Nissan Navara vs Ford Ranger

What's the difference?

Although the D23 Navara is approaching a decade in local showrooms and due for replacement in 2025, the base-model SL still represents a fuel-efficient and competent workhorse with ample back-to-basics practicality.

The standard Ford Ranger is a comfortable ute and a capable 4WD, and while the Tremor treatment doesn’t offer any real enhancement in terms of on-road comfort or handling, it certainly improves an already impressive 4WD’s off-road efficacy.

The Tremor is a sensibly upgraded package with real 4WD boosts across the board – full-time 4WD, heavy-duty suspension, more ground clearance, and decent all-terrain tyres – which make a meaningful difference.

Sure, it’s no Raptor, but it offers enough in terms of dirt-driving advantages over the regular Ranger to give the Tremor plenty of appeal – and it will likely rattle the cages of rivals like the HiLux Rogue and Navara Warrior.

The cabin’s fabric-covered seats, wipe-clean vinyl floor and urethane-rimmed steering wheel/shifter are consistent with the SL’s work focus.

Reminders of its 2015 origins are numerous mechanical switches and dials on the dash (which we prefer to touchscreen versions), a steering wheel with only height adjustment, a mechanical rather than electronic handbrake, rear drum brakes instead of discs and analogue speedo/tacho.

Even so, its interior design still looks a cut above a base-grade ute, with a visually-pleasing and practical blend of chrome, satin chrome and piano black combined with two-tone upholstery.

The well-bolstered front seats are comfortable and supportive, but a larger and more defined left footrest would enhance driver comfort.

Rear passenger knee room is adequate for the two outer seating positions, thanks largely to the concave shape of the front seat backrests.

However, shoulder room is tight for three adults and headroom is marginal, particularly for tall people in the higher centre position who also must contend with a headrest that has insufficient height adjustment.

Like most dual cab utes, short of full-size US pick-ups, the Navara works best as a four-seater with the fifth seat limited to short trips. 

Off-road credentials include a 12.5-metre turning circle, 220mm of ground clearance, a 600mm wading depth and 32 degrees approach, 22.9 degrees ramp break-over and 26 degrees departure angles.

The Tremor stands out from regular Rangers because of its taller stance, 30mm wider footprint (on chunky General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tyres), and greater ground clearance (second only to the Raptor).

It has a honeycomb grille up front, a bash plate, 17-inch alloys, pronounced cast-aluminium side-steps and a sports bar.

The Tremor also has a raised Tremor badge on the tailgate, Tremor stickers here and there on the outside, and black Ford oval badges at the front and rear are nice touches.

If nothing else, its exterior at least gives the impression that the Tremor is capable of serious 4WDing.

The interior has those aforementioned rubber mats and Tremor-branded stitching to set the Tremor apart from standard Rangers.

Overall, it compares well in the looks department with rivals such as the HiLux Rogue or Nissan Navara Warrior, who both also share an understated gnarliness about their appearance.

With its relatively light 2033kg kerb weight and 3150kg GVM, our test vehicle has a one-tonne-plus payload rating of 1117kg.

It’s also rated to tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer. However, to tow that weight would require a substantial 740kg reduction in vehicle payload to avoid exceeding its 5910kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time). Even so, few (if any) Navara owners would need to tow 3500kg.

The load tub is almost square with its 1509mm floor length and 1560mm width. And with 1134mm between the rear wheel housings, it won’t fit a standard Aussie pallet but will take a Euro, held in place by a choice of four load-anchorage points.

In terms of cabin storage, the centre console offers open storage up front, two small-bottle/cupholders in the centre and a small lidded box at the back. There’s also a large-bottle holder and storage bin in each front door, plus a glove box and overhead glasses holder.

Rear passengers get a large-bottle holder and smaller storage bin in each door plus a fold-down centre armrest with two small-bottle/cupholders. The rear bench seat’s base cushion can also swing up and be stored vertically for more internal cargo space, or to access two small underfloor storage compartments.

The Tremor cabin is simply a Ranger interior with a few brand-specific touches, so it’s a roomy and comfortable space and scores well in terms of overall practicality.

The multimedia system is a decent size with clear and crisp colours and is easy enough to operate – but you need to repeatedly stab your finger onto the screen in order to work your way through menus and sub-menus to figure it all out. My tip: get your head around all of its functionality – some of it counter-intuitive – while the vehicle is stationary. Also, the fact that some controls are on-screen and some are off-screen creates more than a little bit of confusion.

