2020 Nissan Navara vs Toyota HiLux

What's the difference?

The Navara ST is not the best dual-cab around, but it’s certainly the best of the current Navara line-up, although you might want more driver-assist bang for your buck than is on offer in this variant.

However, it is refined and comfortable, and more than able to tackle daily duties and weekend camping trips with restrained, if unspectacular, efficiency.

The SR is a reasonably priced dual-cab ute in the grand scheme of things and it makes sense as a great platform for an accessorised work and/or touring vehicle.

It's not the most refined or most comfortable ute available – with an overall harsh riding nature – but it’s a solid, capable workhorse.

This great all-rounder strikes a good balance between price, equipment levels and being actually built for purpose, whether that’s work or play. 

The Navara is a good-looking unit – in that unassuming manner of most SUV-ified dual-cab utes nowadays. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to make a vomit-face about either.

As I always tell you, dear readers: be a grown-up and sort out your own opinion, with regards to looks. You like what you like; I like what I like; sometimes we might like the same thing. No doubt, if you’ve got this far into the yarn, you’re not particularly put off by the Navara’s looks anyway.

The SR is slightly upmarket of the base-spec Workmate Hilux, but not by much. 

It looks like a current-model Hilux in the pick-up style, just minus any of the fancy aftermarket-style trimmings you might expect, such as nudge-bars or bullbars and snorkels, because you’ve seen a lot of Rogue, Rugged and Rugged X variants around.

The interior is nice and well-laid out, if a little on the plain side of things. Build quality is impressive.

The seats are cloth and there is hard plastic everywhere – but that’s all in keeping with its hard-work-and-fun-lifestyle approach.

The seats are comfortable and space is more than adequate, although the second row is a bit squeezy if three adults – or even lanky teens – are located there.

The new 8.0-inch colour touchscreen is easy enough to operate although, as mentioned, I couldn’t get my smartphone paired up to it. 

Storage options include a shallow space (with a 12V socket) on top of the dash, a small console, cupholders (two under-vent locations and between the two front seats), and door pockets.

The interior is basic and user-friendly, with all controls easy to swiftly find and operate, even on the fly. 

The seats are cloth, the floor is vinyl and hard plastic everywhere means the entire interior space is able to cop a work-day or weekend-away muddying without a fuss.

There is a variety of storage options including cupholders, door pockets, glove box, sunglass case and a shallow space behind the shifter for your phone.

The rear seat is a 60/40 split-fold arrangement with fold-down armrest, sporting two cupholders, plus storage underneath.

There are no air vents back there though and mind your head on the protruding grab handles as on previous drives our testers have head butted those on rough terrain.

It’s a well-built interior that’s not flash, but it makes a lot of sense.

A turbo-diesel Hilux SR dual-cab with a six-speed automatic transmission has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $49,515 (plus ORCs).

However, our test vehicle also had premium paint ($600), as well as the $2000 option* of satellite navigation and 17-inch alloy wheels, instead of steelies. (* That’s only available on the 4X4 dual‑cab Hilux pick-up-style variants.)

So, as tested, our SR was $52,115.

Standard features include 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen, cloth seats, vinyl floor covering, an air-conditioned cooler box up front, and side steps. Driver-assist gear includes cruise control, downhill assist, reversing camera, and a rear diff lock. 

Otherwise it’s all rather bare bones – with dial-operated air-con and fan speeds, among plenty of other basic things – which is fine by me.

By the way, there’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

The Navara ST has a 2.3-litre intercooled twin-turbo-diesel engine – producing 140kW at 3750rpm and 450Nm at 1500 – 2500rpm. It’s mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission with a manual-shift mode.

The Navara has a selectable part-time 4WD system, with high- and low-range.

It’s a refined and responsive combination, mostly on target, and certainly an improvement on Navara pairings of the past.

(Full disclosure: I own a 2008 D22 Navara (an ST-R with 2.5-litre common-rail diesel engine) and the engine in this new Navara is much better than that ol’ wheezy unit … but that’s not really saying much because the gutless engine in my Nav really is on the wrong side of impressive. However, my ute more than does its job – hauling family, mountain-bikes and kayaks – so mind your own business.)

