Used Nissan Navara review

Pros

Coil sprung suspension provides great driving dynamics
Proving to be reliable
Well-appointed cabin
Strong twin turbo engine

Cons

Handling can be compromised when fully laden
Coil sprung rear end has loading limitations
Steering on early models can be vague
Tech can be underwhelming depending on spec and year model

Verdict

We wouldn't...

We'd be cautious

We would...

Buying a Navara depends what you want to do with it.

If you plan on towing very heavy loads on a regular basis or plan to throw hundreds of kilograms of weight in the tray daily or even weekly, or if you’re after an uncompromising off-roading beast, then no, you...

Publish: November 12, 2021

While the 2015 arrival of its third generation brought sweeping and wholesale change to everything Navara, the D23 was, is and will remain defined its choice of rear suspension. While big-name rivals in ute-dom stuck fast to tried and true left-type rear ends, this new replacement for both the larger D40 Nissan and archaic 17-year-old D22, ahem, ‘sprung’ a coil-type five-link rear on a segment bred on load-lugging and off-roading toughness. And boy did it ruffle feathers.

It’s a big deal, particularly cross-shopping used utes of recent vintage. While respectable in payload capacity – between 880kg and 1112kg in original guise – the popular dual-cab variants struggled with washy body control when bearing load limitations as a symptom. The upshot, though, was an inherently plush ride ideal for comfort and family hauling, a clear benefit for those not lugging around a tonne of payload, which is most owners most of the time.

Between 2015 and the beginning of 2021, the NP300 Navara, as it was known locally, got three series updates, two of which – Series 2 and 3 – almost wholly focused on retuning the suspension (and steering) to better balance load-lugging confidence while retaining class-leading ride.

Still, there’s a lot on the rest of the Navara menu. Size wise, D23 split the size difference between its D22 and D40 forebears, all new if carrying over its ladder frame chassis and crash structure. It launched in 14 different dual-cab guises and by the end of 2015 added single and

While the 2015 arrival of its third generation brought sweeping and wholesale change to everything Navara, the D23 was, is and will remain defined its choice of rear suspension. While big-name rivals in ute-dom stuck fast to tried and true left-type rear ends, this new replacement for both the larger D40 Nissan and archaic 17-year-old D22, ahem, ‘sprung’ a coil-type five-link rear on a segment bred on load-lugging and off-roading toughness. And boy did it ruffle feathers.

It’s a big deal, particularly cross-shopping used utes of recent vintage. While respectable in payload capacity – between 880kg and 1112kg in original guise – the popular dual-cab variants struggled with washy body control when bearing load limitations as a symptom. The upshot, though, was an inherently plush ride ideal for comfort and family hauling, a clear benefit for those not lugging around a tonne of payload, which is most owners most of the time.

Between 2015 and the beginning of 2021, the NP300 Navara, as it was known locally, got three series updates, two of which – Series 2 and 3 – almost wholly focused on retuning the suspension (and steering) to better balance load-lugging confidence while retaining class-leading ride.

Still, there’s a lot on the rest of the Navara menu. Size wise, D23 split the size difference between its D22 and D40 forebears, all new if carrying over its ladder frame chassis and crash structure. It launched in 14 different dual-cab guises and by the end of 2015 added single and extended ‘king’ body styles as well as cab-chassis options, making for 27 different variations.

The diesels were two Renault-sourced 2.3-litre oilers, a single-turbo version with 120kW/403Nm for lower-grade (DX and RX) versions and a lustier 140kW twin-turbo with 450Nm (auto) or 420Nm (manual) further up the range (ST and ST-X). A new 122kW/238Nm petrol was also offered, if rarely bought by diesel-loving Aussies.

Six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission choices, as well as 4×4 and dedicated 4×2 drive, was offered widely throughout the range (surely a flagship ST-X dual-cab in manual rear-drive form will be a second-hand unicorn…). Whichever diesel four you chose, braked towing remained a segment-competitive 3500 kilograms.

While Navara lacks the full 500Nm found in key rivals, it was claimed to be one of the most frugal oilers of the ute set, as little as 6.3L/100km in trimmest form.

In flagship ST-X guise, the got nice stuff such as partial leather trim, a 7.0-inch touchscreen with sat-nav, dual-zone climate control, 18-inch alloys, LED exterior lighting, a locking-rear diff and the sort of full-fruit fit-out typical of the tree-topping competitive set. Shopping further down range, the line-up got auto headlights, cruise control, powered windows and six-speaker audio.

Where NP300 didn’t quite measure was in active safety, lacking anything like the sort of active safety assistance offered in Ford Ranger. It does, however, sit seven air-bags and fundamentals such as ABS and stability control. The latest major 2020 facelift rose Navara’s safety game range-wide – it’s the current new line-up that carries the latest five-star ANCAP rating.

The entirety of the gen-three Navara was a broad range for most budgets, with 2019’s Series 4 update bringing new 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the revised range topping out with bells-and-whistles ST-X N-Trek Warrior for a cool $66k.

Do we recommend buying one? Read on.