Driver and front passenger have easy access to storage options, such as centre console, cupholders, door pockets and a pocket-dump shelf, and charging points (wireless charger, USB and USB-C sockets).

There’s plenty of space for the driver and the passengers, front and back, and the seats are supportive and comfortable and only marginally less so in the back row. There’s enough room back there to hopefully avoid any whinging – I sat behind my driving position and had loads of space.

Second-row passengers get a fold-down centre arm-rest, door pockets, map pockets, air-con vents and controls.

The Tremor’s tub measures 1464mm long (at the floor; 1217mm between the wheel-arches), 1520mm wide and 525mm deep. Opening width at the tailgate is 1393mm.

The tub is standard Ranger stuff – with a sturdy-looking liner, four fixed-in-place tie-down points, a 12-volt outlet, and LED lighting – but it also has two sliding tie-down points mounted high on each inner sidewall of the tub and that adds some flexibility to the cargo area.

Noteworthy is the fact that the Tremor has a built-in step on both exterior sides of the tub towards the rear, providing a safe place in which to put your foot when you want to gain a higher position in order to pack or adjust something in the cargo area, or even climb into the tub.

The Tremor has a listed price of $69,690 (excluding on-road costs). That price-point pits it against the HiLux Rogue ($70,760, or $71,530 with V-Active 48V mild hybridisation) or Nissan Navara Warrior ($71,265).

The Tremor is based on the mid-spec 2.0-litre Ranger Sport but, as mentioned earlier, it has the line-up’s full-time 4WD system, which is standard on V6 Rangers. It's not the part-time system used by other four-cylinder 4WD models.

But there’s more going on in the Tremor than that swap-out of the 4WD set-up.

It has electric power steering that has undergone a heavy-duty tune, heavy-duty off-road suspension including new springs and Bilstein dampers with external reservoirs (a set-up borrowed from the Wildtrak X).

The Tremor has a claimed 261mm ground clearance measure (more about that later), which means, in the Ranger line-up, only the Raptor has more with a claimed 272mm.

The Tremor also has General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tyres (LT 265/70 R17) on 17-inch Asphalt Black alloy wheels, and low-speed Rock Crawl mode, Trail Control (which adjusts throttle to suit low-speed low-range 4WDing), and Trail Turn Assist (which, at the push of a button, brakes the inside rear wheel to help the Tremor complete tight turns during low-range 4WDing).

Otherwise standard features onboard the Tremor include a 10.1-inch LCD portrait touchscreen multimedia system (with sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both wireless or wired), a wireless smartphone charger, dual-zone climate control, as well as LED headlights, cast-aluminium side steps, a sports bar and more.

The Tremor also gets all-weather Tremor-branded rubber mats and an overhead auxiliary switch console designed to house any aftermarket switchgear you might want to add to your Tremor (to control additional lights etc.).

Exterior paint choices include the no-extra-cost Arctic White, or Shadow Black, Aluminium, Blue Lightning, Meteor Grey, and Conquer Grey, which all cost $700.

Tremor’s options list includes a Touring Pack (which includes a cargo-management system, all-round-view camera system, and Pro-Trailer reversing system ($1650); a Ford roof-rack system ($2800); and a manual roller-shutter cargo cover ($3000).

The Navara’s 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel produces 140kW at 3750rpm and 450Nm of torque between 1500-2500rpm. Its two-stage inline turbochargers (a small one for low rpm, a large one for high rpm) operate in sequence to provide vigorous response at all engine speeds with excellent economy.

A refined seven-speed torque converter automatic offers near-seamless shifting and the overdriven sixth and seventh gears enhance fuel economy at highway speeds.

Drivers also have the option of sequential manual-shifting to provide more direct engine control when off-roading or carrying/towing heavy loads. Its 4x4 transmission is dual-range, part-time and is equipped with an electronic rear diff lock.

The Tremor has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel engine – producing 150kW at 3750rpm and 500Nm at 1750-2000rpm – and that’s matched to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

It and the Wildtrak X are the only non-V6 Ranger variants that get the more advanced full-time 4WD system. This set-up has selectable two-wheel drive (2H), four-wheel drive high-range (4H), four-wheel drive low-range (4L) and four-wheel drive automatic (4A = 4Auto) that sends drive to the front and rear axles as needed, and which can be safely used on high-traction surfaces, such as bitumen.

