As you’re undoubtedly aware, Toyota has recently updated the HiLux 4×4 range and last week we sampled the new 2021 HiLux SR5 Double Cab Cab Chassis variant both unladen and with a load on board, on the road and off it.

What’s it like to drive?

Well, the changes to the engine that result in more power and torque (see ‘What’s new?’ below) are certainly noticeable from the moment you prod the accelerator pedal. There’s loads of torque from low revs and acceleration is certainly more brisk than before.

We started our drive with the new 2021 HiLux unladen, and the suspension upgrades (also outlined in ‘What’s new?’) result in a more compliant ride over bumpy surfaces and good control when cornering. We then threw 500kg of stuff on the back of the factory steel tray (consisting five steel wheels and 235/85R16 tyres; a recovery box with drag chain, snatch blocks, shackles, straps and more; a hand winch and steel cable; a full 40L fridge; a massive double pit tent; and a couple of swags) with a lot of weight hanging over the back of the rear axle, and went for another drive.

Why only 500kg? Although this model 2021 HiLux SR5 Double Cab has an 1105kg payload capacity, you still have to take into account the weight of a driver (80kg+) and the steel tray (around 300kg), so that adds up to around 880kg. Sure, we were still well short of maximum payload of 1105kg, but still had enough weight to give a good indication of what the revised suspension is like with a decent load on board. The rear certainly dropped down a bit as we loaded up the tray but suspension sag wasn’t excessive, and steering feel remained well weighted.

As an aside, tying stuff down to the factory tray was aided by the headboard and the ample securing points at the sides, but there’s nowhere to tie on to the rear.

The HiLux exhibited confident handling both unladen and with the load, although the lane-departure with steering assist operates by automatically applying the brakes when it thinks you’re veering out of your lane, which is a little disconcerting, especially when there’s weight in the back. The system is best suited to freeway driving; I’d recommend you switch it off when driving on narrow winding roads where it can feel overly intrusive.

Performance-wise, the revised engine had no problems hauling the 880kg load; in fact, the modest load barely had any noticeable effect on performance. The HiLux would easily hold 100km/h up even the steepest of hills we tested it on and roll-on acceleration was good when overtaking. Put your boot into it, however, and the engine gets a bit raucous; it’s certainly noisier than many class competitors although it’s not an unpleasant sounding engine.

The six-speed auto transmission offers a good spread of ratios and shifts smoothly. The lower ratios are low enough to aid spritely acceleration and the taller gears are tall enough to ensure relaxed highway touring. On steep descents, the auto eagerly downshifts to aid braking and to help keep speed in check when the cruise control is set. Oh, and the cruise control is operated by Toyota’s simple stalk on the right-side of the steering wheel, with a button to switch on, down for ‘set’ and ‘slower’, up for ‘faster’, and back towards the driver for ‘cancel’. It’s easily the best cruise control system for simple operation. Having said that, the distance control for the radar cruise is via a button on the steering wheel.

Our off-road drive wasn’t exactly extensive (we only had the press vehicle for a short time but we have another HiLux booked for later this week) but a short undulating track soon saw the HiLux lift a front wheel into the air, and this required the rear diff lock to be engaged as the traction control struggled to maintain forward momentum. Despite the revised power-steering pump, the steering still loaded up a fair bit at low revs and the HiLux required a bit of arm-wrestling to get around some tight off-road corners. And when it comes to grip, the highway terrain 265/60R18 tyres don’t help the off-road cause, although low-range gearing is respectable and ground clearance is adequate.

Check out this short video review on the HiLux SR5 Double Cab Cab Chassis.

What’s new?

For starters, the new 2021 HiLux SR5 Double Cab Cab Chassis is a new model grade to the HiLux 4×4 line-up, and it lists at $58,420 plus on-road costs. Our test vehicle was also equipped with a factory steel tray which adds $3858 (fitted), bringing the total price to $62,278 plus ORCs. Those who want leather seat trim, heated front seats and a power driver’s seat can opt for the SR5+ pack, which adds another $2500, while premium paint will set you back another $600.

Of course, the HiLux receives a styling upgrade with a new larger, trapezoidal front grille and a bit more chrome, but the big news for the new HiLux is the revised 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine which now produces claimed peak power and torque outputs of 150kW at 3600rpm and 500Nm from 1600-2800rpm (when mated to the six-speed automatic transmission as fitted to our test vehicle). Engine upgrades include a new common-rail injection system boasting higher maximum fuel pressure (250MPa), fitment of a larger turbocharger, a new combustion chamber design, a revised cooling system and a new exhaust system with revised exhaust manifold and more efficient EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) system.

There have also been changes to the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) system, both in terms of hardware and software, to overcome issues experienced by some owners of the preceding model.

Toyota has also revised the new 2021 HiLux’s suspension to improve the unladen ride quality, and it features retuned spring rates, shock absorbers and suspension bushes, as well as fitment of new body mounts. The steering has also been tweaked thanks to fitment of a variable-flow control power-steering pump for improved assistance at low speeds, with a specific mode when driving off-road in low range.

As well as the obvious exterior styling upgrades, there are changes inside, too, with an improved multimedia system with a larger an 8-inch screen (up from 7-inch) with volume and tuning knobs replacing the previous capacitive-touch interface. Finally, the new 2021 HiLux now also gets Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and the SR5 Double Cab comes standard with sat-nav, digital radio (DAB) and six speakers.

There are redesigned speedo and tacho gauges, and a new colour 4.2-inch multi-information display (MID) with digital speedo, trip computer, safety settings, front-wheel angle display and DPF regeneration status.

In addition, the SR5 Double Cab has a 60/40 split base for the rear seat, under-seat storage bins and rear-seat armrest with two cupholders.

On the safety front, the new 2021 HiLux SR5 still comes equipped with Toyota Safety Sense technologies that include a pre-collision system that can detect pedestrians (day and night) and cyclists (daytime); high-speed active cruise control; and lane-departure alert with steering assist (via the brakes), while the road-sign assist can now recognise speed advisory signs. Although there’s no reversing camera, the SR5 now gets two front and four rear parking sonars.

Quick summary

HiLux sales suffered a big drop in August 2020 compared to its nearest 4×4 ute competitor, the Ford Ranger, but as stock levels increase with this new model coming into the country we’d expect much healthier sales volume throughout the rest of the year. Will the revisions to the HiLux be enough to see it reach the top of the sales charts again in 2020? Maybe, as it’s certainly an improvement on its predecessor, but there’s also new competition in the market, including the all-new Isuzu D-MAX and the upcoming Mazda BT-50. And after driving the new top-spec D-MAX X-Terrain just prior to jumping in this HiLux SR5, we can tell you the competition is now very strong.

SPECIFICATIONS TOYOTA HILUX SR5 DOUBLE CAB CAB CHASSIS

Driveline

Engine: 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel

Power: 150kW at 3600rpm

Torque: 500Nm from 1600-2800rpm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic gearbox, two-speed transfer case, part-time 4X4 with locking rear differential

Wheels: 18-inch alloy

Tyres: 265/60R18 Bridgestone Dueler H-T

Weights

Kerb: 1925-1965kg

GVM: 3050kg GVM

Payload: 1105kg payload

Max braked towing: 3500kg

GCM: 5850kg GCM

Dimensions/capacities

Length: 5325mm long,

Width: 1855mm

Height: 1815mm high

Wheelbase: 3085mm

Track (f/r): 1535/1550mm

Ground clearance: 216mm

Approach: 29°

Departure: 26°

Ramp-over: NA

Wading depth: 700mm

Fuel Tank: 80L

Price: $58,420 +ORC

Price as tested: $62,278 +ORC

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While Matthew Scott’s first-drive review of the Land Rover Defender from Namibia is the best story we’ve seen on the all-new off-road wagon, we reckon this video review from Top Gear Deputy Editor Jack Rix is also a ripper.

Land Rover snuck in the international launch of the new Defender in Namibia just before coronavirus shut down international travel and, while the pandemic has messed around with production schedules and vehicle deliveries, the British manufacturer recently announced it was ramping up production again in several of its plants around the world, including in its Slovakian plant where the new Defender is made.

The Namibian launch took in the infamous Van Zyl’s Pass, which is not only a very technical off-road test but also an extremely remote one, described by Matthew Scott as not quite as technical as the “gold-standard Rubicon Trail…” but “… a two-day drive from the nearest first-world hospital in Windhoek, the nation’s capital, bringing with it an entirely different set of risks and challenges”.

In selecting this route, Land Rover went out of its way to prove the new Defender to be more than just a capable off-roader, but also a vehicle capable of long-distance remote-area travel… even in the hands of a bunch of less-than-sympathetic motoring journalists from around the world.

The Top Gear video is a long one at more than 20 minutes duration, but it shows how the new Defender performs in a wide variety of off-road terrain including low-range rocky climbs and descents, massive sand dunes, boggy mud and high-speed gravel.

At the end of his Namibian adventure, Jack Rix comes away impressed, saying, “Three days of relentless abuse and not a single thing has broken or gone wrong… the luxury that this car brings is what it can do, the places that it opens up.”

Despite some production delays, we can still expect new Defender to arrive in Australian showrooms before the end of the year.

The post New Land Rover Defender review – from Namibia appeared first on Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures.

Editor’s Note: You might be reading elsewhere on the Interweb about outlets that drove the new Defender in Namibia, Unsealed 4X4 was lucky enough that our OS man of action, Paul Horrell, snagged a drive of the new Defender in his own backyard.

What we like:

• The on-road ride and handling;
• The interior look, feel and practicality.

What we dislike:

• The price;
• The fact that if it breaks down in the bush, you’ll need a tow truck.

Words by Paul Horrell: Fifty metres into my first drive and it’s clear as day the new Defender is a different kind of off-roader. All I’ve done is turn left out of a farmyard entrance and set off down a gravelly track.

There’s a well-oiled precision to the steering, a suppleness in the ride, a quiet smoothness to the drivetrain, a sense of solidity in the monocoque rather than the separated motions of a body-frame pairing. It’s seriously impressive. Which worries me. Can a car this plainly civilised actually be much good out among the dirt and rocks? If you were feeling uncharitable, you’d say this thing feels a bit, whisper it, crossover-y.

