2021 Nissan Navara vs Toyota HiLux

What's the difference?

We’re pleased to say this is the best Navara we’ve tested, since the NP300’s launch in 2015. Although it’s taken a few years, Nissan has finally delivered what this Navara should have been from the start. It’s worthy of serious consideration by sub-$50K dual cab ute buyers looking for a competent 4x4 workhorse that offers the right combination of refinement, safety, performance, fuel economy and load-carrying ability.

It’s a sign of the ever-increasing popularity of 4x4 dual cabs that Toyota would offer a more upmarket version of a body type traditionally reserved for base model grades. The SR5’s generous standard equipment list and high-grade interior trim could have considerable appeal for tradies and adventurers alike in this new cab-chassis configuration. 

The Navara’s latest design language is inspired by Nissan’s Titan full-size US pick-up, particularly the bold new grille design which can’t be appreciated on our test vehicle due to the substantial bull-bar.

However, the frontal styling changes are extensive including grille, headlights, lower fascia, bonnet and front wheel arches; the latter enlarged to provide extra clearance for the 17-inch wheels and tyres. The load tub is also deeper plus there’s new taillights, a stepped rear bumper and new tailgate styling with ‘Navara’ stamped into the lower panel.

The brakes and coil-spring live rear axle have been upgraded in line with the higher minimum one-tonne payload rating across the dual cab range. Off-road credentials include a 12.5-metre turning circle, 220mm ground clearance, 600mm wading depth and 32 degrees approach, 22.9 degrees ramp break-over and 26 degrees departure angles.

Base-grade ute interiors are looking more upmarket these days and the Navara SL is no exception, offering a visually-pleasing and practical blend of contrasting chrome, satin chrome and textured hard surfaces combined with two-tone upholstery. 

Although the seats are supportive and comfortable, tall people might find the driver’s seat a tad too high. Even on its lowest setting, it can feel like you’re sitting more over the steering wheel than behind it. A more prominent and defined left footrest would also be welcome here.

Rear seat head-room and shoulder-room are marginal for three adults, particularly in the higher centre position with feet either side of the transmission hump, knees squeezed together between the front seat backrests and head pressing into the roof lining. However, knee-room is acceptable for the two outer positions, thanks largely to the concave shape of the front seat backrests. 

The adjustable A/C vents in the rear of the centre console boost rear passenger comfort, although most of the airflow is blocked by the centre passenger’s legs if travelling three-abreast. Needless to say, the Navara (like most dual cabs) works much better as a four-seater.

The latest HiLux range brings a swag of engineering enhancements, headlined by a class benchmark 3500kg braked towing capacity and long-awaited revision of the leaf-spring rear suspension tuning for a smoother ride when unladen.

There’s also increased engine performance, enhanced automatic transmission function, revised power-steering with greater assistance at parking speeds and (at last) rotating nobs replacing fiddly touchscreen buttons to control volume and tuning on the multimedia system.

We should also point out that the SR5, in this dual cab-chassis configuration, misses out on the front and rear parking sensors and reversing camera fitted as standard to ute-bodied versions. That’s a bit miserly on Toyota’s part, given that recent new arrivals like Isuzu’s new D-Max dual cab-chassis provides a reversing camera as standard equipment in its Workmate-equivalent SX grade. 

Even so, front parking sensors and a reversing camera are listed in Toyota’s genuine accessories catalogue and can be retro-fitted at extra cost.

The Navara SL has gained 105kg since we last reviewed this model in 2018. Although it now has a heftier 2033kg kerb weight, its 3150kg GVM also allows for a higher one-tonne-plus payload rating of 1117kg. 

It’s also rated to tow up to the class-benchmark 3500kg of braked trailer. However, to do that while staying on the legal side of its 5910kg GCM (or how much you can carry and tow at the same time) would require a massive 740kg reduction in payload. And that would leave only 377kg of legal payload capacity, which could easily be used up by a crew of four without luggage.

A more practical compromise for potential owners would be to base the towing limit on the Navara’s 3150kg GVM instead, which would reduce the maximum tow rating from 3500kg to 2760kg (which is still a sizeable trailer) but maintain the Navara’s big one-tonne-plus payload rating. 