The Tremor has a variety of selectable drive modes – including Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Slippery, Mud/Ruts, and Sand – and a locking rear diff.

Nissan claims an official combined average of 7.9L/100km and the dash readout was showing 7.7 when we stopped to refuel after clocking up just under 600km on the first tank, which included a 400km-plus day trip from Melbourne to regional Victoria.

Our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, came in at a slightly higher but still frugal 8.4L/100km which proves the fuel-sipping efficiency of diesels when highway cruising.

We covered another 168km in city and suburban use, with the dash claiming 8.6 compared to our own figure of 9.5, which is still thrifty single-digit economy for a two-tonne ute.

Therefore, based on our own ‘real world’ figures, you could expect a driving range of about 840km around town and up to 950km on a trip from its 80-litre tank.

The Ranger Tremor has an official fuel consumption of 8.7L/100km (on a combined cycle, with stop-start engaged) or 9.3L/100km (on a combined cycle) if you have Ford disable that system at no extra cost.

I recorded 10.4L/100km on this test. I did plenty of 4WDing but I also spent a lot of time on highways so that levelled out any impact the off-roading had on fuel consumption.

The Tremor has an 80-litre fuel tank so, going by my on-test fuel-consumption figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 770km from a full tank. 

Note: the Tremor requires AdBlue diesel-exhaust fluid.

The driving position is comfortable for most shapes and sizes, even though the steering wheel does not have reach adjustment and the seat lacks adjustable base cushion rake or lumbar support.

The ride is firm when unladen but its four-coil suspension is absorbent enough to soak up the worst of the bumps. The steering feel is responsive and nicely weighted, combined with competent handling and braking that contribute to a positive driving experience.

It’s also impressively quiet at highway speeds, with low tyre and wind noise and an engine that requires less than 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h with minimal effort.

To test its payload rating we forklifted 830kg into the load tub, which combined with our crew of two was a one-tonne-plus payload of 1010kg. That was about 100kg less than its payload limit.

The supple coil-spring rear suspension compressed 80mm under this loading, yet its high ride height ensured there was still about 40mm of bump-stop clearance remaining, which proved ample in avoiding any bottoming-out on our test route. However, that’s not to say it wouldn’t with an extra 100kg on board.

It also excelled on our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, with the seven-speed auto self-shifting down to fourth gear and just under 2000rpm (right in the middle of its peak torque band) to easily haul this load to the top.

Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, was also impressive for a 2.3-litre engine restraining more than one tonne of payload. Overall, the Navara proved to be a competent heavy-load hauler.

Time and distance are two crucial factors that always help to crystallise accurate and objective scrutiny of a vehicle.

And so it was on this test.

Long stretches on open roads punctuated by short, sharp bursts of tough, technical 4WDing – and the Tremor did well in both realms but, of course, proved much better suited to off-roading.

The Tremor is nice to drive on-road – quiet, refined, comfortable and the engine and transmission are a relaxed and clever combination – but it’s off-road-suited suspension is firm through patches of chopped-up back-country bitumen and corrugated bush tracks and the like – sometimes jarringly so – and the chunky all-terrain tyres don’t help on sealed surfaces either. No surprise there.

But on the open highway at cruising speed, the Tremor exhibits all of those smooth-driving characteristics the Ranger line-up is so well known for. It sits on the road nicely, with that wider footprint yielding a settled stance, and this ute simply rumbles along the blacktop with nary a care in the world.

The brake pedal feels a tad spongy – taking some time between initial foot pressure to actually ‘biting', and then the brakes – discs all round – do clamp effectively into action.

Unsurprisingly, the Tremor does even better than a standard Ranger when 4WDing because that’s what it’s been engineered to do.

This ute is 5370mm long (with a 3270mm wheelbase), 2208mm wide and 1914mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 2419kg. This is not a petite ute by anyone’s measure but even with a turning circle of 12.9m, it manages to never feel unwieldy on bush tracks.

It’s based on the Ranger Sport, which is no slouch in the off-roading department but, as mentioned earlier, it has the line-up’s full-time 4WD set-up not the part-time 4WD system.

The 2.0-litre engine is rarely stressed, offers plenty of torque across a decent rev range and it never has to work hard to get through most obstacles or challenges.

The 10-speed auto transmission is clever – there’s no scrambling between ratios – and you can take over duties yourself you can do so via the manual shifter. The ‘e-Shifter’ is mildly annoying but it irritates me less every time I use it.