See, it’s surprising how much you can tell about what a vehicle’s gonna be like in the dirt just by driving it on the road. A Wrangler makes shuddery progress over even slightly lumpy bitumen, and fidgets side to side. That’s because of the live axles, the very thing that give it such good articulation. A Jimny pitches and squirms, because the ratio of unsprung to sprung weight is high due to the tough axles and lightweight body, and it’s got a short wheelbase and narrow track to make it manoeuvrable among the boulders and trees. LandCruisers float and pitch, because they’re designed to yield their suspension travel easily in pursuit of traction. The Defender? Nope, none of the above traits.

While you all desperately want to know how this thing drives in rocky terrain that’s not the most surprising thing about the new Defender. So, I’ll talk first about how it acts when it’s on the road. Because that’s what Land Rover has most drastically improved. And what it most needed to, at least for the users who don’t spend 90 per cent of their time deep in the bush. And we don’t think anyone buying this vehicle going forward will be doing that.

Anyway, the off-road capability probably hasn’t been transformed. It’ll go further than the old stager, but not that much. What’s most changed off-road isn’t what it does but how it does it. Another highlight of the new Defender is the way it uses technology to make the off-road driver’s job easier, and its progress across the terrain more easeful and comfortable.

I’m in a 110 D240 First Edition. Translation: long wheelbase, 177kW four-cylinder diesel, lots of lush trim options. An eight-speed auto is standard on every new Defender, the 90 short-wheelbase and the long 110. In all cases it’s hooked to a two-speed transfer box. Base-model 90s will get coils, but all 110s have air suspension.

There’s more than enough power. The right pedal is calibrated ‘long’ – it takes a deliberate flexing of your foot to get the thing moving smartly. And the autobox slurs its upshifts, the revs dropping away only slowly, rather than snapping down. That smoothness is the off-road heritage showing: no sudden power application or harsh gearshift will break traction. It’s also really quiet. But dip deep into the torque and the engine gets louder if not harsh, and it accelerates pretty smartly. The vigour drops noticeably only when you’re close to 100km/h. FYI in Europe it’ll cruise at 130km/h entirely comfortably.

Apart from that high-rev engine noise, it’s almost uncannily quiet. Barely any wind bluster at highway speed, and the test car’s Pirelli Scorpion Zero tyres just whisper. But add a roof rack and stick it on knobblies and both those things will surely change.

Those tyres can take some, but only some, of the credit for the way it steers too. Which is superb, with a disciplined adherence to straight lines and a progressive swing into a curve. Through a series of bends, with crests and dips too if you want, it keeps impressive control of body sway and heave. More so even than a Discovery and approaching how a luxury road-biased crossover should act (but many of them don’t because they’re too firmly sprung in pursuit of a fake kind of ‘sportiness’). So, it’s an easy vehicle to stroke down the road, even a tricky road, at a surprising lick.

All the time the ride is superb. Not just supple and reasonably well-damped over big undulations. That’s easy to achieve. The clever bit is the suppression of wheel hop and shudder. Obviously, it has a better chance to do that than a live-axle 4X4 but, even so, most independently sprung 4X4s also suffer to an extent, as a by-product of their heavy tyres, hubs and suspension arms, and (less obviously) their soft engine mounts. Not here. Even over wash-boarded surfaces the Defender remains remarkably serene.

All of this makes it a great road vehicle, whether for the daily grind or long-distance road-based hauls. Nothing so far gives the driver a clue whether this is going to be a hardcore off-roader. But… Much as it frustrates men in the bush with hammers and socket sets, the fact is all modern 4X4s rely on software as much as hardware. So too with the Defender. The list of electronics here is lengthy. And it works.

First the Terrain Response system, invented by LR and widely copied. According to the terrain type you dial in it sets up the mapping of throttle and transmission, the locking of the diffs, the ride height, the slip-control thresholds. The ‘wade’ setting even shuts off the cabin air intakes.

Then you’ve got low-friction launch. In snow or mud, you don’t want to get the tyres spinning at all, so it just eases you away with supernaturally subtle applications of torque to any wheel that can handle it. I got stuck going up a mud slope. Didn’t bother reversing back down for another more aggressive attempt. Did the opposite. Called the low-friction launch and marvelled as it found subtle traction and inched me up to the top.

Next, all-surface progress control. I love this. It’s like hill descent control, keeping your speed constant, but it also operates on the level and uphill. So, you just dial up say 5km/h, take your feet off the pedals and off it goes, trucking smoothly along, checking and adjusting traction. So you’re saved the jerks of your foot bouncing on the throttle.

‘Clearsight’ is a suite of front-bumper cameras and processors that turn their feed into an image of the out-of-sight area under your nose. Great for avoiding ruts, rocks and stumps. (And, yes, city kerbs.)

So, to the hardware. The air suspension can raise ground clearance to 291mm. And without diff banjos the underbody is smooth. At that ride height you also get 900mm of wade depth. More numbers: approach and departure angles are 38 and 40 degrees, with a 28-degree breakover even in the 110. Of course, raising it right up does cut your drop articulation, but the total travel is a very generous 500mm.

Versus a Wrangler Rubicon, the only piece of missing hardware is a disconnect for the sway bars. Land Rover has used such things in the past actually. But the Defender seems to be able to combine articulation with traction control and locking diffs pretty well. Maybe the engineers didn’t think it mattered if it occasionally cocks a wheel.

Payload is 900kg, enough wiggle room for expedition accessories and cargo. Tow limit the expected 3500kg. Options include an electric retractable towbar that doesn’t compromise departure angle. The recovery points are safe for a 6.5-tonne snatch load, and the optional winch is good for 4.5 tonnes of pull.

There are some vulnerable and fragile plastic parts around the lower nose (mostly of aero and styling purpose, so superfluous for off-roading). But behind is a tough chassis. Hardly any parts are shared with the conceptually related Discovery underpinnings. It’s all beefed up. F’rinstance, one test was to repeatedly drive prototypes at a 200mm vertical concrete kerb at 40km/h.

So straight out of the box, it has really solid capability. You probably wouldn’t go with the standard tyres, but you can buy it new with a more aggressive set for a low substitution price. What most gets under your skin is the way it approaches tricky obstacles and trails with so little fuss. The traction-control doesn’t hammer, it just flutters. The suspension doesn’t crunch, it breathes. The transmission doesn’t shunt. The body doesn’t clang.

The cabin adds to your wellbeing. It’s big inside here. You sit upright in a wide supportive seat. It’s a properly commanding position and makes the square-sided vehicle easy to place, whether between outback trees or city car-park pillars. The windscreen is upright, but not so close as to feel constraining. And it’s wide.

That’s a contrast to the Wrangler’s elbow-bashing cab, a consequence of the Jeep’s signature look of a narrow body atop wide flattened wheel-arches. Cleverly, the Defender’s door cards are actually structural – they carry the window motors and locks. Normally they’d be covered by a further layer of space-consuming trim, but not here, so the Allen bolts that hold them in place are genuine.

Also structural is the cast magnesium beam running across in front of you – it’s the main carrier for dash systems and the steering column. And by omitting its trim cover, LR has made room for a big shelf, just like on an old Landie. The floor is wipe-out rubber, and the base of the boot comes out and can be hosed clean.

So, it’s a cabin that’s super-practical and it reminds you it wants to be out on the trail. Yet paradoxically that adds to the luxury, because it’s honest and you don’t have to tiptoe around trying to avoid scratching or marking so-called ‘high-class’ materials.

The centre screen is a brand-new system, far more responsive than the laggy setup in other Land and Range Rovers. Competitive with anything even the premium rivals have. Provided it doesn’t go blank on you, as LR’s old system was prone to doing. The display has pages of off-road graphics – axle and steering angles, state of the diffs, depth of wade, suspension height, terrain response mode. You switch between those modes by pressing a hardware switch on the climate-control panel, and then the driver’s heat knob becomes the TR selector. Nifty. Suspension-height and low-box buttons also reside there.

The car I tested has a broad console between the front seats, housing shelves on two levels, and a deep box, armrest, cupholders and several power points. But in its place, you can option-up a central jump-seat, its cushion higher and narrower than the outer pair – your eight-year-old will absolutely adore it. So, a family of three can go on expedition with the back seat permanently folded for gear carrying. Rear seat legroom is limo-like, and there are options for separate climate control and infotainment back there. A more numerous family can get a small third row for 5+2 people.

Even base cars have heaps of spec, including LED lights, surround camera, wade sensing and connected navigation. On either wheelbase you can walk up through the spec levels to get hold of an active rear diff, extra chassis electronics, augmented driver assist and even more luxury.

The aftermarket will take a while to get going on Defender accessories. LR’s own catalogue isn’t as extensive as Jeep’s. But it does have some items that’ll add hugely to touring. There’s a roof rack that’ll take about 150kg when driving, or when parked up a roof tent and 300kg – two of you. A folding side ladder gets you up there.

Lockable panniers, mounted out of the way up against the rear side windows, keep wet or stinky gear out of the cabin. You can also select an integrated compressor for airing up and down, storage boxes, any number of protective covers for the interior, and even a matte body wrap that’s claimed to self-heal scratches in the warm sun. No full bull bars, but an A-bar and aluminium front undershield.

The monocoque body and independent air suspension make it less amenable to major surgery than old-school 4X4s were. It’s not a job for a home mechanic to tear off the front cowl for a bull bar, or to raise the suspension for more articulation.

Clearly then it’s not a direct replacement for the old Defender. But hey, there weren’t enough buyers for something so basic. It was only about five percent of Land Rover’s sales. For a start the new Defender will be just-so for people who bought a Discovery 4 but find the Disco 5 a bit grand and urban. It’s not cheap, though it vastly undercuts a Mercedes G350 d which is in many ways the nearest equivalent.

It is not, obviously, a car for DIY-ers or people who spend more cash on adapting and kitting-out their vehicle than they do on buying it. But then, they mostly buy used, and there’s no business case in building a car that only second-hand buyers want. If you’re able and willing to spend, there’s huge allure in the new Defender. It can do so much so well, a truly tour-capable off-road vehicle that’s also really happy on the road.

2020 Land Rover Defender 110 D240 Specifications

Price: Engine 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel Power: 177kW Torque: 430Nm Transmission: Eight-speed automatic Angles: 30.1 degrees approach (up to 38-degrees in off-road mode); 37.7-degrees departure (40-degrees in off-road mode); 22-degrees rampover (28-degrees in off-road mode) Ground Clearance: 218mm (291mm in off-road mode) Dimensions: 5018mm long (including spare); 1967mm high; 2105mm wide (mirrors included); 3022mm wheelbase Wading: 900mm Bootspace: 1075 litres; 2380 litres second row folded Weight: From 2323kg Towing: 3500kg Towball Download: 350kg Payload: 900kg GCM: 6650kg

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More than 84 per cent of Australia is without mobile (terrestrial) phone service, so considering how far afield we’re all travelling these days it might be time to look at including some sort of satellite communication option in your kit whether you’re travelling across the Simpson or out the back of Lithgow. The answer may lie in the brand new Zoleo.