The load tub floor’s 1509mm length is slightly shorter than its 1560mm width and its total load volume has grown thanks to a 45mm depth increase. However, with 1134mm between the rear wheel housings, it won’t fit a standard Aussie or Euro pallet (like most dual cab utes).

Cabin storage includes a large-bottle holder and storage bin in each front door plus a single glove-box and overhead glasses holder. The centre console offers an open storage cubby at the front, two small-bottle/cup holders in the centre and a small lidded box at the back.

Rear seat passengers also get a large-bottle holder and smaller storage bin in each door plus a fold-down centre armrest with two small-bottle/cup holders. The rear seat’s base cushion can also swing upwards through 90 degrees and be stored vertically for more internal cargo space. 

The standard 1945kg kerb weight increases to 2253kg with the full-steel tray which weighs a hefty 308kg. Therefore, the standard 1105kg payload rating has to be reduced by the same amount to avoid exceeding the 3050kg GVM, which leaves a lower peak payload of 797kg.

It's also rated to tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer but with its 5850kg GCM limit (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) that would leave only 97kg of payload capacity, which would be used up by the driver alone.

So, while it’s possible to tow 3500kg, it’s impractical in real-world terms and few ute owners need to tow more than 3000kg anyway. An owner would be better served by basing tow limits on the HiLux’s 3050kg GVM, which drops the tow rating from 3500kg to 2800kg but preserves almost 800kg of payload. That’s a more practical set of numbers.

The heavy-duty all-steel tray features a robust checker-plate floor and tube-section headboard with vertical spikes on each side to retain long lengths of timber, PVC or copper pipe etc. There’s also a window protection frame and under-floor rope rails along each side. The three drop-side panels can be easily removed and additional support in the form of pivoting brackets at the rear is provided for the two side panels, if carrying loads with the rear panel removed.

However, there are no internal load anchorage points, which means loads like ours requiring straps or ropes must be anchored to the external rails. This suggests the HDS tray is best suited to carting loose building/landscape supplies like sand, soil, rocks, woodchips etc.

Rear seat passengers have a large-bottle holder and small storage bin in each door plus flexible storage pouches on the front seat backrests and a pair of small-bottle/cup holders in the fold-down centre armrest. The split-fold base cushions can be stored in a vertical position if more internal load space is needed or to access two underfloor storage compartments.

Our Eclipse Black 4x4 test vehicle, in deluxe SR5 grade with 2.8 litre turbo-diesel and six-speed torque converter automatic, has a list price of $58,420 - or $1500 less than the ute-bodied version. Toyota’s colour-matched Heavy Duty Steel (HDS) tray adds another $4319.82 (fitted) and raises the price to a rounded-up $62,740.

The SR5's many standard features not shared with its Workmate sibling include 18-inch alloys and 265/60 R18 road-biased tyres with a full-size spare, heated power door mirrors and variable intermittent wipers, LED daytime running lights and LED headlights with auto-levelling, privacy glass, side steps, tow-bar, chrome door handles and a rear diff lock.

There’s also a smart entry/start system to access a more sumptuous interior with carpet, high-grade driver and front passenger seats, premium seat fabric, air-conditioned upper glovebox/cooler box, 60/40-split rear seat with fold-down central armrest, climate control air-con with console air vents for the rear seat passengers, 220-volt accessory socket, sat-nav, DAB+ digital radio and a quality six-speaker (as opposed to twin-speaker) sound system.

The 2.3-litre YS23DDTT four-cylinder turbo-diesel is a gem, with two-stage inline turbochargers that provide excellent lag-free response either when accessing its ample 450Nm of peak torque between 1500-2500rpm, or 140kW of maximum power at 3750rpm.

The intelligent torque converter automatic offers near-seamless shifting between its seven close ratios and quickly downshifts under deceleration to ensure you’re always in the right gear when you accelerate again. The overdriven sixth and seventh cogs provide good economy for highway driving and a manual sequential-shift function allows more direct engine control, which is particularly useful on steep declines (which we tested) or when hauling heavy loads in hilly terrain (ditto).

Its 4x4 transmission is dual-range part-time controlled by a rotary dial on the dash, with shift-on-the fly electronic 4x4 engagement up to 100km/h and 2.7:1 low-range reduction. The electronic rear diff lock is controlled by a dashboard switch.

