agree to meet many Benz-specified benchmarks - such as the advanced rear suspension for the dual-cab, the hi-tech biturbo engine, NVH targets, etc. Only with these fundamentals agreed upon would Benz sign such a contract and fork over the big bucks in lieu of doing its own R&D.
The Benz refinement is thus intrinsic to Navara - you can't engineer it out, because it was engineered-in at the development outset.
DRAWBACKS
Driver Stalking System
Triton’s early tech update might seem like a win for common sense and consumers in general. But all is not what it seems - and it applies to the new Nissan Navara as well.
The first iteration of Triton’s ‘Driver Monitoring System’ was truly representative of the conflict of interest between adhering to the ANCAP protocols that demand such a system both exist and default-on with every restart.
But unfortunately, Mitsubishi having to do this in order to get 5 stars commercially is at odds with the needs of consumers in terms of actually driving the vehicle. And the first iteration of this driver monitoring system has been ubiquitously regarded as poorly executed.
In fact, it has been downright terrible because it constantly goes off, distracting the driver away from the core task of driving, with so-called warning messages that are irrelevant to the driver’s primary task of driving and paying attention to the traffic.
But in what seems like good news, Mitsubishi Australia has, supposedly listened to:
dealers and media, but also – crucially – All-New Triton customers
with Mitsubishi describes as:
the updated software [that] further enhances the drive while remaining five-star ANCAP safe.
But unfortunately, what this suggests to us is that they are commercially hamstrung by ANCAP’s ability to restrict Triton’s five-star rating which would eliminate the ability to sell it to fleets - as AutoExpert understands it. That would potentially kill about half of all Triton sales.
Notionally, what Mitsubishi doesn’t want to admit here is that they haven’t actually fixed the problem of this driver stalking system - because they can’t fix it. Their latest press release even says:
calibration of DMS requires a fine balance, ensuring adherence to what are strict ANCAP safety protocols while not overly impacting the user experience.
Triton’s inability to detect your face during less-than-perfect lighting conditions is, unfortunately, going to remain your problem.
And this is not Mitsubishi Australia’s fault, and nor does it make Triton a vehicle you shouldn’t buy. it’s a very good ute on fundamentals and the value remains the best among mainstream utes.
This is the problem with ANCAP. The fact ANCAP has now forced Mitsubishi into this corner, the Triton now has to compete commercially against other utes whose driver stalking systems aren’t as bad. Why? Because Ranger, Hilux, BT-50 and D-Max were all tested under old protocols, so their systems get to be slightly less-shit for consumers, and go on sale to compete against Triton with this mark against its reputation.
Congratulations, ANCAP. This is what happens when you don’t innovate, adapt and do things properly.
Mitsubishi Triton is a great ute handicapped by bureaucracy masquerading as ‘safety’.
MAIN COMPETITORS
FORD RANGER (Wildtrak)
Ranger V6 is one sexy ute, evidenced by toppling Hilux as Australia’s most popular dual-cab ute in 2023.
The V6 is the one you buy if maximum platform performance is needed because it’ll be worked hard from day 1. Stay below the 3.5-tonne towing limit for safety, but Ranger is inherently quite stable thanks to 2.3t kerb weight.
A V6 XLT is a solid multi-purpose work vehicle and family conveyance, whereas the 2-litre turbo four-cyl seems a bit highly strung. Try the XLS if a cheaper work-only second vehicle is needed and comfort is not top priority.
Ranger is a good workhorse and a great tow platform, plus its off-road credentials are awesome. It’s just let down by Ford’s reputation for average reliability, and lacklustre customer support. But at least Ranger resale value seems strong.