The traditional sat phone will cost you upwards of $1,200, whereas their newer counterpart, the Sat-Sleeve is only marginally cheaper at around $900. Aside from Sat-Phones call quality often being less than great or consistently dropping out, and the costs involved with sending data over satellite with a sat sleeve, there may be a better option. This article alone would have cost you between $5 and $7.50 in data charges to read at the going rate for a Sat-Sleeve of $2.50 per MB.

In the interest of bringing you the latest and greatest (and also those bits of kit to make your life easier), we got our hands on the brand spanking new Zoleo Satellite Communicator to take on a recent trip. Now, we didn’t quite head off to the middle of nowhere for this test; we were just down in the depths of the Watagan Mountains State Forest. Those that have been there know that reception in the valleys is spotty at best, and we were doing some rather interesting tracks, so communication with the world (read: Boss) and the ability to send an SOS was rather useful.

What is the Zoleo Satellite Communicator?

The device itself is a little satellite communicator (just a bit bigger than a deck of cards) with a port for charging (via USB), an on/off button, a check-in button, and a ‘help me God, I think I’m actually gonna die this time’ (SOS) button. It comes in a nice compact package, offers up 200 hours of battery life (trail bike riders and hikers take note), and connects up to the GEOS Emergency network for SOS help, and allows the sending of text messages via your phone. It’s got a lanyard and D-clip for attaching to a bag or your vehicle too.

What are the standout features?

One of the greatest things about the device, is that it connects to your phone, and allows you to send a text message (of an essay worth 900 characters), to anyone who gets the app, regardless of whether they also have a Zoleo. From your phone, you also get delivered weather reports and forecasts for your location (that’s magic for anyone, especially fishos), and the ability to communicate with the GEOS Emergency team. As an example, say you bust your ankle out hiking, and you need to get out, but it’s not exactly a life threatening emergency, you can advise the people via the SOS button exactly what’s going on, how you’re doing, how severe the emergency is and whatnot. It’s not just a PLB (Personal Locating Beacon) that sends the cavalry, and they have no idea what they’re walking in to. Where it gets better, is that you’re able to send an automated ‘I’m OK’ message or SOS message with the device by itself, so if you leave the phone at home, or destroy it, you’re still able to use the device as a standalone unit. Oh, and it’s also covered under a two-year warranty, and there is support available 24/7 to get it set up and working for you.

How much are the Zoleo and the plans?

The Zoleo itself starts at $345.00 for the unit, and you can get a cradle to add on for $49.95, and a universal mount kit that comes with a cradle, RAM suction cap mount, and USB car charger for $119.95. The plans to run the Zoleo start at $32 per month which includes 25 messages, then go to a $55 per month plan that includes 250 messages, and an $80 per month plan that includes unlimited messages. As far as the plans are concerned, you’re locked in for a minimum of three months, but once you’re past that first three months, you can stop and start the plan whenever you want, so run it for a month, then suspend it for six months.

How did it work out in the scrub?

Honestly, exceptionally well. I’ve only ever carried the old school sat-phone, previously on trips, and I dare say it’ll get retired in lieu of one of these puppies. See, aside from calling my mum (and my boss), I don’t use voice calls much anymore. Most checking in I do, is via text. Whether letting the better half know where I’m at on a work trip or normal day to day chit chat. With how seamlessly this connected up to my iPhone and sent check-in messages to the boss and the better half, I’m thoroughly impressed. It takes a moment to find the satellites when you first turn it on (this will depend on your location), but once it’s set up, it’s quick and easy to use.

What’s it like against a sat-sleeve or sat-phone?

The only down-fall it has against something like a sat-sleeve is that you don’t have general data connectivity that you do with a sat-sleeve type set up. But at the same time, you do not have to pay $2.50/Mb of data, 95 cents a minute to chat, or 50 cents per text message either, as you would a sat-phone. Oh, and you’ve also not got to front up over $1000 for the units either. So it’s swings and roundabouts. Other than that, if you just want to be able to check-in, ping your location, and have quick text chats, this thing is a solid option, and the most likely way forward for many.

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2020 Jeep Gladiator Specifications

Price From $70,000 (est) Warranty Five years/100,000km Safety Not rated Engine 3.6-litre petrol V6 Power 213kW at 6400rpm Torque 353Nm at 4100rpm Transmission Eight-speed automatic Drive Part-time 4WD with low range Dimensions 5540mm long, 1857mm high; 1875mm wide; 3490mm wheelbase Turning Circle 13.7m Angles 40.7 degrees approach, 25 degrees departure, 18.4 degrees ramp-over Maximum Braked Towing Capacity 2721kg Payload 620kg Fuel Tank 100 litres Thirst Not available

With dual-cab utes selling like they come with a free beach-house, the new Gladiator is not only a new Jeep, but a big chance to do some serious business Down Under. Even recognising Jeep’s fairly dismal recent sales performance in this country, the Gladiator could be just the spark the brand needs to create some heat in showrooms.

But interestingly and something that may well make my previous two sentences redundant, the Gladiator represents possibly the last new Jeep to feature a diesel engine with the brand openly talking about an all-electric or petrol-hybrid future by 2022. Even more important than that switch to electrification is the news that Jeep Australia won’t actually commit to a diesel engine in the Gladiator in Australia. Ever.

So, will the Jeep Gladiator end up a non-starter here before it’s even officially gone on-sale? Maybe. And there’s still so much we don’t know about the Gladiator…and we’ve driven it. This first drive was at the international launch in New Zealand before Christmas and, while the Gladiator is on-sale in the US already and has been for some time, Jeep Australia wouldn’t actually confirm specifications. Yeah, it’s as frustrating for us as it is for you. Here’s the stuff we do know.

The Gladiator’s just a Wrangler with a tray, right?

Think new Wrangler with a chassis-stretch and a ute tub instead of a wagon body and you’re getting warm. The basic ladder-chassis design is the same and the suspension layouts are also carry-overs. The drivelines are the same (provided we actually get the turbo-diesel version, and that was no given at the time of the launch in New Zealand late last year) but we don’t actually know if we can expect both manual and automatic gearboxes. Yeah, Jeep Australia was being that vague about local specifications.

What we do know is we’ll get the Gladiator in two variants; the off-road-ready Rubicon and the slightly more road-oriented Overlander. Both versions conform, however, to Jeep’s Trail-Rated scoring system that guarantees their off-road credentials…a scoring system that remains a secret and doesn’t just mean the thing is capable of driving the Rubicon.

It’s how big?

The Gladiator measures 5539mm long with a wheelbase of 3490mm (the Wrangler measures 4700mm) and that makes it longer than the Ford Ranger, although the Gladiator’s tray measures 1531mm long, which is shorter than the tray on a dual-cab 79 Series – 180mm, and just shorter than a Ford Ranger’s tray – 1549mm long). Putting that into perspective, a LandCruiser 79 Series dual-cab is 5220mm long with a wheelbase measuring 3180mm. But it’s swings and roundabouts because the wheelbase on the Gladiator is much longer than the Ranger, measuring 3487mm compared with 3220mm although that knocks around the rampover angle.

Ground clearance is something else the Gladiator has on its side. According to Jeep, ground clearance runs from 253mm to 283mm on the Gladiator Rubicon (US-spec). And, unlike most other ute makers that fluff ground clearance claims, Jeep is usually measures accurately (to the bottom of the diff pumpkin).

The load height on the Gladiator’s tray is 885mm with the tailgate down and the width of the opening is 1270mm. There’s 1137mm between the wheel arches. And the Gladiator’s tray has some clever touches that show how Jeep thinks this thing will be used. For instance, the tailgate has been designed so it can be partially opened and locked in three different positions, with the width of the tray measured not in whether it’ll fit a pallet but in whether it’ll hold plywood sheets on top of the wheel arches and within the tray. There’s an assister spring on the tailgate to make it easy to open and close the tailgate. There are good ties downs nice and low (and the front ones fold and swivel) and there’s an optional spray-in tub-liner. There’s even an LED light for the tray.

Where the Gladiator might be better at holding its weight than its key competitors is that the tray is intended to get close to being 50:50 forwards and rear of the back axle.

The Gladiator’s other party trick is the ability to shed its clothes. The roof can be removed as several panels and there’s an optional soft-top that includes a soft tonneau. In Jeep tradition, the front windscreen also folds flat on to the bonnet and the doors are removable. Sadly, driving around without the doors is frowned upon by Australia authorities, despite an optional open-air door (a series of bars and voids that provides some (including side-impact) protection. Other body protection includes standard rock-rails that extend all the way to the rear, tow-hooks, bash-plates and, of course, that removable roof that makes the Gladiator the only convertible dual-cab ute around.

Wash and wear interior

Inside, it’s pretty much Wrangler including the info screen, tilt and height-adjustable steering column, switchgear and seats. The good news there is that the rear seat is especially good and way better than the majority of dual-cab utes out there. The driving position is okay but you’ll need to live without a driver’s footrest (or much space left of the brake pedal at all) and the upright windscreen and shallow glass areas make the interior feel smaller than it really is. Even so, this is no Tardis and the packaging shows that the Americans still have a bit to learn.

Nice touches include under-seat storage for the 60:40-split rear pew and, if you tick the option-box for Bluetooth connectivity, you’ll also get a weatherproof, removable speaker. The rest of the cabin is more or less hose-out, too, and there are loads of USB and 12-volt sockets scattered around the cabin. The switchgear for the mechanical stuff is all grouped in the centre of the dash, probably a function of the vehicle being built in both left and right-hand-drive. Either way, it’s all pretty clear even if there’s a fair bit going on in terms of your options for configuring the chassis.

How safe is this thing?

Oops: Here’s the elephant in the room. Based as it is on the Wrangler, there’s no real reason to suspect the Gladiator will fare much better than the former’s one-star score in independent crash-testing. Even worse is that now that ANCAP tests vehicles with a view to how much damage they cause (not just what damage they sustain) big, heavy vehicles like the Jeep might be even more marginalised in this department.

