The Nissan Navara Off-Roader AT32 has been priced in the UK and while it’s not a new thing, we’re wondering if the Warrior should have been more like it?
The Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior is an Australian-specific vehicle like this AT32 is for Europe. It’s the result of a collaboration between Nissan and Arctic Trucks (from Iceland).
Here at MotoFomo we’ve been critical of the Warrior because of the pricing and the changes that Nissan/Premcar went with for it. This AT32 is very similar in theory to the Warrior but the changes made for the AT32 don’t compromise the performance of the vehicle off-road.
For instance, the Warrior cops a redesigned towbar that needs to snake down beneath the larger spare wheel but it drastically reduces the departure angle of the Navara. And, if you’re building something that you’ve lifted and changed the suspension on, etc, well, reducing the departure angle kind of defeats the purpose.
So, what does the AT32 get? Well, full underbody protection for starters, pumped guards and 31.6-inch Nokia Rotiiva all-terrains. The alloys run dual valves for easier airing up and down, stronger side steps and the Arctic Trucks Bilstein suspension system.
Okay, so far, it’s all fairly similar to the Warrior, although we’d argue the Bilstein suspension on the AT32 is better than that on the Warrior. More than that, the AT32 can be had with a cost optional front differential lock, raised air intake and diff breathers to improve the wading depth to 800mm. Ground clearance is up around 240mm thanks to the taller tyres and suspension.
So, do you see where I’m going? The Warrior is a good, if expensive starting point but one that didn’t need some of the fripperies that were fitted, like the steel front bar that’s not winch compatible. What Nissan should have done is left it alone and had Premcar concentrate more on stuff like suspension, side steps and maybe working how to fit a front diff lock as a cost-option, as well as the raised air intake and extended diff breathers.
Doing that would have really made the Warrior worthy of the name. Bash over.
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The Warrior is selling pretty well from what I read – I think this is a pretty good sign that Nissan got it right.
Nokia Rotiiva all-terrains and dual valves? Utterly useless. What makes you say the AT32 suspension is any better than the Premcar tuned system under the Warrior – Have you driven an AT32?
Not sure why you think Nissan should focus on cost-options – Things like front diff locks would be purchased mostly by the hard core off road crew chasing the nth degree of off-road capability.
I think you’ve still got it wrong.