2023 Nissan Navara SL Warrior: 4x4 review

A base-model 4WD loaded with off-road goodies from the factory – could the SL Warrior be the perfect dual-cab ute for serious four-wheelers?

JUMP AHEAD

• What you get
• Powertrain and performance
• On-road ride and handling
• Off-road
• Cabin and accommodation
• Practicalities
• VERDICT
• Specifications

What you get

Premcar, the team behind building the off-road-focused, top-of-the-line Navara PRO-4X Warrior for Nissan, has been tasked with creating a lower spec, more affordable Warrior based on the Nissan Navara SL.

While many manufacturers are offering high-spec models with off-road-ready accessories, Nissan has done a smart thing by also providing a lower-spec four-wheel drive with upgraded components ready to hit the dirt from the factory.

I love ‘pov pack’ 4WDs, because they are designed for work first and foremost – simple interiors, vinyl flooring and less gadgets and gizmos to distract you or potentially go wrong down the line. This is what makes the SL Warrior such a great thing, in theory, for Australian four-wheel drivers who are going to use their vehicles for work and play.

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From day dot, the SL Warrior comes with a 40mm suspension lift tuned for Australian conditions; a modern-looking, winch-compatible bullbar with recessed LED light bar; a small steel bash plate protecting the radiator and front-mounted intercooler; and it rides on larger Cooper AT3 all-terrain tyres.

It’s an impressive-looking vehicle too, with a wider wheel track covered by bulging fender flares and a longer wheelbase compared to the stock SL Navara.

The interior is quite basic and loaded with hard plastic surfaces, which might not sound appealing but in the real world this means a hard-wearing and easy to clean space, again perfect for work or play.

But is it too basic? Would it make more sense to spend more on the higher-spec Warrior? That’s what we’re here to find out.

Powertrain and performance

The seven-speed automatic gearbox in the Navara is a winner, both in terms of gearing ratios and performance. It’s a strong unit and is the same one used in the Y62 Nissan Patrol, so you know it will be able to handle the power figures produced by the 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel motor.

Speaking of power, it’s the one thing this SL Warrior could use more of. With 450Nm produced between 1500 to 2500rpm and 140kW at 3750rpm, the Navara is showing its age compared to the competition.

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It’s a bit laggy off the line, but quite good in mid-range and in low-range 4WD. If Nissan was to bump this figure up to, say, 500Nm, this would offer a far more rewarding driving experience – you could always swap in the 5.6-litre V8 from the Nissan Patrol, which some clever cookies are doing in Australia.

Fuel economy was good on test, resulting in an average of 9.9L/100km. With the decent-size fuel tank listed at 80 litres, this should see almost 800km of driving before needing to refuel. If that’s not enough, there are plenty of aftermarket long-range fuel tanks available to suit the Navara platform.

In fact, there isn’t much you can’t get for the Navara, as it’s such a popular four-wheel drive to modify, even though Nissan and Premcar have done most of the hard work for you with the SL Warrior.

On-road ride and handling

The steering feel of the Navara is heavy and somewhat dull, but it’s not a deal breaker as you’ll get used to it. That’s about it when it comes to negatives surrounding the on-road ride and handling of the SL Warrior. It’s an easy vehicle to pilot daily around town, on the highway and on dirt roads.

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Brake feel and performance is excellent, especially the ABS calibration on dirt roads which effectively pulls the vehicle up without drama. On-road ride quality, while a touch firm when unladen, is impressive thanks to the upgraded suspension included on the SL Warrior. It would also handle a load incredibly well, which is ideal considering the massive payload capacity offered by Nissan on the SL Warrior.

I did notice a slight steering wheel shimmy when driving at 100km/h, which felt like the tyres weren’t balanced correctly. As this press vehicle had more than 8000km on it, of which I dare say were hard kilometres, a wheel weight could have fallen off, resulting in the slight shake. I’ve not experienced this in any other Navara and it certainly wasn’t extreme.

Off-road

This is really what we wanted to get to, testing the mettle of the SL Warrior on the tracks around Lithgow in NSW.

The Navara has always been a solid contender off-road thanks to coil springs on all four corners, superb low-range reduction, and an effective traction-control system that remains active on the front end when the factory rear diff locker is engaged.