But other news is better. There are cameras at each end and the front one even has a washer system to clean the lens. Driver aids available include the latest stuff including blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise and stability control. Unfortunately, autonomous emergency braking is not a thing for the Gladiator and so it’s unlikely to realise the recent three-star ANCAP update for Wrangler wagon.

What’s the performance like?

The only engine we know for sure Australia will get is the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 petrol. It’s good for 213kW of power and 353Nm of torque in this, US-spec and, in our case, it’ll be teamed with the new eight-speed automatic. Like we said, the turbo-diesel was off the table as a discussion topic as was a manual gearbox.

The transfer-case ratio depends on whether you go for the Overland or Rubicon. In the former, the reduction ratio is 2.72:1 while the more bush-focussed Rubicon gets a 4:1 reduction. Drive modes include a setting called Off Road Plus which, in high-range gives you sand mode while punching the button in low-range will give you rock mode. Front and rear diff locks are standard, and the Rubicon version picks up the Wrangler’s decoupling sway bars which, when detached, give an extra 30 per cent wheel articulation.

What’s the suspension like?

The Gladiator retains live axles front and rear and while the front end is coil-sprung, so is the rear end, and is located by a five-link set-up that includes trailing arms and a Panhard rod. The coil springs have, however, taken a toll on payload which sits at 620kg and towing capacity which, at 2721kg, is well behind the established, leaf-sprung dual-cabs out there. The only real downside to the extra length is that the turning circle is now a Queen-Mary-spec 13.7 metres.

What’s it cost and what do you get?

This is the big unknown since our drive was an international first taste in US-spec, left-hand-drive vehicles rather than a full-on local launch. What we do know is that we’ll get the petrol V6 in automatic form and in Overland and Rubicon trim levels. What we don’t know is whether there’ll be a diesel option, a manual gearbox and a choice of Jeep’s two transfer-case layouts, Command-Trac or Rock-Trac.

On the upside, there’s good connectivity in the Gladiator and the convertible roof, full-length rock-rails and bash plates are all standard fitment. Which brings us to price, and if you thought Jeep was cagey on spec, then questions on the likely sticker had staffers heading for the bunker. But it would make sense that the Gladiator is something like a few grand more than a Wrangler which should see the tray-back range from around $60,000 to $70,000. Maybe.

What’s it like to drive on the road?

If there’s one big difference between the Gladiator and the Wrangler upon which it’s based, it’s ride quality. That’s surely all down to the extra wheelbase which places the passengers farther away from the rear axle, reducing pitch and bounce. It really is a major improvement. Of course, the steering that is deliberately slow for off-road work still feels pretty numb on the road and the live axles with their Panhard rods (rather than a Watts link) can contribute to a fair bit of bump-steer when you start hammering and yammering over corrugations. There’s also plenty of unsprung weight in evidence, but hey, if you wanted a sports car, you’ve come to the wrong place.

The engine is smooth and revs pretty well – although things are more or less all over by the time 5000rpm has registered on the tacho – and there’s even a subtle exhaust note to work with. But even with eight ratios to choose from in the auto box, the engine still seems to struggle when climbing hills at highway speeds. It’s nothing more complicated than a lack of Newton-metres at low revs and although the tranny will eventually shift down two or three ratios and perk things up, it’s often too late and you’ve already started to lose forward velocity. Certainly, we’d have loved to sample the turbo-diesel in the Gladiator but that just wasn’t to be. And may not be on the agenda at all, remember.

What’s it like off the road?

The instant you lock the diffs and head across the lava-field, you just know the Gladiator is going to take anything you can chuck at it. You can feel the huge amount of suspension flex on tap and even though the steering ratio remains slow, it starts to make sense in terms of its feel and weight.

The auto gearbox is pretty quick to respond to your inputs and although there’s hill-descent fitted, low-first in the Rubicon (the only variant we got to sample) is as crawler-gear as you’ll ever need. When the rocks started to get bigger and the ruts deeper, a quick stab at the sway bar switch and you suddenly had a lot more axle droop available, although even with that, the Gladiator is so long, you’re a chance to give the rock-rails a bit of a massage. Fine by us. Meantime, even in that sort of terrain, the bash plates never saw action. What you might discover, though, is that hairpin turns in the scrub might take a couple of bites thanks to the huge length of the thing and the equally vast turning circle

Crawling along across a line of boulders also takes your mind off any lack of torque from the petrol V6. Fundamentally, there’s so much gearing for the taking that it’s just not an issue, and at times, you’re actually thankful for the engine’s ability to rev since it means you can hold a lower gear between obstacles and not be caught in the wrong ratio when the 2300kg of the Rubicon starts to feel the gravity. The seats offer enough support but still allow you to peer around the A-pillars, but damn, a left-foot rest to steady yourself over lumpy terrain would be a nice touch.

So, where’d we drive it?

Leaving Queenstown on New Zealand’s south island on the bitumen, we headed north-west through Cadrona before turning due north, through the town of Wanaka and onwards until the bitumen ran out. From there, we followed a gravel road up a glacial valley until we approached Mount Aspiring and the national park named after it. Eventually we made our way on to a private property where a short, but very technical, off-road course had been made available to us. This was tackled pretty much all in second-low and the tracks were rough, slippery in places and made up in parts of very large, sticky-outy rocks that really tested the suspension travel.

Anything go wrong?

Mainly the weather. Torrential rain had made the road through Wanaka (the lake was actually flooding the town) impassable until they day we were due to tackle it, so there was even a bit of water fording to be done. Made us wonder why the Gladiator doesn’t come standard with a snorkel, though.

The post 2020 Jeep Gladiator Review appeared first on Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures.

Ezytrail Parkes 13 Specifications

Tare: 2140kg ATM: 2700kg Suspension: Independent with twin shocks and coil springs Brakes: 12-inch electric Coupling: AL-KO 3.5-tonne ball Style: Compact hybrid Length: 6100mm Width: 2280mm Height: 2660mm (inc. air con unit) Kitchen: Stainless steel slide-out Battery: 3 x 100Ah AGM Price as standard: $39,490+ORCs

Images by Liam Foster. The Parkes range from Ezytrail is a pretty common sight on the trails. Compact off-road vans are experiencing plenty of popularity as they offer loads of space, make camping simple, and provide bang for your buck. We recently had the chance to take one along on a semi-desert trip to experience it for ourselves.

PROS

• Entry level budget
• Generous inclusions
• Turn-key solution
• Solid suspension and ground clearance
• Large internal shower

CONS

• Rear tyre carrier needs to be beefed up
• Awkward internal dining
• Dust sealing is not great
• Reasonably heavy

EASY SET-UP

Nothing beats arriving at a chosen camp and being completely set up in under 10 minutes, and that is what this van offers – simple yet slightly luxurious camping. While this is not a new concept to the caravan world by any means, the compact size, coupled with a solid off-road suspension, means that there are not too many tracks that are not open to you. A 21 or 24-foot off-roader will not only mean additional weight, but you can forget about tight and twisty tracks. This is where the compact range comes into its own.

Arriving at camp went something like this: pull up and leave hitched, undo the lid latches then open the door, walk in and pop the top. Walk around the back, lower the twin spare carrier and unfold the rear bed compartment. Deploy the awning, pull out the kitchen, connect the gas and water, grab a chair from the front compartment and voila, beer time, feet up.

Unhitching the rig would mean the additional step of lowering the outriggers, but hey, you get the idea; pretty simple.

COMFORTS OF HOME

Not all of us require nor want the comforts of home when travelling, but there are plenty that do. And this is the appeal; you have a king-sized bed, a spacious indoor shower, TV, indoor seating area and plenty of cupboard space, not to mention easy access to the external slide-out fridge, kitchen and even more storage for the other camping gear. The Parkes also has roof-mounted air con with a heating element.

POP-TOP

This is a feature that may not appeal to some. The beauty of a pop-top, though, lies in the fact that you are towing a much more compact and streamlined beast. Forget trying to skim under that low-hanging branch in a full-height unit. An important aspect of the hybrid compacts is their small space footprint; that is part of what makes them so appealing. It is a relatively new segment in the RV market, and it is a design spawned by demand. People want their cake and to eat it too. Relatively low weight, easy to set up, smaller size, yet fully featured and off-road capable, it ticks the boxes for so many. The operating system on the Parkes is straightforward, with two large metal levers front and rear, making it easy to lift the canvas pop-top.

OFF-ROADING

Today’s offerings are a pretty well-proven thing. Independent suspension is the norm and has been for a long time. Why? Well the live axles (or solid axles) of the past, much like their parent 4X4s, have seen their day. It is all about independent now, even if it is a single-axle beast. Having better ground clearance and the benefit of the smoother coil-sprung system means a more capable and pleasant ride. That equates to less fruit and veg thrown around in the van, not to mention less force placed upon the tow vehicle. Trailing independent arms with dual shocks are fitted, and they do well. The Parkes 13 copped plenty of abuse and held composure; the van sat well and tracked the vehicle nicely. Dampening, which is an important and a not-often talked about factor in suspension, was well looked after, there was minimal residual roll after big impacts and consecutive offset ‘wombat’ holes – which will always test the sway of anything on wheels.

There is room in the guards to fit larger diameter tyres, meaning you can run the same size tyre as your tow rig, but this would be best discussed with the manufacturer beforehand. The dual spare carrier on the back adds a lot of rear weight though, which is offset by the rearward positioning of the wheels. Just be careful not to overload the rear, in order to keep trailer sway in check.

The entry and departure angles are good. Unless you are driving through tight steep gullies, the likes of which your tow vehicle will scrape the front end, or you will drag the arse end, you should be fine. The wheels, suspension and clearance on the Parkes 13 we drove had no problems at all in this regard, easily traversing what the 4WD did. Dust sealing to the external areas needs improvement; we noticed this in the kitchen box, in particular, having to wipe down the surfaces before use. The interior fared much better, however.

ELECTRICALS

The standard electrical system is decent, including tank level indicators, a 240V/gas hot water service, 12V charging sockets, battery management system (with gauges), TV and stereo system. The inclusion of three 100Ah AGM batteries is a nice touch, but the lack of a standard solar panel is a little disappointing – instead, it is sold as an optional extra for $1,500.

FAMILY TOURING?

While the larger (longer) models allow for the kids to sleep inside with included bunks, the smaller ones do not. If you are travelling with the kids you will want to deploy the included fully enclosed annex (or throw in a few swags). For the more extended stays, there is an optional detachable canvas kids’ room so you can leave the main tent clutter-free.