Click here for more on Ford Ranger >>
ENGINE: 3L bi-turbo-diesel V6 | POWER: 184kW @ 3250 RPM | TORQUE: 600Nm @ 1750-2250 RPM
Kerb wt: 2388kg (Wildtrak) | Power-weight ratio: 79kw/t
Max. potential payload: 962kg (Wildtrak)
GVM: 3350kg | GCM: 6400kg
Driveline: 10-spd epicyclic auto trans, electromechanical clutch pack (acts as front diff), rear differential, row-range transfer case, 4-high on-road use
Brakes: ventilated front discs, ventilated rear discs
Front / rear axle limit: 1490kg / 1959kg
Approach / breakover / departure angle: 30 / 21 / 23 degrees
Ground clearance / wading depth: 234mm / 800mm
Tray length: 1464mm | width (b/w w/arches) 1217mm | height: 525mm
Front / rear overhang: 865 mm | 1215 mm || Turning circle: 12.9m
Wheelbase: 3270mm | Total length: 5370mm | Width: 1918mm (excl. mirrors) | Height: 1886mm
PRO: V6 towing grunt (600Nm), all-wheel driveline system, heavy kerb weight makes heavy towing safer at speed
CON: Below-average customer support from Ford Australia, expensive range, 2L bi-turbo is a bit highly strung
MITSUBISHI TRITON (GSR)
You’ll save thousands on a Triton over and equivalent Ranger, and with a 3500kg maximum braked towing capacity the towing field is level.
Mitsubishi’s ‘Super Select II’ transmission is a master stroke, allowing 4WD activation below 100km/h and use of AWD (4H) on high-traction surfaces - thanks to a proper centre differential. This is great for use on tarmac in heavy rain, on gravel roads, steep driveways, wet sealed roads, icy conditions, and general bush tracks.
The 2.4 turbo-diesel is now more powerful thanks to now bi-turbo forced induction. Fuel economy improvements should follow as well as good load-carrying and family-friendly cabin. Triton remains the best value ute on sale.
For more on new Mitsubishi Triton, click here >>
ENGINE: 2.4L bi-turbo-diesel 4-cyl | POWER: 150kW @ 3500 RPM | TORQUE: 470Nm @ 1500-2750 RPM
Kerb wt: 2170kg | Power-weight ratio: 70kW/t
Max. potential payload: 910kg (GSR)
GVM: 3080kg | GCM: 6250kg
Driveline: 6-spd epicyclic auto trans., centre and rear differentials, row-range transfer case, 4-high on-road use
Brakes: ventilated front discs, rear drums
Front / rear axle limit: 1580kg / 2040kg
Approach / breakover / departure angle: 30/ 23 / 22 degrees
Ground clearance / wading depth: 228 mm / 800mm
Tray length: 1555mm | width (b/w w/arches) 1135mm | height: 525mm
Front / rear overhang: TBC | TBC || Turning circle: 12.7m
Wheelbase: 3130mm | Total length: 5320mm | Width: 1930mm (excl. mirrors) | Height: 1795mm
MAZDA BT-50 (ISUZU D-MAX )
BT-50 shares platform fundamentals with Isuzu D-Max, but the Mazda is the pick, not only for saving money on the same basic package, but also because the BT has the much nicer interior.
If your ute will be used as more of a personal transport vehicle, perhaps only occasionally roughing it in hard-to-access places or in unpredictable circumstances, a BT-50 will offer a decent place to sit in for hours on end with multiple people on board.
It’ll also double as a very comfy suburban-dwelling family transport for weekend adventuring. Good towing platform with a 3500kg braked limit.
Click here for more on Mazda BT-50 >>
Click here for more on Isuzu D-Max >>
ENGINE: 3L turbo-diesel 4-cyl | POWER: 140kW @ 3600 RPM | TORQUE: 450Nm @ 1600-2600 RPM
Kerb wt: 2170kg | Power-weight ratio: 66kW/t
Max. potential payload: 910kg (GSR)
GVM: 3080kg | GCM: 6250kg
Driveline: 6-spd epicyclic auto trans., centre and rear differentials, row-range transfer case, 4-high on-road use
Brakes: ventilated front discs, rear drums
Front / rear axle limit: 1450kg / 1910kg
Approach / breakover / departure angle: 27 / 22 / 19 degrees
Ground clearance / wading depth: 240 mm / 800mm
Tray length: 1570mm | width (b/w w/arches) 1122mm | height: 490mm
Front / rear overhang: 905 mm | 1255mm || Turning circle: 12.5m
Wheelbase: 3125mm | Total length: 5310mm | Width: 1880mm (excl. mirrors) | Height: 1810mm
KIA TASMAN (X-Line)
PRO: Premium interior, lots of modern equipment, 4A all-wheel drivetrain, affordable mid-spec variants, excellent customer support, factory-fitted brake controller, widest tray among rivals
CON: Lacks higher torque output of rivals for extreme towing, looks splay-eyed
Comment:
Tasman might have taken an eternity to finally arrive, but now that’s it’s here, it’s going to prove a compelling value proposition against the Mazda BT-50, Mitsubishi Triton and possibly even the Isuzu D-Max. Tasman might have a lot to prove to ute buyers like yourself, but the fact an SX+ costs $1000 less and already offers equipment on a BT-50 GT costing $66K.