With raised suspension, taller and more aggressive 275/70R17 Cooper all-terrain light-truck constructed tyres, and solid frontal protection (including a neat recessed LED light bar), the SL Warrior went everywhere we wanted it to go, and without fuss.

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Suspension travel was impressive thanks to the progressive rear coil springs and Premcar-tuned dampers, with ride quality on corrugated roads being exceptional for a ute. Not Ranger Raptor good, but the SL Warrior isn’t pretending to be a Raptor.

With a 30mm wider wheel track and 30mm longer wheelbase compared to a stock SL Navara, stability on off-cambered 4WD tracks and when climbing steep obstacles was brilliant. These subtle changes make for some impressive results in the real world and, best of all, these off-road focused enhancements found on the SL Warrior don’t come at the detriment of on-road performance or the overall practicality of the Navara.

Cabin and accommodation

The interior of the Navara SL Warrior is pretty basic, but some folk, like myself, tend to like that in a vehicle.

It’s perfectly comfortable thanks to the decent cloth seats, of which only the driver’s seat is electronically adjustable; although, the sea of hard plastics quickly reminds you that this is a workhorse. At no stage did I feel uncomfortable driving the SL Warrior and I would be perfectly happy to do big days behind the wheel.

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I struggled for headroom and my legs were cramped in the back seat, so this could be a concern if you regularly transport lanky folk such as my nearly two-metre-tall self. For a younger family, you’ll have no problems.

Also, the SL Warrior doesn’t feature the sliding rear window that the higher-spec Navara has, but there is a blank spot on the dash for where the switch would normally sit. Missed opportunity there, but that’s the life of a base-model vehicle.

There is a fairly basic eight-inch infotainment screen on the dash, which does the job but certainly isn’t cutting edge. It's compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but it’s not wireless, so you’ll need to plug your phone in with a cable. You also miss out on some active safety technology such as lane-keep assist and blind-spot monitoring.

Practicalities

Did you really think a 4WD ute with vinyl floors wasn’t going to be anything but practical? Practical is the SL Warriors’s middle name. A great inclusion is the factory fitted towbar as standard, which is rated to 3500kg.

Plus, the payload capacity of the SL Warrior is an impressive 1081kg thanks to an 100kg GVM upgrade over the stock SL Navara.

One look at the rear-axle housing and shaved differential shows that this is a seriously stout ute, as they are utterly chunky. I have no doubt the SL Warrior will be able to handle such high loads without any problem.

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In the tray area, there’s a simple drop-in tub liner and four looped tie-down points. It’s a very usable tray with 1134mm of space between the wheel arches, and there is a torsion-bar-style tailgate assist that makes opening or closing the tailgate a one-handed affair.

Something I wasn’t stoked to see were the halogen headlights instead of LED lights. This is old tech these days, and as such the performance offered by the headlights was pretty poor on dark rural roads. Thankfully, you have that recessed LED light bar in the front end to boost lighting output.

You’ll also struggle to fit a set of round LED driving lights to the SL Warrior’s bullbar, as there doesn’t seem to be the space to physically mount them due to the minimal overhang of the bar.

Verdict

Is the SL Warrior the perfect ute? No. Is it a damn good ute that I’m happy Nissan and Premcar have created? Absolutely! For someone who wants off-road capability, less frills and a swag of off-road-focused accessories from the factory, it’s a winner.

For someone who wants off-road capability, less frills and a swag of off-road-focused accessories from the factory, it’s a winner

Nissan has given the serious four-wheel driver a solid foundation to get out and explore the country from the dealership forecourt, and for those who want to further accessorise their vehicle for off-road adventures, you have a head start. All of the included upgrades look and feel to be of high quality.

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With its wider track, taller suspension and larger tyres, the SL Warrior really looks the part, and best of all it’s not just a pretty face but a genuinely capable vehicle.

I’d love to see more power, though, and the new-gen Navara which we should be receiving in the coming years will hopefully address that. For now, the SL Warrior is the Navara to buy – if I was in the market for a dual-cab ute, it would be towards the top of my list as it perfectly suits my needs.

What can I say ... I’m a sucker for vinyl floors and modified base-spec 4WDs with genuine off-road capability.

Specifications