Nissan Is Going After The Ranger Tremor And Land Cruiser Gr Sport

Nissan has locked in the return of its Australian-developed Warrior flagships for both the new Navara and the Y63 Patrol. We already have a decent preview of what’s coming. The Navara Warrior appeared in concept form alongside the debut of the latest-generation midsize truck, and it did not leave much to the imagination.

Developed in collaboration with Melbourne-based engineering firm Premcar, these rugged trims will serve as off-road-focused variants for the Australian market, taking on rivals such as the Ford Ranger Tremor and the Toyota Land Cruiser GR Sport.

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Andrew Humberstone, the soon-to-be departing head of Nissan Oceania, spoke to local media outlet CarExpert about the company’s future plans. While he declined to confirm or deny rumors surrounding a Navara Nismo, he said:

“We’re doing a lot with Nismo at the moment – looking at a lot of things – but we have our Warrior affiliation, in which we have a great partnership with Bernie Quinn (Premcar CEO). Great guy, great company – doing a lot of work with them. We continue with Warrior, for both Navara and, of course, the new Y63 Patrol in the future.”

Nissan Navara Warrior Concept

The timing is fairly tight. Nissan Oceania’s managing director says the Warrior will arrive six to nine months after the Navara Pro-4X lands, which puts it on track to reach buyers before the end of the year.

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What you see in concept form is essentially what you’ll get in the showroom. That means a steel front bumper with an integrated bull bar and additional LEDs, proper underbody protection, chunkier 32.2-inch all-terrain tires, and a lifted suspension setup. I

Despite the tougher look and upgraded hardware, the Warrior skips any changes under the hood. It carries over the same setup as the Pro-4X, which is powered by a Mitsubishi-sourced 2.4-liter biturbo diesel producing 201 hp (150 kW / 204 PS) and 470 Nm (346.7 lb-ft) of torque. It also gets a Super 4WD system with a lockable center differential and selectable drive modes.

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Set against its rivals, the Navara Warrior is not chasing the Ford Ranger Raptor on outright performance. That territory is left to a possible Navara Nismo, if it ever makes it past the rumor stage. Nevertheless, the localized suspension upgrades and the off-road accessories will make it one of the most rugged options in the midsize pickup segment Down Under.

The segment itself is packed with credible alternatives, including the Isuzu D-Max Blade, Toyota Hilux Rugged X, Mitsubishi Triton GSR, Kia Tasman X-Pro, Ford Ranger Tremor, and Mazda BT-50 Thunder.

What About The Patrol?

For the Y63 Patrol, the Warrior treatment will once again build on the Pro-4X grade, bringing with it an adaptive air suspension setup and an electronic locking rear differential as standard. Do not expect the same visual drama as the Nissan Dune Patrol concept from SEMA, though. The production version is likely to take a more restrained approach, focusing on added underbody protection, chunkier tires, and revised suspension tuning.

Nissan Dune Patrol Concept

The outgoing Y62 Patrol Warrior leaned on a naturally aspirated 5.6-liter V8. The new Y63 takes a different route, dropping two cylinders and switching to a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6.

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Capacity might be down, but output goes the other way. The new engine produces 425 hp (317 kW / 431 PS), up from 400 hp (298 kW / 405 PS), and it does so with a more modern, forced-induction setup. Higher up the range, the Patrol Nismo pushes the same basic unit much further, delivering up to 495 hp (369 kW / 501 PS) in a more aggressive state of tune.

Its natural benchmark remains the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series, particularly in GR Sport form. Nissan has not put a firm date on the Warrior version just yet, though a 2027 arrival looks likely. For now, these Warrior variants are expected to stay exclusive to Australia.