Australia's new Nissan Navara is finally official, sharing much of its construction with the Mitsubishi Triton – but with a Nissan flavour to the suspension and front-end styling.
The new-generation 2026 Nissan Navara dual-cab ute has finally made its global debut, ahead of its Australian showroom arrival in March next year, with a Warrior off-road edition slated to follow.
It is no great secret that the new Navara is closely related to the latest Mitsubishi Triton, sharing its underpinnings, 150kW/470Nm 2.4-litre twin-turbo diesel engine, 'Super' 4WD system, and key sheetmetal, including the doors, bonnet, tub and roof.
Nissan, however, is at pains to stress its new ute's significant suspension tuning program conducted with Premcar – creators of the Warrior editions, and the outfit formerly behind Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) – to differentiate the Navara, and extend its capabilities for Australian customers.
"The local suspension development program represents one of the most comprehensive engineering projects undertaken by Nissan here in Australia," said Andrew Humberstone, Managing Director, Nissan Oceania, in a media statement.
"It was really evident to me that Australian-ness was a really key component that was important to the Australian consumer."
"Premcar invested countless man-hours, driving the new Navara over 18,000 kilometres, testing across every conceivable surface and driving condition – from the outback's corrugated roads to urban stop-start traffic with heavy loads."
2026 Nissan Navara under-the-skin differences vs Mitsubishi Triton
The adoption of the Mitsubishi Triton platform has seen a return to leaf springs for the Navara pick-up, with both a three-leaf and a heavier-duty four-leaf rear end available.
The previous-generation Navara suffered issues with rear suspension sag under load – despite multiple updates intended to fix it – with its coil-sprung rear end lacking the rugged resilience of a leaf-sprung load area.
Unique to the Navara over its twin, however, are new dampers developed by Premcar, built in Australia and offered in three variants, excluding the forthcoming Warrior model. All other hardware has been carried over from the Triton.
"We're really proud of the balance between primary ride and secondary ride," claims Premcar CEO, Bernie Quinn. "870 different damper codes were tried as we did the tuning program.
"And over 550 internal damper shims were used in permutations and combinations to create those final tunes."
Quinn praises the "linear response to input", and claims that with the new damper tune, "when you put a steering input in, the car doesn't flop or delay."
"We saw a lot of benefit from changing the dampers and going to a much larger diameter damper, internal rebound spring on the front damper. Really, it's brought that Nissan Navara DNA, maybe even a little bit of Warrior DNA into that vehicle," he noted.
"It was not necessary to change other things like springs and bump stops or suspension geometry ... the architecture is actually really, really good."
Stung by the shortcomings of the outgoing D23 Navara model, Nissan pointedly refers to the company's focus on both laden and unladen performance with this latest D27 model.
It's understandable that it wants to draw a line under the D23.
2026 Nissan Navara styling and dimensions
The latest D27 Nissan Navara aims to stem those haemorrhaging sales with a bold and strident new look, underpinned with solid, no-nonsense mechanicals.
Styling changes compared to the Triton are focused on the front end, where there is a bull bar-inspired V-strut grille drawing inspiration from the modified utes encountered by Nissan's global design team when travelling through Australia.
Look a little closer, and there are individual V-strut motifs that form the grille itself. The three-slot design atop the grille pays homage to the classic D21 Navara, introduced back in 1985.
According to Ken Lee, Senior Design Director, Nissan Motor Corporation, the interlocking C-shaped headlamps and tail lamps pay tribute to Japanese carpentry.
"When working on the new Navara, we aimed to honour nearly 40 years of heritage while creating something fresh for today’s Australian buyers," said Lee, "... we needed to deliver a pick-up that looks confident on a construction site but sophisticated enough for weekend family adventures."
None of the metalwork differs from Triton, with the bold lettering on the tailgate being badgework. The Nissan's headlights are new, but they have been designed to align with the Mitsubishi's front wheel arches.
The flagship Pro-4X model differentiates the exterior look and feel with Lava Red accents and a black sports bar, black 17-inch alloy wheels shod with 265/65 R17 all-terrain rubber and a standard tow bar.
In its preliminary specifications, Nissan claims a 30.4-degree approach angle for its new ute, with a 23.4-degree breakover angle and a 22.8-degree departure angle. Ground clearance is 228mm.