The kitchen is well laid out and featured, but would benefit from additional bench space if cooking elaborate meals. A simple table would remedy this, and there is ample space to pack one in the storage areas. The internal table is awkwardly positioned and only usable for two people.

It is very conceivable that a family could comfortably tour in this unit, albeit at the expense of longer set-up times. There is ample water, power and gas storage to see you remotely travelling, with the two spare tyres adding further assurance.

BANG FOR BUCK?

For the $39,490 outlay (as tested) you do get a lot of van for your buck. The standard inclusions mean this is a turn-key solution to hitting the tracks in comfort. While the van does not bear the quality and finish of the more expensive premium units, it is a good option for getting away on a budget.

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2019 Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior Specifications

Price $62,990 (man), $64,490 (auto) drive-away Warranty five years, unlimited kilometres Safety Not rated (see safety section below) Engine 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin turbo diesel Power 140kW at 3750rpm Torque 450Nm at 1500-2500rpm Transmission six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic Drive part-time 4WD with low range Dimensions 5385mm long, 1895mm high; 1920mm wide; 3150mm wheelbase Turning Circle 12.4m Ground Clearance 268mm claimed Angles 35-degrees approach, 19 degrees departure (with towbar) Max braked towing 3500kg Max towball mass 300kg Payload 724kg Fuel Tank 80 litres Thirst 6.5L/100km (manual), 7.0L/100km (auto)

Review by Toby Hagon: Who would have thought we’d be chatting about a locally-engineered and locally-modified 4×4 with factory approval in 2019, two years after Holden rolled the last locally-manufactured car off an Australian production line? But that’s exactly what Nissan has delivered with its new Navara Warrior. Officially known as the Navara N-Trek Warrior, the newcomer focuses on suspension modifications and new wheels and tyres to create a tough truck that steps up the off-road ability of the regular Navara dual-cab.

The Warrior is imported into the country as a regular Navara N-Trek and is trucked to the Premcar engineering facilities in Melbourne, where it undergoes a major transformation. Premcar is better known in a previous life for making Ford Falcon V8s even faster; one of its most recent projects was the Holy Grail, a Falcon that was originally planned to be the last ever Falcon GT. As a respected engineering and manufacturing outfit Premcar tested and developed various components, tyres and suspension tunes to create what is now known as the Warrior. As well as being better on- and off-road, it is also covered by Nissan’s five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, adding peace of mind that the additions and modifications are not only road legal but also designed to go the distance.

Where’d we drive it? Our drive involved small on-road sections around Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain as well as vast chunks of the tracks and trails of the Victorian High Country.

We tackled the rocky Blue Rag track up to Trig Point before heading south (and deep) into the High Country. There were creek crossings and various climbs and descents, as well as loads of meandering gravel roads, some smooth, some rocky.

The Warrior handled everything fine and no cars experienced issues that we were aware of. There wasn’t even a puncture, and at times we were making reasonable pace.

How much does it cost? The Warrior starts at $62,990 drive-away for a six-speed manual or $64,490 for the seven-speed auto that most buyers will choose. That makes it $6500 more than an N-Trek. It gets all the same standard gear that’s in the regular N-Trek, including smart key entry, heated front seats, sat-nav, 8.0-inch touchscreen, an electrically adjusted driver’s seat, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

However, the 18-inch wheels are replaced by 17-inch units that were designed by Premcar and manufactured by Rosta (which has previously produced FPV and HSV wheels) in Taiwan.

Those wheels are wrapped in Cooper Discover AT3 all-terrain tyres measuring 275mm across and with a 70-series profile. The tyres start with 12.7mm of tread depth; that’s less than the 14-15mm typical of mud terrain tyres but is a full 5mm more than the standard road-focused rubber fitted to the Navara. With a light truck construction, they’re also tougher in the sidewall and coped with plenty of rocky punishment during our drive. Premcar also considered BF Goodrich KO2 and Mickey Thompson, among others. But it settled on the Coopers in part because they were relatively quiet on bitumen.

Other additions include a front bash plate made of 304-grade stainless steel that is 3mm thick (coincidentally the same thickness as the stainless steel used on the Tesla Cybertruck!). Things like the sump are still exposed; Premcar looked at providing more coverage underneath but it would have compromised cooling to the front diff and transmission.

The plastic bumper has been replaced by a steel unit. It’s a modified version of the Nissan steel bulbar but has had the hoops removed and additional plastic mounts to improve the aesthetics and cover the holes where the hoops would have been. There’s also a 16-LED Hella light bar for improved high beam performance. A 3500kg tow kit is standard and includes wiring for lights. The towbar is unique to the Warrior, with a broader section that accommodates the 275mm-wide Cooper tyre as a spare. The towbar hitch receiver has also been mounted lower below the bar to accommodate for the 40mm ride height lift (more on that later). That naturally affects the departure angle, something we’ll touch on later.

What’s it like inside? The Warrior is almost identical to the Navara N-Trek once you settle into the cabin. The only difference is the Warrior logo embroidered into the front headrests and a speedo that’s been recalibrated for the larger tyres. That means there are seats that are a mix of black leather and orange fabric, the start of many orange highlights that also include the floor mats and stitching on various components. There’s an 8.0-inch infotainment unit that is easy to navigate and includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. As with all Navaras, storage is generous, there’s no reach adjustment to the steering wheel and the seats could do with more support. Comfortable and liveable, without setting any benchmarks.

What’s the engine like? One area that was completely untouched in the Warrior was the 2.3-litre twin-turbo engine. Nissan’s reasoning is that the sequential turbo unit already outperforms the top-selling ute in the country, Toyota’s Hilux. So, it’s in the hunt and most buyers aren’t prioritising straight line performance – or, at least, not once you’ve got the decent torque spread offered in the Navara. Speaking of which, the 450Nm peak is produced between 1500rpm and 2500rpm, making it thoroughly usable a lot of the time. There’s also 140kW of power, although the reality is most buyers will be leaning far more heavily on the torque.

What’s the performance like? We only drove the seven-speed auto and nothing has changed from its life in other Navaras. It’s smooth on shifts and generally intelligent enough to slot into an appropriate gear, although twisting gravel roads could encourage you to use the sequential shifter and stop it unnecessarily upshifting.

While the gearing is identical to other Navaras, the speeds in each gear have increased by 7.3 percent across the board due to those tyres with a bigger circumference than what comes on a Navara. That also meant engineers had to recalibrate the speedos. Premcar and Nissan considered changing the final drive ratio to adjust, but it hadn’t changed the driving experience enough to warrant the effort. Yes, the Warrior is marginally more leisurely in acceleration due to those taller tyres that effectively change the gearing – and the extra 193kg all the accessories add to it. But the stout torque ensures more than two tonnes is still shifted relatively effortlessly. The Navara also maintains its claimed 7.0 litres per 100km official fuel label, even though you’re likely to use more in the real world.

How much has the suspension changed and what’s it like? The geometry and basic architecture of the Warrior’s modified suspension is identical to the standard Navara dual-cab. That means coil springs all around with an independent double wishbone setup up front and five-link live axle at the rear.

Having coils all round was something Premcar said was a good starting point for modifications rather than having to deal with changing leafs. The Warrior still uses dual-pitch rear coils, which have loosely bound coils teamed with tighter bound ones within the same spring.

But the details within the suspension system are much different, starting with springs and dampers. For starters, the springs have been raised 15mm. And the chunky tyres contribute another 25mm to the ride height, taking the overall lift to 40mm. Premcar went for softer Monroe springs; the rate is 6 percent softer at the front and 10 percent at the rear, at least for the primary spring at the rear. The second, more tightly wound section of the spring has actually increased its rate by 10 percent, so that it holds up better when heavily laden or over large bumps.

Dampers supplied by Tenneco are designed to better control unwanted movement, something most noticeable at higher speeds when you hit big bumps. The way the Warrior absorbs then recovers from bumps is impressive; in some ways it gets better the harder you drive it.

One other crucial suspension component is the bump stops, which sits only about 15-20mm from the chassis end stop. Rather than a hard rubber mount with little thought put into its construction, the Warrior’s front bump stops are regularly used to supplement the motion of the springs and dampers. With a cone shape that gets thicker towards the bottom they work progressively the more load is put into them. And rather than rebound the car dramatically, they’re designed to absorb shock and control the car; similar in theory to those on competition off-roaders. Premcar says they will be come into play during most driving, even when driven over speed humps or gentle bumps. About the only time they won’t be used is when driving on flat roads with no bumps.

The stance of the Warrior is much different, too, with each wheel sitting 15mm wider than usual courtesy of a different offset with the wheels. It’s about improving cornering stability as much as the location and look of those chunky tyres. Premcar acknowledges this would ordinarily add more stress on various components.

However, the softer sidewall of the tyres and softer springs mean that less overall load is going into the chassis over big hits, something that helps ensure longevity. It all adds up to a substantial improvement over the standard Navara, one that brings benefits on- and off-road. There’s nothing like the suppleness of a Ford Ranger Raptor – with its expensive Fox shocks – but the Warrior still fends off big shunts nicely and it controls the body beautifully.

What’s it like off-road? No surprises that the Warrior does a much better job than a regular Navara in rough terrain. The tyres alone give it a better chance of scrabbling over loose rocks or dusty gravel, two terrains we did plenty of in our day and a bit with the Warrior.

The bash plate also provides confidence you can attack things without them causing big damage underneath the front. But the basics of the Navara remain unchanged, starting with its dual-range four-wheel drive system. Shift-on-the-fly capability gets you into 4H but then it’s a stop for 4L. We did most of our running in 4H and 4L using the traction control to apportion drive to the wheels with grip.

Even with the taller ratio afforded by those larger tyres 4L proved fine down moderately steep descents, making for smoother progress than the hill descent control. You’ll need the occasional dab of the brakes, but for the most part the engine braking in first gear is very useful.

Only once did we engage the rear diff lock to maximise our chances of getting over some deep opposing holes on a steep ascent, something the car did with some slips of wheelspin but an otherwise generally uninterrupted movement.

The extra ground clearance is also handy, as are the corner cutaways on the front bumper, something that allows more aggressive attacks.

One place that has gone backwards is the departure angle. At 19 degrees it’s prone to scraping its tail over steep departures. But those handy with a spanner can temporarily remove the towbar to increase that departure angle to 29 degrees.

