Nissan has created a tough 4x4 dual-cab with Aussie know-how and local engineering nouse. And we've put it head to head with the popular Toyota HiLux to find out which is king of the hill

Times – and tastes – have changed drastically over the last decade or so. At the dawn of the new millennium, V8-powered muscle cars like the Holden Commodore SS and Ford Falcon XR8 were kings of the hill – literally and metaphorically.

They ruled the streets, conquered mountains (well, Mount Panorama) and stirred bar room arguments between fanatics on either side of the red-versus-blue debate.

But tough has taken on a new dimension as we drive further into the 21st century, and rugged, go-anywhere dual-cab utes have surpassed tyre-frying sedans as the most popular choice for today’s performance car enthusiasts. No longer are kilowatts and quarter mile times the most important numbers to brag about; instead, as we haul ourselves out of town more often or haul toys like jet skis and motocross bikes across town, it’s all about towing capacity and ground clearance.

And these two – the Nissan Navara N-TREK Warrior and the Toyota HiLux Rugged X – are among the new breed of tough trucks, blending the best attributes of a hard-working hay hauler, feature-packed family car and an off-road adventure vehicle.

Both have been created specifically for the Australian market, as the Japanese brands look to feed the increasing demand for dual-cab utes that can tackle the urban jungle during the week and then head far off the beaten path on the weekends.

android, nissan navara n-trek warrior v toyota hilux rugged x: head2head

Aussie Warrior

The Nissan Navara N-TREK Warrior is the newest member of the growing tough truck gang.

It was created by Nissan Australia, and was then tested, developed and now is re-manufactured in Australia by renowned automotive engineering specialists, Premcar, from a purpose-built facility in the northern-Melbourne suburb of Epping.

Based on the top-of-the-range Nissan Navara N-TREK, the Warrior features a hoopless steel, body colour bullbar with a 470-Watt LED light bar and a stainless steel bash plate at the front. In keeping with its ‘built tough’ brief, it has a heavy-duty tow bar and a sports bar in the tray. Here Nissan’s clever Utilitrack system allows tie-down points to be adjusted to accommodate a wide range of loads – from tool boxes to dirt bikes.

The Nissan Navara N-TREK Warrior has ’tough truck’ side sills and flared wheel arches, but the modifications run deeper than just cosmetic upgrades. Based on local testing, Premcar revised the entire suspension set-up, fitting the Warrior with re-tuned twin-tube dampers, progressive rate springs and wider 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in super-sized 32.2-inch Cooper AT3 all-terrain rubber – the largest tyres that could fit inside the wheel wells.

The net result is the Warrior has an additional 40mm of ground clearance over the regular Navara N-TREK (for a total of 268mm) and greater off-road ability.

Under the bonnet, the Warrior retains the durable 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder engine that produces 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque, driving a part-time four-wheel drive transmission via either a six-speed manual or an optional seven-speed automatic.

android, nissan navara n-trek warrior v toyota hilux rugged x: head2head

Inside the cabin, it has dual-zone climate control with rear air vents, leather accented seats with contrasting orange highlights and N-TREK Warrior-embroidered headrests, while its infotainment system features an eight-inch colour screen that not only incorporates sat nav but has smartphone mirroring for both Apple and Android devices.

The Warrior also comes with a digital speedo in the instrument cluster, which is a glaring omission in the Hilux.

No matter where you drive the Navara N-TREK Warrior – whether it’s carting the kids to school, hauling the jet ski to the beach or traversing the harshest bush tracks – it is more refined and yet more capable than the HiLux.

The Nissan engine has better response, is quieter and has lower fuel consumption (6.5L/100km compared to 8.5L/100km). The steering is well weighted and feels secure at highway speeds, the suspension feels plusher over rough roads, it corners with more confidence and there’s better cabin insulation from wind and road noise, even despite the more aggressive tread pattern of the 32.2” Cooper tyres.

And it will literally take you further off the beaten track than you can ever imagine; It’s a beast in the bush.

If there’s one area where the Navara may be showing its age is the fact it misses out on features such as automated emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, active cruise control and speed sign recognition. These are standard on the Rugged X.

But the trade off is that the Warrior is keenly priced — from $62,990 driveaway for the manual and $65,490 driveaway for the auto. It also has longer 12-monthly service intervals and matches the HiLux’s standard five-year warranty.

android, nissan navara n-trek warrior v toyota hilux rugged x: head2head

A Rugged Path

The Toyota HiLux Rugged X arrived in showrooms in 2018 as one member in a trio of ‘accessorised’ HiLux variants that were created by Toyota Australia – along with the rural-focused Rugged and the urban-centric Rogue.

The Rugged X is based on the flagship of the regular Hilux range, the dual-cab SR5. It adds features such as a fully-integrated hoopless steel front bullbar with a built-in LED light bar, recovery hooks and an underbody bash plate, as well as an engine snorkel, rock rails, an alloy sports bar in the tray and a heavy-duty rear bumper with tow ball.

The HiLux rides on 17-inch alloy wheels with dual-purpose Yokohama Geolander tyres and has stiffer front springs to counter the additional weight of the bullbar, but otherwise has no mechanical changes from the HiLux SR5.

This means it retains the gruff 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel that produces 130kW of power and 420Nm of torque with a six-speed manual transmission (or 450Nm with the optional six-speed automatic).

Inside the cabin, it has a unique black headliner and bespoke graphic in the instrument cluster. The SR5’s decent list of standard equipment includes dual-zone climate control with rear air vents but the fussy seven-inch infotainment screen with sat nav and digital radio doesn’t offer smartphone mirroring for Apple or Android devices like the N-TREK Warrior.

android, nissan navara n-trek warrior v toyota hilux rugged x: head2head

Priced from $62,490 (plus on-road costs) for the manual, or $2000 more for the automatic, and covered by Toyota’s standard five-year warranty with six-monthly service intervals, the Rugged X commands a significant $7200 premium over the HiLux SR5.

On the road, the HiLux Rugged X cannot hide its working-class roots. The engine needs to be worked hard to keep up with everyday traffic and both growls and wheezes under acceleration.

The suspension changes only make it less comfortable than the already rough-riding SR5 to drive around town too, while the steering remains heavy and cumbersome at suburban speeds.

It’s proficient off-road though with excellent ground clearance and great traction while maintaining a 3500kg maximum braked towing capacity (3200kg for the automatic) and a 750kg payload in the tray.

Tough choice

Off-road adventurers have never had it so good with vehicles like the Nissan Navara N-TREK Warrior and the Toyota HiLux Rugged X.

Both of these dual-cab utes provide the kind of flexibility that makes them easy to live with as everyday family transport, and hard to fault as off-road bush bashers or fancy work trucks.

But the Nissan Navara N-TREK Warrior is better in any environment.

For starters, it’s cheaper to buy and more affordable to run. Plus, the N-TREK Warrior has several unique advantages not available on the Rugged X including; an uplifted suspension package tuned in Australia, for Australia, matched with the larger diameter 32.2-inch all terrain tyres and a body-colour bullbar.

And perhaps even more importantly in the long run, it’s more comfortable and better to drive around town while still being more capable and enjoyable to drive when you’re outside the city limits.

android, nissan navara n-trek warrior v toyota hilux rugged x: head2head

Keyword: Nissan Navara N-TREK Warrior v Toyota HiLux Rugged X: Head2Head

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