This D27 model is longer and wider than its predecessor, albeit slightly lower.
The tray is 1555mm long, a useful 46mm improvement over the old D23 Navara. It can house the narrow side of a Euro pallet between its wheel arches, but not an Australian pallet (1165mm x 1165mm), the 1135mm span being a modest 1mm more generous than before.
Nissan has also previewed the Navara Warrior Concept, a Premcar special based on the Pro-4X that is lifted, widened and strengthened to cope with even more extreme off-road terrain.
Expect to see the production version of this sometime next year, capitalising on the Warrior badging that has proven popular with Navara buyers since 2019.
2026 Nissan Navara interior and technology
ST-X and Pro-4X grades feature wireless phone charging, which is located within the lower instrument panel.
For the first time on a Navara, Australian customers can take advantage of the MyNissan Navara Connected Car Services app, which features remote air-conditioning control, emergency call functionality, stolen vehicle tracking, and remote door locking/unlocking.
The cabin is some 29mm more generous than its predecessor in terms of front shoulder room, with a hefty 42mm improvement in rear legroom.
The safety suite is comprehensive and includes eight airbags, plus autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, and adaptive cruise control.
There is also the same driver attention monitoring camera as the Triton, plus LED headlights and tail-lights across the range, automatic high beams, and Emergency Assist for Pedal Misapplication.
2026 Nissan Navara engine and driveline
Navara buyers get the same 2.4-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine seen in the Triton, developing 150kW and 470Nm, mated solely to a wide-ratio six-speed automatic transmission.
For the time being at least, a dual-cab body and six-speed Aisin automatic transmission are the sole body and gearbox choices Nissan is offering.
Fuel economy is rated at 7.7 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle, helped by the adoption of electrically-assisted power steering. Towing is rated at 3500kg braked and 750kg unbraked, aligning with the industry benchmark in this class.
Perhaps the most interesting technical detail is that the D27 Navara splits the range in two based on how the four-wheel drive systems function, much like the Triton.
Entry-level variants feature the ‘Easy 4WD’ system, which is claimed to "automatically [switch] between two-wheel drive for highway cruising and four-wheel drive when extra traction is needed."
This layout incorporates an electronic rear differential lock, to help eke out a little more grip off-road.
Despite its definition, which would suggest a 4WD system which can power all four wheels on sealed surfaces, it is thought Easy 4WD instead matches the cheaper Tritons' Easy Select system, which must be run in two-wheel-drive on bitumen.
If you're looking for something a bit beefier, go for either the ST-X or Pro-4X models, which are built around what Nissan calls the ‘Super 4WD’ system – in effect, a rebranding of Mitsubishi's Super Select II 4WD architecture.
This features a Torsen limited-slip centre differential, seven terrain modes – Normal, Eco, Gravel, Snow, Mud, Sand, and Rock – and is designed to be driven in four-wheel-drive on sealed surfaces in addition to loose conditions.
Navara buyers will get up to 10 years or 300,000km of warranty coverage when servicing with Nissan, plus five years of capped-price servicing, and up to 10 years of roadside assistance.
2026 Nissan Navara launch date
Full pricing and specification details of the D27 Nissan Navara range are not due until closer to the model's launch at the end of the first quarter of next year.
Nevertheless, this first look gives us a reasonable idea of what to expect, and Triton pricing provides a ballpark guide.
The range will also be rationalised from the huge choice offered to customers with the D23 Navara.
"Our customers are screaming for simplicity, as are our dealers," said Humberstone, "we want to have a much more simplistic kind of portfolio in terms of entry, mid and top range type of mindset."
As four-wheel drive dual-cabs make up more than 90 per cent of the current Navara's sales mix, Nissan is focusing on these models for the launch of D27 Navara.
Andy brings almost 30 years automotive writing experience to his role at Drive. When he wasn’t showing people which way the Nürburgring went, he freelanced for outlets such as Car, Autocar, and The Times. After contributing to Top Gear Australia, Andy subsequently moved Down Under, serving as editor at MOTOR and Wheels. As Drive’s Road Test Editor, he’s at the heart of our vehicle testing, but also loves to spin a long-form yarn.
