NISSAN NAVARA N-TREK WARRIOR
MORE significant than the new Patrol for Nissan in 2020 is the new ‘hero’ model in the Navara range in the form of the N-trek Warrior. The Warrior builds on the Navara N-trek, but where the N-trek is merely an exercise in styling enhancement, the Warrior is an exercise in chassis engineering. This is performed locally by Premcar, the current embodiment of the Prodrive, Tickford, FPV dynasty, so has proven expertise and experience to call upon.
Aside from new springs, dampers and wheel/tyre package that headline the Warrior’s upgrade, there’s also a bespoke steel front bar, stainless steel underbody protection, an LED light bar and various styling enhancements. Premcar will manufacture the Warrior in Melbourne and it will be sold through Nissan dealers with full Nissan factory warranty.
The chassis changes have brought 40mm more lift, 25mm of that via the taller 275/70R17 Cooper Discoverer light-truck allterrains, while the extra wheel offset has increased wheel track 30mm to 1600mm at both ends. Lighter initial springs rates but firmer secondary rates, the front via an extra long progressive rubber bump stops, are matched with more substantial Tenneco dampers specifically valved by Premcar’s engineers.
We have driven it and it works. On the road the ride initially feels firm, no doubt due to stronger compression damping and despite the softer initial springs, but the faster you go the better it feels. So good in fact that every Navara should have this sort of expertise directed at its suspension. Off-road, the larger diameter, more robust and more aggressive tyres and the extra clearance both combine to take the Warrior to an off-road competence level that a standard Navara can only dream about. The Warrior carries over a standard Navara powertrain and will be offered with both six-speed manual and seven-speed automatic gearboxes.
GIVEN the popularity of pick-up trucks in North America and utes just about everywhere else in the world, it’s no surprise Jeep has developed the Gladiator. It’s actually not the first time that Jeep has made a pick-up or ute and it’s not the first time that the Gladiator name has been attached to the same.
While it looks like the Gladiator is a Wrangler with a tub on the back, the wheelbase has been extended and the five-link rear suspension adapted from the Ram 1500 pick-up to give it a bigger payload and towing capacity than the Wrangler. However, with a payload of just 620kg and a tow rating of 2721kg it’s still well down on what the popular dualcab utes offer. The Gladiator does have live axles at both ends, though, which will distinguish it from all of the popular utes here bar Toyota’s LC79, and will help off-road.
Initially, the familiar 3.6-litre petrol V6 from the Wrangler will be offered with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and if we do see a diesel down the track it may be the 3.0-litre V6 diesel from the Ram and Grand Cherokee rather than the 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel in the Wrangler.
Overland and Rubicon models will be offered, the latter with bits from the Wrangler Rubicon: front and rear lockers, front swaybar disconnect, lower axle ratios and a lower transfer ratio. It appears as though the Gladiator will get a full-time 4x4 mode in both of the two transfer
cases on offer.
MAZDA isn’t giving anything away right now but a new BT-50, with ties to the 2020 D-MAX, is reportedly in the pipeline and will appear in late 2020. If so, this is a swapping of partners for Mazda and Isuzu, given Mazda worked with Ford and Isuzu with General Motors in the design and development of the current-generation utes.
The fact that Isuzu has already revealed its new D-MAX while Mazda remains light-lipped suggests that, if these two new utes are indeed a co-operative effort, then Isuzu has taken the lead in this project. Isuzu being the senior partner would also make sense given Isuzu’s main game is utes (and trucks) where Mazda’s main game is passenger cars and SUVS.
Assuming that Mazda does have a new ute in the pipeline, and there’s a tie-up with Isuzu, there are a few possibilities. Mazda could just stick its badge on a D-MAX , or do a re-skin (new body panels), or perhaps do all that and add its own powertrain. Mazda’s CX-8 has a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel that claims 140kw and 450Nm, which matches the new D-MAX’S numbers.