Low-range gearing is adequate and the Tremor has an electronic rear diff lock for more traction-boosting control. It’s worth noting here that the Raptor has front and rear diff locks.

There’s plenty of driver-assist tech onboard and off-road driving modes include Mud/Ruts and Sand. These are no substitute for track-worthy 4WD mechanicals, but these modes do effectively adjust engine throttle, transmission, braking, traction and stability controls to suit the driving conditions.

Driver-assist tech is sound: off-road applications are displayed on screen – with driveline/diff lock indicators, steering, pitch and roll angles depicted – and hill descent control held the Tremor to a controlled 3-4km/h as I tip-toed down to the bottom of a difficult slope.

The Tremor upgrades have further boosted the Ranger’s capabilities off-road.

The power steering, light and sporty in all scenarios, has been tweaked with a heavy-duty tune and retains a confident feel in difficult conditions.

The suspension set-up – working off IFS with wishbones and coils at the front and live axle on leaf springs at the rear – now benefits from heavy-duty off-road engineering with new springs and Bilstein dampers with external reservoirs.

Wheel travel – how far the axle can move up and down vertically wheel to wheel relative to the chassis – is slightly better than a standard Ranger’s, with this ute’s tyres stretching further than the regular version’s.

Rubber is all-important when it comes to 4WDing and the news is good here: the Tremor has General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tyres (LT 265/70 R17) and these light-truck construction tyres are grippy and effective in the dirt.

The Tremor benefits from more driver-assist tech including low-speed Rock Crawl driving mode, Trail Control (which adjusts throttle to suit low-speed low-range 4WDing), and Trail Turn Assist (which, at low-range 4WD speeds, brakes the inside rear wheel to assist in tight turns.

Where a standard Ranger might scrape its underbody when off-road terrain becomes particularly challenging, the Tremor is higher off the deck than its regular stablemates. Its claimed ground clearance is 261mm but is probably closer to 220mm. I’ve said it before, but it’s worth noting again: as with any measurements provided by any vehicle manufacturer (ground clearance, wading depth, towing capacities etc), consider those figures with healthy scepticism. I’m more inclined to avoid maxing out on any listed measurement, just to be on the safe side, rather than have complete faith in any car-maker claims and perhaps risk strife as a result.

Continuing on: wading depth is listed as 800mm and its off-road angles are sound for this part of the market: for your reference, approach, departure and ramp-over angles are listed as 32, 27 and 24 degrees respectively.

There are a couple of niggles, though.

I’ve previously expressed annoyance at the auto transmission shifter – a kind of joystick on a light cycle of steroids and just as touchy. It’s especially finicky on bumpy terrain but it’s another Ranger-based characteristic to which I’m gradually becoming accustomed.

The operation of some off-road driver-assist tech can be confusing as it’s divided between the rotary dial (to select drive modes) and the screen (to engage the rear diff lock etc). Not a deal-breaker, but it takes some getting used to.

Back to regular programming: the Tremor has a listed payload of 901kg, and towing capacities of 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg (braked) – and that’s where it bests its Raptor stablemate, which can manage 2500kg.

It has a listed GVM (gross vehicle mass) of 3320kg and a GCM (gross combined mass) of 6350kg. Remember: any onboard loads – such as people, pets, camping gear or aftermarket equipment (bullbar, roof rack etc) – must figure in your payload and GVM equations.

The Ford Ranger has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in 2022.

Standard safety features include nine airbags (front, side, knee and full-length curtain for the driver and passenger, plus a front-centre airbag), AEB, adaptive cruise control (with stop and go), lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring (with cross-traffic alert and trailer coverage), a reversing camera and more.

Off-road-specific driver-assist tech includes off-road driving modes, Rock Crawl Mode, Trail Control, and Trail Turn Assist.

There’s a five year/unlimited km warranty, plus five years of 24-hour roadside assist. Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/20,000km whichever occurs first.

Total capped-price of $3305 covers the first five scheduled services within five years, or an average of $661 per year.

The Tremor is covered by Ford’s five year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is the standard for dual-cab utes.

Roadside assistance is available for up to seven years as long as the Tremor’s owner has the ute serviced at an authorised Ford dealership.

Service intervals are scheduled for every 12 months or 15,000km and a fixed-price servicing plan applies to the first four years/60,000km if you pre-pay the $1385 required (GST included).