The latest revision of the HiLux’s ubiquitous 1GD-FTV 2.8 litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel produces 150kW at 3400rpm and (with auto) 500Nm between 1600-2800rpm. That's up from 130kW and 450Nm in its previous specification, which represents a 15 per cent power increase and 11 per cent boost in torque. These gains are the result of a larger liquid-cooled ball-bearing turbocharger and numerous other revisions.

Recalibration of the AC60F six-speed torque converter automatic has resulted in earlier lock-up of the torque converter, which optimises fuel economy and engine response without, according to Toyota, compromising HiLux’s mandated temperature tolerances particularly when towing.

The twin-turbo Navara engine has consistently delivered sub-10L/100km economy in our tests, albeit never as low as Nissan’s official figure of 7.9L/100km. So, we weren’t surprised to see a combined average of 9.2 on the dash display when we stopped to refuel after 314km, which included about a third of that distance hauling a maximum payload.

Our own figure measured at the pump came in at 9.8, which is still sub-10L and impressive given its robust performance.

Based on our figure you could expect a driving range of around 800km from its 80-litre tank.

Toyota claims a combined average of 8.0L/100km but the SR5’s dash display was showing 10.6 when we stopped to refuel at the end of our 392km test, which included more than 120km at maximum GVM.

Our figure calculated from tripmeter and fuel bowser readings was higher again at 11.5, which is typical of the 2-3L/100km discrepancies between official and real-world figures. So, based on our numbers, you could expect a realistic driving range of almost 700km from its 80-litre tank.

It’s not hard to find a comfortable driving position, the four-coil unladen ride quality is excellent and it has impressively low engine and tyre noise up to 110km/h. Our only gripe is that the driver’s seat base cushion feels too short for proper under-thigh support.

The most noticeable improvement is the steering, which we suspect is related to the switch to larger 17-inch wheels as Nissan makes no reference to it. The heavy, lifeless feel since its 2015 launch has finally been replaced with steering that’s nicely-weighted, easier to turn and feels more connected to the front wheels.

The twin-turbo diesel engine has ample performance, with its sizeable 450Nm of torque making light work of city and suburban driving. At highway speeds it requires only 1750rpm to maintain 100km/h and 2000rpm at 110km/h, which is also right in the middle of its peak torque band where throttle response is at its best.

With the height and reach adjustable steering wheel, supportive seats and well-placed left footrest, it’s not hard for most drivers to find a comfortable position. 

It also has excellent refinement, as you’d expect from Toyota, with low engine and tyre noise combined with a squeak and rattle-free body and tray. Low wind noise, even at highway speeds, is a pleasant surprise given the tray’s headboard frame protrudes above the roof line.

The higher engine outputs and sharper torque converter lock-up result in improved acceleration. However, the most noticeable difference with the latest HiLux upgrade is the retuned rear suspension, which can still get a bit jiggly on bumpy roads but provides a much-improved ride quality when unladen or lightly loaded. 

While there’s no doubt the hefty 300kg-plus weight of the all-steel tray helped in this regard, Toyota has found a better balance between unladen ride quality and load-carrying ability which makes it more comfortable to live with as a daily driver. 

Even though the SR5 in cab-chassis form is not equipped with a reversing camera nor front/rear parking sensors as standard, the maximum five-star ANCAP rating (tested 2019) applies across the HiLux range.

Highlights include AEB with pedestrian and daylight cyclist detection, lane departure alert with steering assist, high-speed active cruise control, road sign assist, downhill assist and trailer sway control, but no blind-spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert. There’s also ISOFIX child seat mounting points on the two outer rear seating positions and three top-tether mounts, along with seven airbags.

The Navara is covered by Nissan's five years/unlimited km warranty plus five years 24-hour roadside assist. Scheduled servicing every 20,000km/12 months whichever occurs first. Total capped-price of $2971 covers the first five scheduled services up to five years/100,000km whichever occurs first.

Five years/unlimited km warranty with capped-price of $250 for each of the first six scheduled services. However, the service intervals are relatively short at 6 months/10,000km whichever occurs first.