Speculation about the upcoming next-generation Nissan Navara has been rife, but as yet no firm details are actually known despite the brand finally teasing the new ute.
The new Thai-built model is expected to be available to buy in Australia in the first quarter of 2026, but beyond that very little information has actually been confirmed about the newest version of Nissan’s ute.
Of course, there are a stack of features the new ute will be expected to have in order for it to be competitive in a very busy market and there are things we’d like to see onboard the new Nissan workhorse that are non-negotiables.
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In terms of overall general elements, the upcoming Navaras will still have high- and low-range 4WD, one-tonne payload (depending on the variant), and 3500kg towing capacity, in keeping with the 4WD ute segment standard.
But we have more than a few questions, such as how much the new Navara will resemble the latest Mitsubishi Triton on which the brand confirmed it will be based? Will a hybrid Navara be part of the new line-up? And will Nissan sort out the rear suspension once and for all?
Here are some of the top things we’d like to see in the upcoming Navara.
Design
Ute buyers are increasingly sophisticated nowadays and it's crucial that Nissan differentiates the Navara, in terms of appearance, from the Triton in a substantial way.
Sharing under-the-metal characteristics including powertrain and platform is fine and in this day and age of Ranger-based Amaroks par-for-the-course, but Nissan will need to give the new iteration of its ute some cool-looking bulk including, but not limited to, an in-your-face front end, a blocky but space-age cabin, and chunky wheel arches at a minimum – to suit its profile, longer wheelbase and wider stance.
Nissan should further bolster those features with sufficiently different styling touches to the existing Triton to set the Navara apart from its rivals.
Give the ute-buying public what they want: different but not too different.
Throw in some new variant-specific badging and you have a recipe for avoiding a Kia Tasman-type backlash.
Hybrid
The new Navara line-up will likely include some form of electrification and a hybrid with a petrol plug-in powertrain is likely to happen during the upcoming Navara’s life cycle. Nissan has ready access to Mitsubishi's plug-in hybrid technology so that approach seems sensible.
But, initially, the Navara will likely only be offered with the Triton’s 2.4-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo-diesel engine (150kW/470Nm) – and that’s more than the current Navara’s 2.3-litre twin-turbocharged engine outputs of 140kW and 450Nm.
For reference, the Toyota HiLux is good for 150kW/500Nm and the Ford Ranger’s 2.0-litre bi-turbo produces 154kW/500Nm.
Nissan knows that Aussies do a lot of towing – for work and play – and drive long distances so the retention of a diesel powertrain suits our market.
A full battery EV Navara is, of course, some way off – Nissan has yet to fully realise its solid-state battery technology – but for now a hybrid makes a lot of sense, especially in light of the popularity of new plug-in hybrid utes such as the BYD Shark 6.
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Suspension
Nissan is all too aware of persistent criticisms of the rear coil-spring suspension in D23 dual-cab Navaras and all indications are that the new-generation Navara will have the Triton’s leaf-spring set-up as a way of addressing those problems.
Sure, coils at the rear iron out some unladen ride-quality issues in utes, but the flip-side of that is the fact that, once loaded, a ute with coil-sprung, multi-link rear suspension doesn’t offer the same controlled capability – in the Navara’s case, exhibiting too much sag under load – as a leaf-sprung ute.
Thankfully, it seems that Nissan will go ahead and use the Triton’s locally tuned suspension configuration, which includes a lightweight leaf-spring set-up at the rear, and that will, Nissan hopes, effectively get rid of any sagging objections.
Nissan could even consider offering a general Navara variant that benefits from a bit of light Premcar treatment, something along the lines of the existing Navara SL Warrior but not quite as gnarly.
