2026 Nissan Navara: Engines, platform, price, release date, and everything we know so far

Nissan is weeks away from revealing the ute that could make or break the Navara nameplate in Australia.

Sales have slumped by more than 60 per cent in just over a decade, not helped by the fumbled roll-out of the current 'D23', which underwent two mechanical updates in three years to fix criticism of suspension sag under load.

Nissan has turned to partner Mitsubishi to help develop a new Navara for Australia, based on its latest Triton, where the latter is the 'leader' of the project, and the former is the 'follower'.

Should this new Navara fail to fire, there may not be another, so there's a lot riding on this new ute for Nissan – a company already not in the strongest financial position on a global scale.

There are still many questions to be answered about the new Navara, but here is everything we know so far ahead of its reveal on November 19, 2025.

Styling has been one of the biggest questions surrounding the new Navara since it was confirmed five years ago that it would be twinned with the Triton.

However, teaser images released in recent days suggest all of the metal panels – the bonnet, roof, doors, wheel arches, etc – will be shared with the Triton, with only bumpers and headlight/tail-light internals changed.

These illustrations by Theottle depict that theory, creating a vehicle that looks very similar to the Mitsubishi on which it's based, but with a hint of Nissan DNA thrown in.

Changes visible in the teasers released by Nissan include a new single-line LED daytime-running light signature – rather than three line segments – plus a tweaked sports bar, and new C-shaped tail-light signatures.

A brief glimpse of the front end in the teaser video points to a bluff fascia akin to the US-market Frontier, merging the grille surround and lower front bumper into one design element.

There also appears to be a second, angled light strip at the bottom of the headlights – which have a similar upper edge to the Triton – as illustrated in these renderings, as well as three slots above the grille inspired by the 'D21' Navara of the 1980s.

It is unclear if Nissan will invest in a new tailgate to allow for the 'NAVARA' stamping shown here, given it's not expected to change any of the Triton's other panels.

Nissan dealers who have seen the final design say the new Navara and Triton will look sufficiently different to stand apart on the road, but time will tell how customers will react.

The new Nissan Navara will be revealed on November 19, 2025, ahead of an Australian showroom arrival confirmed for the first half of 2026.

The Japanese car giant has already received government approval to sell the new model, a process that typically occurs a few months before a vehicle goes on sale.

It suggests the Navara may launch towards the start of next year – in the first three months – rather than closer to June, though Nissan head office in Japan has reported a launch date of the 2026 Japanese financial year, which begins April 1, 2026.

It is a question that won't be answered for certain until Nissan executives speak about the Navara next month, but there's enough evidence to speculate upon.

The Navara and Triton are twinned to share development costs – as part of the global Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance formed close to a decade ago – but the way Nissan sells utes globally opens the door to a closer relationship for Australia.

The current 'D23' Navara is Nissan's 'mid-size pick-up' in most global regions bar the US and Canada, where the brand sells the 'D41' Frontier, a heavy update of the 'D40' Navara/Frontier that the D23 replaced in Australia in 2015.

From 2026, while Australia will adopt a model based on the Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan will instead roll out a heavy facelift of the D23 Navara (or Frontier, as it's also sold) in Latin America (below).

It includes the D23 Navara's single largest market, Mexico, where close to 60,000 were sold last year – compared to about 10,000 in the Philippines and Australia, its number-two and three countries.

It is yet to be confirmed if Nissan will sell the new Triton-based Navara in South-East Asia, but if it does not, it would effectively make the vehicle exclusive to Australia and New Zealand – creating less opportunity to recoup the cost of significant styling and engineering changes.

At the same time, Nissan has launched the Frontier Pro in China, an unrelated ladder-frame, plug-in hybrid Navara-sized ute that's earmarked for export markets, and is a chance for Australia.

Mechanical details are yet to be revealed, but it is known the Navara will be built by Mitsubishi in its factory in Thailand, alongside the Triton.

Given the modest amount of exterior differentiation, it suggests Nissan is unlikely to use anything other than the Triton's Mitsubishi-designed and built 2.4-litre four-cylinder diesel engine.

While a single-turbo version is offered in other markets, Australian examples are sold exclusively with twin turbochargers and outputs of 150kW and 470Nm.

It is up from a Nissan-built 2.3-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder in today's Navara, developing 120kW/403Nm with one turbo in the base SL manual, or 140kW/450Nm with two turbos in all other variants.

The Triton's six-speed automatic transmission would represent a step down from the current Navara's seven-speed, and it's unclear if Nissan will have access to Mitsubishi's Super Select 4WD system, which allows for four-wheel-drive traction on sealed surfaces.

It is an attribute that is matched by similar 4WD systems available on the V6 Ranger, V6 Amarok and four-cylinder Tasman, with the current Navara aligned with the Isuzu D-Max, Mazda BT-50 and Toyota HiLux in lacking front-axle drive on the road, not just off it.

Mitsubishi has previously indicated it is exploring electrification for the Triton, across hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric power, but none have come to fruition so far.

All but confirmed to feature on the Navara is the Triton's leaf-spring rear suspension, replacing coil springs on the D23, which required two updates in the ute's first three years on sale after criticism of excessive sagging with a load in the tray.

If you weren't already sensing a theme, the new Navara is likely to reflect the body and tub measurements of the latest Triton, which sits close to the middle of the dual-cab ute pack in size.

That means a 2026 Navara longer and wider than the 2025 model, but with a lower roof, and a shorter wheelbase – so interior space may be little changed.

It would also create a tray that is longer and taller than Nissan's current offering, but similar in width, both to the edges of the box, and between the wheel arches, still unable to fit an Australian pallet (1165mm).

If the Triton is a guide, off-road approach and departure angles would take a hit, with a small increase in the breakover angle, helped by slightly more ground clearance.

It is likely the interior of the 2026 Navara will, again, look much like that of the Mitsubishi Triton.

That would mean a 9.0-inch touchscreen and 7.0-inch digital instrument display, as well as features such as wireless phone charging, heated front seats, and dual-zone climate control.

Top-of-the-range Tritons are fitted with a power-adjustable driver's seat, which would see the power front passenger seat currently available in high-grade Navaras dropped in the transition to a Mitsubishi donor vehicle.

Pricing for the new Nissan Navara will be confirmed closer to launch, but it is expected to be similar to its Mitsubishi Triton twin which, in equivalent model grades, is generally a few thousand dollars more expensive.

The current Navara range is priced from $36,428 plus on-road costs for the SL single-cab chassis automatic 4x2 with a single-turbo diesel, rising to $43,428 for a twin-turbo version with 4x4.

Triton prices start from $34,740 plus on-road costs for a GLX single-cab chassis 4x2 with a twin-turbo engine but a manual transmission, rising to $36,990 for an automatic 4x2, and $44,340 for an automatic 4x4.

The high-grade Triton GLS dual-cab automatic 4x4 starts at $59,840 plus on-roads, compared to $59,323 for an equivalent Navara ST-X, while a Triton GSR dual-cab pick-up automatic starts from $64,590, against $62,283 for a Navara Pro-4X.

A price rise would place the Navara Pro-4X close to RRP to a bi-turbo Ford Ranger Wildtrak, at $69,890 plus on-roads.

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner

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