Tasman does lots of clever little things like print the vehicle’s dimensions under the centre console lid, comes with a built-in electronic brake controller which means you not only have that function when towing, but you also don’t have to deal with a third-party in terms of warranty. Early examples seem to show it’s quite proficient off-road and decent for plenty of moderate and heavy towing situations; maybe not the fastest or noisiest, but good enough for most conservative drivers.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON KIA TASMAN >>
ENGINE: 2.2L turbo-diesel 4-cyl | POWER: 154kW @ 3800 RPM | TORQUE: 440Nm @ 1750-2750 RPM
Kerb wt: 2223kg (X-Line) | Power-weight ratio: 69kw/t
Max. potential payload: 1027kg (X-Line)
GVM: 3250kg | GCM: 6200kg
Driveline: 8-spd epicyclic auto trans, front differential, rear differential
Brakes: ventilated front & rear discs
Front / rear axle limit: 1450kg / 2040kg
Approach / breakover / departure angle: 28/ 23 / 25 degrees
Ground clearance / wading depth: 224mm / 800mm
Tray length: 1512mm | width (b/w w/arches) 1186mm | height: 540mm
Front / rear overhang: 855 mm | 1285 mm || Turning circle: 12.3m
Wheelbase: 3270mm | Total length: 5410mm | Width: 1930mm (excl. mirrors) | Height: 1890mm
TOYOTA HILUX (Rogue)
ENGINE: 2.8L turbo-diesel 4-cyl | POWER: 150kW @ 3000 RPM | TORQUE: 500Nm @ 1600-2800 RPM
Kerb wt: 2231kg (Rogue) | Power-weight ratio: 68kw/t
Max. potential payload: 854kg (Rogue)
GVM: 3050kg | GCM: 5850kg
Driveline: 6-spd epicyclic auto trans, front differential, rear differential
Brakes: ventilated front discs, rear drums
Front / rear axle limit: 1450kg / 1700kg
Approach / breakover* / departure angle: 31/ 39*/ 23 degrees (*based on old Rogue, before 265mm ground clearance gain of 20mm in current version which Toyota Aust. does not state breakover)
Ground clearance / wading depth: 265mm / 700mm
Tray length: 1570mm | width (b/w w/arches) 1105mm | height: 495mm
Front / rear overhang: 997 mm | 1245 mm || Turning circle: 11.8m
Wheelbase: 3085mm | Total length: 5320mm | Width: 2020mm (excl. mirrors) | Height: 1870mm
Comment:
Hilux is the oldest ute platform in this group - and by significant margin. The last time Hilux was given a substantive update was 2018, even though Toyota Australia has tried to sex it up with the ‘GR’ pack and now reskinned the old girl with this 2026 update.
Hilux has the best resale value, but that’s hinged on their religious brand presence in Australia. It’s a fairly bland ute with little to distinguish it from the rest, and in fact it relies on the same primitive design 4WD system as D-Max whereby 4H cannot be used on-road. The ute world has moved on from this and there are now much safer utes to drive in the wet while towing and heavily laden.
CONCLUSION
In the same way Mazda makes the Isuzu D-Max a better ute by way of not having to deal with Isuzu Ute Australia, the Mitsubishi Triton means you can have a Navara without dealing with Nissan Australia.
Navara is a great ute, primarily because it’s been badge-engineered to no longer be a Nissan product and instead means you get to deal with the much better brand, reputation-wise.
But here’s the thing. People will be cynical about making Navara a Triton, but in fact it’s the best possible outcome considering the economic disaster Nissan has become since they (and Renault) bought their stake in Mitsubishi back in 2016. This corporate alliance has finally gotten to the point where the best dual-cab ute is now the underpinning platform to base Nissan’s light commercial hopes on.
This means more opportunity for you to get your hands on a Triton, whether it wears a diamond badge or a Nissan badge. Ultimately you know it’s a Mitsubishi underneath, meaning it’s reliable, it performs, and you can get it at a bloody good price compared with the Ford Rangers, Toyota Hiluxes and Isuzu D-Maxes of the Aussie dual-cab ute world.