The 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (130kW at 3400rpm and 450Nm at 1600–2400rpm), a six-speed automatic transmission, a selectable 4WD system and a rear diff lock.

It’s a working truck so don’t be surprised with the very workmanlike engine; it’s not the most powerful thing around, nor the torquiest – look to a V6 dual-cab ute for those measures – but it does the job, albeit in a rather gruff kind of way.

Fuel consumption is listed as 7.0L/100km. I recorded a fuel consumption on test of 9.8L/100km, after more than 240km of driving, including high- and low-range four-wheel driving. 

It has an 80-litre fuel tank.

Fuel consumption is listed as 8.5L/100km. The trip computer showed an average of 10.4L/100km after more than 200km of mixed driving, including some low-range 4WDing. We did not get a fill-to-fill fuel-consumption figure on this test, but we have most recently recorded 12L/100km in an SR5.

The Hilux has an 80-litre fuel tank.

The general impression is in the Navara’s favour: it’s a smooth, refined daily driver.

It’s not an insubstantial ute, measuring 5255mm long (with a 3150mm-long wheelbase), 1850mm wide and 1825mm high but, even with a listed kerb weight of 1942kg, it manages to feel like an easy-enough steerer. Turning circle is listed as 12.4m.

As mentioned, the engine and auto are a responsive and energetic match-up and do well to deliver controlled power and torque when needed.

The Navara’s suspension set-up (coil springs all-round, independent double-wishbones with stabiliser bar at the front, and five-link rear) helps to yield a comfortable, compliant ride and add to its overall controlled handling.

It’s mostly quiet in the cabin, although noise from that twin-turbo engine starts to intrude when the Navara is pushed hard at lower speeds.

All-round driving characteristics are pretty good but there is, however, a definite sponginess to the brake pedal though, but, having said that, the ute did grind to controlled stops on the two occasions we did “Watch out for that roo!” emergency-braking scenarios. It has disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear.    

There is some body-roll when pitched hard into corners, but otherwise this ladder-frame chassis workhorse drives pretty well in most circumstances.

From the get-go, you absolutely know you’re in a ute. 

Unladen ride is firm, borders on harsh, but that’s no surprise if you’ve spent any time whatsoever in a ute and it’s on par with some rivals.

Ride and handling are pretty good, with its Aussie-tuned suspension (including traditional-ute leaf-springs at the rear) doing a decent job of sorting everything evenly, and it was only ever rattled by very severe bumps, wash-outs, and ruts at lower speeds, i.e. during low-range 4WDing.

For a 1955kg ute that’s 5330mm long, 1815mm high and 1855mm wide, the Hilux is easy to manoeuvre around town and in the bush.

Steering, telescopic adjustable only, is well weighted, with a light precision to it that’s very welcome.

NVH levels are nicely subdued with a real quiet feel to the Hilux cabin.

The engine feels a little underpowered and the six-speed auto is not the sharpest, most modern auto in the ute market, but this combination does the job with minimal fuss.

The SR rides on the optional 17-inch alloy wheels and Dunlop Grandtrek AT tyres (265/65R17).

The SR has a five-star ANCAP rating, from July 2019. It has seven airbags (driver and front passenger, driver’s knee, front side, and side curtain shield), AEB (operational from 10-80km/h), lane keep assist with lane departure warning, a reversing camera, rear diff lock and downhill assist.

There are two ISOFIX mounts in the second-row outer seats and one top-tether anchor point in the centre.

Nissan’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, five-year, 24-hour roadside assistance and six-year capped-price servicing program cover all 2020 Navaras.

Servicing intervals are scheduled at 12 month/20,000km intervals and cost $537, $562, $713, $562, $537 and $738.

The Hilux has a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Capped price servicing is applicable on all HiLux diesel models, for the first three years or 60,000kms up to a limit of six services. The cost is $250 per service.