Better off road but is it any good on the blacktop? Perhaps the biggest surprise is the improvements to the Navara’s manners on bitumen. Sure, the steering is still overly light, and lacks feel, and response is not improved by those baggier Cooper tyres.

But the wider track and suspension tuning makes for a more surefooted demeanour mid-corner. Despite chunky and aggressive tread blocks the tyres are also respectably quiet, at least until you push them through a tight corner, at which point they’ll start to squeal and squirm.

How safe is it? Nothing’s changed with how the Navara Warrior avoids or crash or protects its occupants when having one. There are seven airbags and a basic structure that scored a five-star ANCAP rating (the Warrior is officially unrated because it hasn’t been tested with the steel bulbar up front). The Warrior lacks the latest safety systems such as autonomous emergency braking, which are on rivals such as the Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton. Not that it’ll upset those heading into the bush… it’s just one less thing to go wrong.

What’s missing? Nissan focused on the most commonly upgraded components for the Warrior, being tyres, suspension, underbody protection and a bulbar. Some were relatively simple additions. The bulbar, for example, is a modified hoopless version of Nissan’s steel bulbar accessory, one that had already undergone durability and safety testing.

However, there’s no snorkel, no rated recovery points and no winch, with Nissan instead leaving those to aftermarket suppliers. Nissan also considered rock rails instead of the standard side steps that will crunch at the first impact with a rock or log. However, it would have required significant engineering work and approval to meet side impact crash regulations. So, again, they’ve been left to the aftermarket suppliers.

Things could change with those modifications and more in future with the Warrior, though. There’s a very good change Nissan will do a more expensive and even more capable version of the Navara Warrior. Nissan Australia boss Stephen Lester told us he wants more Warrior models, with a Patrol a likely contender. And he said the Navara could even get more serious Warrior gear, perhaps as a Warrior+ or Warrior X. Stay tuned…

Should you buy one? The Navara N-Trek Warrior plays in an interesting space that pitches it directly against the likes of the Ford Ranger Wildtrak and Toyota Hilux Rugged X.

Considering it brings substantial local chassis and wheel upgrades that deliver genuine improvements to the basic Navara package it makes the mid-$60s price tag a tempting proposition.

And it’s off-road where the Warrior’s biggest improvements are. While decent aftermarket mods might be able to achieve a similar goal, they won’t have the factory warranty protection that makes the $6500 Warrior step-up look very appealing.

The post 2019 Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior Review appeared first on Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures.

Track Trailer is synonymous with striking designs, and its Tvan models are easy to identify, even from just a profile shot. The Melbourne manufacturer recently changed its profile with the launch of the no-less striking hybrid caravan, the T4.

The T4 range consists of three variants all with names capturing a musical theme referencing a collective, a bringing together of elements Track sees as intrinsic to the model’s designation. They are Symphony, Concerto and Rhapsody. In basic terms, this relates to a flexible two/four-berth, a family unit and a couples’ van.

We were lucky enough to take the Symphony down the Darling River on a recent filming trip and were able to climb all over it to see what makes this van great.

CONSTRUCTION Before launch, the T4 was in development for three years, and despite what some might think given the exterior design lines, the T4 is a new model, not a newer version of the Topaz hybrid. While three years might sound a long time, the underpinnings that Track employs are much more established. The company uses all in-house designs and fabrications, meaning that it controls the quality and development processes and can continuously evolve its hardware.

Most well-known of all is the MC2-R Asymmetric Link twin shock, coil spring suspension that’s supported all Tvan models and is renowned for off-road performance and robustness, even to be adopted for military uses. The T4 chassis is, of course, hot-dip galvanised steel.

The T4 body is made from Track’s own panels that are insulated aluminium with nose, roof and rear made from reinforced fibreglass. In a unique application, the T4’s windows are integral to the walls, in automotive glass, and provide a commanding view to the outside world from within. They use sliding panels for ventilation in addition to the openings in the canvas section of the lift-up roof.

Examining the exterior sections of the T4, you’re provided with an aerospace or marine experience in terms of appearance and feel; it’s not caravan-esque, and indicates toughness, with longevity in mind. All seals are thick automotive compression type with sturdy hatch locks. And these are applied to the vast array of external storage or access doors.

INTERIOR DESIGN The three T4 models offer a fair degree of customisation should you need to vary from a template. Basics like east-west or north-south beds through to unique cupboard placement are available. In this Symphony model, we had an east-west bed, with bench seating for four (to six) that utilises a neat stowable table for dining and a drawer beneath. Bench space runs in an L-shape around the offside corner, takes in the cooktop and then a bank of four deep drawers toward the entry door. This latter space is available for the ensuite in models so specified, although, in this variant, there’s a portable loo in the bottom drawer.

A fridge/freezer sits under the benchtop (and augments the optional external sliding cooler). While the countertops are white, the grey metallic facia surfaces are offset in this version with a stylish red laminate strip at head height around the walls. Some of this fascia lifts to reveal cupboards. A neat pantry section rises out of the benchtop in the rear offside corner via electric actuators.

The interior is heated thanks to a gas system – you will be able to specify diesel too. It’s refreshing to see a carbon monoxide alarm fitted beneath the cooker unit, something that’s lacking in many caravans as a standard, and a vital safety item.

Finally, there are twin fans and reading lights for the bed area, a TV to mount on the front wall and with a window above that has a magnetic blind. Track has fitted what it calls Zero Gravity non-chain-driven blinds to the windows. The underside of the roof provides the dimmable lighting from a bright laminate ceiling that reflects nicely off the red panelling. With the full-length windows, the T4 feels spacious and the walls all but disappear with a commanding view of the outside.

EXTERNAL ENSUITE In a cool deployment off the back wall, the full-body-width lift-up lid allows you to unfurl the shower room walls to create a roomy ensuite. Inside the T4’s back panel there’s the shower fittings and access to the water pump too. The in-line gas taps also allow control of supply for the cooker and heating as well as the water. This area can be utilised in different ways, depending on the T4 model you buy. You can bring your portable toilet outside to create an exterior bathroom, or in the Rhapsody, there’s a fully-sealed tent with windows option to create an enclosed living space if the insects or conditions deem it necessary.

EXTERIOR DESIGN  To the right of the substantially constructed entry door, there is an equally robust-looking slide-out kitchen module. Neatly designed and logoed in metalwork, the cooktop and sink unit is backed up with a sliding fridge drawer; meaning, for the most part, in decent weather, you can prepare your meals outside. The area is supported by exterior lighting and a mains power outlet, with easy access to the front boot too. The awning is large and electrically operated, and to the far side, there is storage hatch after storage hatch for everything from the generator to kids toys and camping kit.

VERDICT Track Trailer has always been innovators in the industry, with designs well ahead of the times. The Tvan has been a great example of this, and the T4 Hybrid range has raised the bar that much further.

We dragged the T4 from Melbourne to Bourke, then down the Darling River ending in Menindee, 90-per cent of which was heavily corrugated dirt roads. Despite the rough driving, we put the T4 through, it held up perfectly, with no dust ingress. What made things even better, was that aside from handling the tracks so well, it was simply stunning watching the outback sunset from inside the van once we had reached camp for the day.

In terms of design, the T4 certainly turns heads and employs ingenuity to make the most of a compact space to create a hybrid caravan that, given its maker’s heritage, is built tough. The styling and materials used throughout manage to combine a practical approach, being solid and wipe-clean, to blend aesthetics of modern finishes too.

For devotees of the Track range, then this is a step into larger dimensions and provides more amenity while still able to reach the destinations of the Tvan. For newcomers, then the T4 could be a standalone offering in the right optional configuration to provide a family off-road capable unit with minimal set-up time and lots of storage.

The options are there; it’s up to you to make tracks.

PROS
• Design
• Promised ability
• Proven chassis/suspension

CONS
• RedVision adds automation jazz but costs
• Internal surfaces not to all tastes (we’re clutching at straws here)

SPECS
Track Trailer T4 Symphony
Length: 6575mm
Height: 2550mm
Tare: 1810-1900kg
Payload: 690-600kg
ATM: 2500kg
Ball Weight: 140-170kg (Tare)
Hitch: CruiseMaster DO35
Price: RRP $108,500

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2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport Specifications

Price From $67,500+ORCs Safety Five-Star ANCAP Warranty 3-years, 100,000km Engine 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel Power 177kW at 4000rpm Torque 500Nm from 1500-3000rpm Transmission nine-speed automatic Dimensions 4597mm long, 2173mm wide, 1727mm high, 2741mm wheelbase Angles 25-degrees Approach, 30-degrees Departure, 20-degrees Rampover Wading Depth 600mm Ground Clearance 221mm Spare Full-Size Alloy Boot Space 157L-1794L Fuel Tank 65-67L Thirst 5.5-8.0L/100km claimed combined

Disclaimer: Before the hate mail arrives, no, the Discovery Sport doesn’t have low-range, but we’ve covered it off here because it’s a genuine all-wheel drive and will go a lot further off-road than its around-town looks suggest.

Don’t sneer. Small crossovers tend to be heavily biased towards the city and suburbs. It’s only Land Rover, along with Jeep, that even try to give theirs any off-roadability. The Discovery Sport is also a seven-seater, which makes it pretty much unique among the small premium vehicles that are prepared to get their feet mucky.

It has just had a mid-life makeover. The changes are a whole lot deeper than you might have spotted. Bizarrely, while the sheet metal and glazing is as before, almost the entire underside of the vehicle is new. Huh? Yup, the platform, the suspension, the interior electronics, some of the seating, the crash structure and engine mounts – all new. Powertrains – heavily revised. Seems like a massive load of trouble to go to when on the outside they changed only the lights, grille and bumpers.

Three reasons. First, the Disco Sport comes down the same production line as the Range Rover Evoque, which has just had the same new parts. So it made sense to simplify things by giving the Discovery Sport those foundations. Second, they needed to get the Discovery Sport’s fuel consumption down, and this new powertrain allows space for batteries, whether mild-hybrid (now) or plug-in hybrid (2020).  And third, the entertainment and connectivity were well off the pace compared with German rivals, so that’s had a solid modernisation.

There are side results too, most notably vastly improved refinement on the road. It moves like a luxury vehicle now.

WHAT’S IT LIKE OFF-ROAD?

Amid all this, the off-road capability hasn’t been neglected. We took it through some reasonably challenging trails in Northern England at the international launch. That meant steep gradients and side-slopes, wading, and super-slippery wet surfaces of mud, grass and polished rocks.

The Sport can wade to 600mm, which matches the standard non-snorkel ability of the old Defender. But it doesn’t have the wade sensing feature of the big Discovery, nor air suspension to raise you higher. Ground clearance is 212mm which is too low for a touring off-roader. On cross-axle obstacles, it soon cocks a wheel, because the suspension travel is limited. But reassuringly there’s not a squeak from the body or trim, and the doors still open and close smoothly even when you’re dangling a tyre, or even two. This is obviously a very rigid bodyshell.

Then you’re relying heavily on the electronic traction systems to keep going. And these are sophisticated, not just in spec but in their tuning and development. The upper-spec versions also get a torque-vectoring rear diff system using independent left and right clutch packs.

It’s amazing how you can be in a situation where just one or two wheels have traction, and it’ll take a couple of seconds figuring out what tyre can do what, then smoothly drive you out. We even attempted a test section of zero-grip rollers, facing up a fairly steep hill. Two left wheels on the rollers, two right wheels on wet grass, come to a stop. Give it a little throttle, get the feeling that it’s all gone wrong and we’re going nowhere … then feel it block the spinning wheels, gain purchase and smoothly set off up again. Much more smoothly than rival systems. And again, it makes us wonder whether electronics can make up for less aggressive all-terrain tyres when you’re off-roading.

The Terrain Response II has the usual modes (grass/gravel/snow, mud/ruts, sand, comfort) and also an auto mode that figures out what’s underneath and configures things accordingly. As usual, ‘things’ includes throttle aggression, transmission programming, traction control and diff. By the way, if you’ve got the optional adaptive dampers, there’s also a ‘dynamic’ Terrain Response mode.

Hill Descent Control is paired with All-Terrain Progress Control, a feature I like. It keeps the vehicle trucking along at the (low) speed you set, without the jerkiness of your foot bouncing on the throttle pedal.  Max down or up gradient is 45 degrees and side slope 35 degrees. You’ve got plenty of actual mechanical control because even though there’s no low box, the nine-speed transmission has what amounts to a crawler gear (think: Volkswagen Amarok). I ought to stress every obstacle you see in these photos was done on the standard road tyres it’s supplied with.

One headline-grabbing feature is the Clearsight camera system. Three images are fed from cameras below the front bumper and under each door mirror. They’re stitched together on the central dash screen to give a picture of the ground as if the bonnet and engine were transparent, with just an overlay of the front tyre position. It’s sold as a feature to enable you to steer around boulders and ruts. People will use it to squeeze between car multi-storey park kerbs.

The Discovery Sporty rated to tow 2500kg braked, as before. What’s new for the facelift is LR’s Advanced Tow Assist, which projects guidelines on the centre screen rear-camera image, and lets you steer using one of the console rotary controllers. This is designed to make it feel like you’re steering the trailer, as it rotates same-sense as opposed to having to counter-steer with the actual steering wheel. To be honest, anyone who’s had much practice at trailer manoeuvring might find it hard to un-learn their technique, but it’s handy if the trailer has an axle position you’re not used to.

WHAT’S THE PERFORMANCE LIKE?

I drove two versions. The P200 is one of two petrols, and it makes 147kW. There’s also a P250 making 184kW. The lower-power one had to work pretty hard up steep hills, even when it was just me on board. Some 369Nm makes itself available, which sounds enough except it’s pushing against about 1950kg with fuel and driver. But I was in a hurry.

Anyway, it’s much quieter than in the pre-facelift car, and the nine-speed auto hands out the ratios sensibly and smoothly –  again a huge improvement from when LR introduced that transmission.

The diesel was the D180, the middle one of three, with 132kW. Even more than the petrol, there’s a huge improvement in refinement and quietness versus the pre-facelift car. So it’s now fully competitive with rivals. Ditto the transmission. Again you can find yourself wishing for a little more poke, in which case go for the D240. The P200 and D180 do zero to 100km/h in the nine-second range, while the top-power engines cover it in the mid sevens.

Land Rover claims that the 48-volt mild hybrid system saves five to 10 percent fuel in urban running, when the engine shuts down before you’ve actually come to rest, and re-starts super-smoothly. But out on hilly twisty country roads, I’ve got to confess to 14L/100km in the P200.

WHAT ARE ITS ROAD MANNERS LIKE?

They might call it Sport, but it ain’t a sports car. That said, among seven-seat crossovers – let alone other vehicles with this sort of off-road capacity – it’s a pretty good steer. The reason is the intuitive, progressive and consistent way it reacts to your inputs. The steering is nicely fluent, and even offers a bit of feedback as you get to the tyres limits on say a tight wet corner.

Body lean in bends is more than you’d get in a ‘sporty’ crossover. That’s how come off-road traction is so capable of course. But the dampers keep a good eye on body movements, or at least they did in the test conditions of undulating roads driven briskly, but with no load. So it doesn’t oscillate like a boat – you go through a sharp corner or over a crest, and it simply deals with it. And the optional adaptive damping system does it even better.

Yet amid all that, you’ve still got a ride that smooths off the edges of bumps, even big sharp ones. It’s not pillow-soft, but then with the potential to carry several kids staring at device screens, you probably don’t want the sort of floatiness that’ll bring on sickness.

HOW PRACTICAL IS IT?

At just 4.6 metres long, the Sport was always a bit of a packaging miracle, fitting in seven seats, as well as the 4WD underpinnings. As before, the third-row seats are kids-only, and when they’re used you’ve got only meagre boot space behind – just 157 litres. But the rear row is two individual seats that fold into the floor, so with just six people aboard you can drop one and get a decent boot. With both dropped in five-seat mode it’s 754 litres.

New for this version, the middle seat is split 40:20:40, and it also slides forward a bit to give the people in row three a bit more legroom. Independent climate controls and even seat heating can be specced for row two. Newly redesigned bins have tablet-size space under the front armrest, loads of handy trays and nets for phones and the like, and cup-holders in all rows. Up to eight USB outlets, a wireless charge pad and onboard wi-fi keep the gadgets nourished.

Although the outgoing Disco Sport was a brilliantly packaged vehicle, one thing that did get squeezed in the engineers’ game of 3d Tetris was the fuel tank. The new one corrects that, bringing the tank up to 67 litres in the petrol version and the diesel 65L plus 17L of AdBlue fluid.

DRIVING ERGONOMICS AND INFOTAINMENT EXPLAINED

New front seats can even be had with massage function, which might be nice after a long day in the bush. Or the highway. They’re certainly good and supportive. The Discovery Sporty doesn’t get all the digital screen-ery of the Evoque, but what’s here is enough. The centre screen has good definition and will do its own connected navigation, or phone mirroring. Off-road, you can use the same screen to keep an eye on the traction features, or use it for the camera function.

Below that screen is a black panel that lights up when the ignition’s on. It includes touch-button climate controls, plus a pair of useful multi-function pull-push-twist knobs. On the road, you use them for temp and fan, but off-road the right-hand cycles to become the Terrain Response control or the reversing control in Advanced Tow Assist.

WHAT SAFETY GEAR DOES IT GET?

The updated Discovery Sport will carry on with its five-star ANCAP rating including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with steering assist which will guide you back into your lane if you begin to wander. Then there’s the Clearsight camera system which allows you to look through the bonnet. And new on the updated Disco Sport is the Advanced Towing Assist which allows you to reverse the vehicle using a knob on the centre console.

WHAT’S THE PRICE?

The entry-level S variants are offered in P200 guise (2.0-litre petrol – 147kW and 320Nm) and priced from $60,500+ORCs and D150 (2.0-litre turbo diesel – 110kW and 380Nm) from $62,450+ORCs. The SE offers a choice between the P250 (2.0-litre petrol – 184kW and 365Nm) for $67,852+ORCs and D180 (2.0-litre diesel – 132kW and 430Nm) for $67,910+ORcs. The top-spec HSE is only offered with the D240 diesel engine which makes 177kW and 500Nm, and costs $79,700+ORCs. An R-Dynamic package can be added for around $2500–$3000 depending on the variant. Unlike the old model, the 5+2 is now a standard-fit set-up (previously a $2000 cost option).

SO, WHAT DO WE THINK?

The Land Rover Discovery Sport will never be a first choice touring rough roader but it’s refreshing to drive an SUV that can actually get its feet dirty without falling into a heap in a puddle. Sure, it’s not a Discovery, but the Discovery Sport ground clearance and wheel travel aside, is likely to be just as capable in the rough stuff as some supposed touring 4X4s and that’s because technology is fast taking over as an equaliser. And this is a claim we’ll be putting to the test in the coming months. Stay tuned.

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2019 Nissan Navara N-Trek Specifications

Price $58,950+ORC (as tested) Warranty five-years, unlimited kilometres Safety 5-star NCAP (2015) Engine 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel Power 140kW at 3750rpm Torque 450Nm at 1500-2500rpm Transmission seven-speed automatic Drive four-wheel drive (part-time) Dimensions 5255mm (L) 1850mm (W) 1855mm (H) 3150mm (WB) Angles 33.2-degrees (approach) 28.2-degrees (departure) 24.7-degrees (ramp over) Ground Clearance 228mm (claimed) Kerb Weight 1993kg Payload 917kg Towing 3500kg maximum braked Towball Download 300kg GVM 2910kg GCM 5910kg Fuel Tank 80L Spare full-size steel underslung Thirst 7.0/100km (claimed combined); 7.9L/100km tested

Nissan has made heavy going of the NP300 Navara with a staggering four-updates in four years, capped off by the recent release of this Navara N-Trek (and now the N-Trek Warrior). Now a permanent variant in the line-up it sits above the ST-X and below the Australian-developed and built N-Trek Warrior.

While the N-Trek Warrrior boasts a raft of changes covering suspension and more, the main difference between the ST-X and the N-trek variant are some stickers, badges, and contrasting bits of trim on both the inside and out. But, in this world of limited-run, high-end, big-money pickups does the Navara N-Trek tick the right boxes? Let’s find out.

What’s it cost and what do you get?

The Navara N-Trek is available with either a six-speed manual ($56,450+ORCs) or seven-speed automatic transmission ($58,950+ORCs) and boasts an improved infotainment system with Apple and Android connectivity. Pricing wise, the ST-X manual lists from $52,750+ORCs or $3700 less than the N-Trek manual while the auto ST-X lists from $55,250+ORCs which is also $3700 less than the N-Trek automatic. And there are three exclusive colours, Cosmic Black, Slate Grey and White Diamond, although only Cosmic Black is a ‘free’ colour, the others cost $595.

In addition, the N-Trek, from front to back, offers black headlight bezels, black lower front fascia with orange accent line, black front grille, black running boards with orange accent lines, pumped black guards, black alloy sports bar, black roof rails, black door handles, N-Trek badging, and a black rear bumper. On the inside, there are leather-accented seats with orange fabric inserts, orange highlight stitching on the seats, centre console and steering wheel. The front seats are heated, and the driver’s seat offers powered adjustment. Beyond these cosmetic tweaks, the N-Trek is mechanically identical to the ST-X.

There’s no mistaking the N-Trek looks better than the ST-X but is it worth $3700 more? Probably not for a few stickers. Even the tyres are the same which is a shame as it would have been nice to see Nissan throw on a decent set of all-terrain tyres as part of the package. But then, it knew the N-Trek Warrior was coming and wouldn’t have wanted to take away from that vehicle. Then again, I’ve actually seen quite a few Navara N-Treks on the road, so, maybe people are happy to pay a bit more for something that’s a little different.

What’s under the bonnet?

Shop down the stream and you’re looking at a 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel making 120kW and 403Nm of torque. And, where value for money is concerned, you can get a Mitsubishi Triton with more engine (133kW/430Nm) and a more sophisticated four-wheel drive system for less money.

But, step up to the ST-X-based N-Trek and you get a 2.3-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder making 140kW and 450Nm of torque. This is the same engine that’s been used in the N-Trek Warrior. It’s a competitive engine in terms of grunt and mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission means the Navara actually feels quite energetic to drive. Unless you drive it back-to-back with a Ford Ranger running a bi-turbo engine with 10-speed automatic transmission which is much more refined at around-town speeds and cleaner as it accelerates.

And that’s largely down to the smaller turbo working hard early on means you’ve peak torque arriving at 1500rpm. Rev it out and peak power arrives at 3750rpm which is fine for a diesel and gives you good mid-range cover and the seven-speed automatic does a good job of keeping the engine in its sweet spot(s).

In our week with the N-Trek we didn’t get a chance to tow with the N-Trek (mainly because it didn’t have a towbar) but while it can theoretically tow up to 3500kg we’d suggest you’ll be more comfortable towing around 2000kg. In fact, we’d always recommend towing at around two-thirds of the maximum braked capacity.

Being a sticker pack, fuel consumption for the N-Trek is identical to the ST-X at 7.0L/100km which with the 80L fuel tank should yield a theoretical range of more than 1000km. But don’t expect to get anywhere near that once you throw some weight into the thing. In our week of testing we returned a little higher than the claimed amount but that’s only to be expected given the lab-based test used to measure fuel consumption; we averaged a respectable 7.9L/100km but we were going anywhere with more than two people and very little gear on board.

What’s it like to drive?

Nissan has taken a lot of cracks at getting the NP300 Navara’s suspension right. The first time out in 2015 saw a switch to coils at the back but the spring rate was all wrong with the thing sagging horribly with anything heavier than an esky in the tray. And, driven off-road, the thing would constantly slam into its bump stops.

The update back in August marked the fourth revision of the Navara but Nissan had finally got the suspension right with its third revision last year. A taller ‘dual-rate’ coil was fitted offering a mixture of softness for on-road driving but with enough strength to hold up a load. This is a good combination for a 4×4 pickup.

And, on the road the Navara despite the taller springs is more comfortable than ever and actually quite agile and fun to drive along a twisting road. There’s good control and composure when unladen; this isn’t the sort of pickup that’ll try and pitch you off the road when unladen at the sign of a corner.

Some reviews complain of stiffness in the ride and some jitteriness across expansion joints or corrugations when off-road but in our week of driving we didn’t find that at all. There’s good give in the suspension and good bump control.

The third revision which introduced the improved spring setup also saw a faster steering rack introduced but this works perfectly with the new suspension. Car makers can sometimes introduce a sense of twitchiness when speeding up the rack but that’s not the case with the Navara. Sure, there’s no steering feel and the steering’s pretty light in its action, so it takes a few corners to get the hang of but once you do the thing can be flung around easily enough.

Like the steering the pedals lack feel, and the brake pedal has a lot of slack in it before take-up, the throttle pedal feels a little spongey too. But, again, get the hang of them both and realise the take-up is a little higher than on some vehicles and you’ll be creeping along in traffic and not over-pressing the throttle like a champion.

What’s it like off the road?

Exactly the same as an ST-X. And that means, it’s not amazing and it’s not a duffer either. Selecting low-range is an easy twist of the dial and being a part-time system, you can shift on the fly into 4H for low-traction surfaces but you’ll need to be parked and in neutral for low-range selection.

One plus is the standard rear diff lock that, when activated, doesn’t kill traction control on the front axle. This gives you good control when wheels start lifting off the ground.

Ground clearance (228mm claimed) is on-par with other pickups and that means it’s just about enough for touring work. We put the N-Trek across a little track near the office that features plenty of diff-catching rocks, deep ruts, water and water-logged ruts, and some decent rock steps too.

The Navara didn’t have any problems across the obstacles we drove and you don’t have to be as mindful of the snout as it might look (33.2-degree approach angle), and while the traction control is noisy, it’s effective if a little slow to cut in when a wheel leaves the ground or begins to slip. Like other stock pickups, you need to drive the Navara slowly in tricky terrain and carefully pick your lines to avoid catching the nose on the ground or getting caught up in deep ruts. Wheel travel is on-par too with other pickups and while the side steps stick out, we didn’t catch them on anything which is not something you can say about the giant side steps on a Ford Ranger.

It’s main Achilles heel, beyond the lack of clearance, are the road-oriented tyres. We found they filled up quickly with sand and the stuff didn’t dislodge easily either. So, switching out the tyres to something a little more aggressive will allow the Navara to go further off-road.

Can you tow with it?

Nissan claims a 917kg payload for the Navara. And it carries the marketing-winning-line of a maximum braked towing capacity of 3500kg. But, as is usual with these things the devil is in the detail. Nissan has been pretty clear with its ratings and payloads and towball downloads, but its numbers aren’t as cut and dried as you might expect.

For instance, the maximum towball download isn’t 350kg which would be 10% of 3500kg, rather it’s 300kg. Sure, other makers have similar discrepancies. But with that 300kg towball download comes a 410kg reduction in payload.

So, if you take the GCM of 5910kg and subtract the weight of a trailer at 3500kg that leaves you with 2410kg (the heaviest the vehicle can weigh when towing 3500kg. Subtract the kerb weight of the vehicle 1993kg and you’re left with a difference of 417kg which is all that’s left for your payload. Say your towball download isn’t 10% and is only 300kg then you need to subtract that 410kg (according to Nissan) and that leaves you with just seven kilograms.

So, realistically, you’re better off towing around 2000kg with the Navara because while you’ll still have to reduce payload by 280kg with a 200kg towball download, you’ll have a lot more real-world payload left to account for things like accessories, passengers and luggage.

What’s the interior like?

It’s not too bad. Now that Nissan has updated the infotainment system with Apple and Android smartphone connectivity it’s a whole lot more user-friendly. Indeed, the native infotainment and sat-nav system is now right up there with the likes of Ford’s SYNC3 system.

The new infotainment system has improved the look of the dashboard which looked a little dowdy before the refresh. Of course, being the N-Trek variant, the interior’s got leather-accented seats with orange contrast stitching around the place so it feels a little more special than the very-black interior of the ST-X.

The materials used are all hard-wearing and scratchy, but they don’t feel cheap into the bargain and should stand up to family life and off-road touring reasonably well. That said, the carpet seems a little thin, so, a decent set of aftermarket mats wouldn’t hurt.

The seats are okay for short distance driving, but they lack decent under-thigh support for those of us with longer legs and, so, you’ll need to take regular breaks on long drives to keep from feeling fidgety behind the wheel. The other gripe is that you can’t get the driver’s seat lower. See, even with the steering wheel raised as high as it will go, for me at least, it felt like the steering wheel was in my lap and that I similarly had to duck my head to see around the rear vision mirror.

Climb into the back and there are directional rear air vents which is something that not all 4×4 pickups offer. The seats themselves aren’t particularly comfortable with a very short set-low-to-the-ground base, and a very upright seat back although they offer decent legroom. The sliding window pane in the back window is handy for some extra ventilation and won’t cause buffeting if opened while driving.

How practical is it?

We’ve discussed towing and the seating setup, so, what about the tray. The tray is lined and gets Nissan’s slide rail tie downs. These look good but they’re mounted up at the top of the tray when they’d be better off down on the bed of the tray which would allow you to actually tie down objects. There are four tie-down hooks low down on the bed which are of more use than the slide rail system.

The tray itself isn’t huge. It measures 1503mm long which is actually shorter than the tray on a Mitsubishi Triton, but it measures 90mm wider at 1560mm. The width between the wheel arches measures 1130mm and the depth of the tray sides measures 474mm. The tray overhangs the rear axle by 1235mm. Like the ST-X, the N-Trek offers shallow roof rails which you can mount a rack on.

Nissan upgraded its warranty to five-years and unlimited kilometres with 24-hour roadside assist built in. Nissan also offers capped-price servicing on the Navara with prices ranging from $532 (diesel manual) and $526 (diesel automatic) up to $805/$798 depending on the service. Service schedule is 12 months or 20,000km.

What about safety features?

The Navara carries an old five-star ANCAP rating (2015) and it wouldn’t achieve that rating today if tested. See, the Navara misses out on active safety systems and makes do with the bare minimum of seven airbags, ABS, traction and stability controls, rear locking differential, rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera. The camera isn’t very high in quality and washes out severely at night.

So, what do we think?

If you want to spend $3700 more for some stickers and bits of black trim, then knock yourself out and buy the Navara N-Trek. The ST-X offers the same experience for less money and the money saved can be put towards better tyres. If you want a factory setup Navara then you’ll need to wait for the N-Trek Warrior in December.

On the face of it, though, the Navara N-Trek (ST-X) drives and rides well, is competent off-road but lacks active safety and the back seat is one of the least comfortable, if not the least comfortable, in the segment. And, for those who tow, you’ll need to be mindful of the payload restrictions depending on the towball download.

The post 2019 Nissan Navara N-Trek Review appeared first on Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures.