2022 Nissan Navara Pro-4X 2.5 4X4 AT – Still a competitive, capable choice?

October 18, 2023

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2022 Nissan Navara Pro 4x Exterior Front 4x4 Pick Up

The short URL: https://auto.yugatech.com/go/k24x

The Nissan Navara Pro-4X has been around for some time now, and with no real news of a new model making its way into the market, we just had to try it out and see if it can pull its weight in a very updated pickup market in the Philippines. Always touted as a capable, “strong”, value-for-money, reliable, and comfortable truck, we had to try it ourselves and prove if all the good things it has going for it were true, and there’s no better variant to put it to the test than with the top-of-the-line Pro-4X.

The Nissan Navara Pro-4X is dated, but can it still stand toe-to-toe with the competition?

Let’s start by saying this: the Navara Pro-4X is a handsome devil. Much like its SUV cousin the Terra, I find the exterior design to be really good. You have the flare of the fenders, nice chunky tires, a pretty commanding height, and just an overall macho stance to this truck.

This variant is set apart by the black fender arches, the black door handles, the black roof rails, and the black wheels; heck, there’s so much black that there’s no way you can’t figure out that this is the “special” one in the entire Navara litter. You won’t find any of the (overly) shining bits and pieces here, so of chrome is your thing, this won’t give you any bling. At all. It’s all rugged, blacked-out goodness.

What I like the most is the treatment that the headlight units got. For some strange reason – and it does look good as is – the reflector and projector design of its innards stands out a lot more with the color of this specific unit called “Stealth Gray”. Don’t let that name fool you, though, because there’s nothing “stealthy” about this pickup, but we’ll get to that later.

Going back, the combination of the headlights and the massive black grill, complete with the murdered emblem with the orange boldface NISSAN on it, gives off a most commanding look for the Pro-4X. In my opinion, it looks more “menacing” than that of its American “dinosaur” and Japanese “conqueror” competitors. So yes, in the looks department, the Pro-4X looks pretty darn good.

If there’s one thing I’m not too keen on, that would be the orange accent piece on the aforementioned fender flares. Yes, it does give an added touch of color but I think it could be done away with altogether. The (red) orange of the stickers on the side of the bed is accent enough, in my opinion.

Inside, the true utilitarian nature of this Navara comes out. You can’t and shouldn’t expect much of soft-touch points in the cabin. It is a truck, after all, but despite that apparent lack, the cohesive design and motif still come together very nicely.

As you can see, there’s still a lot of black even on the inside, with the exception of the shifter lever frame. It doesn’t look out of place, though, and it does well to give a bit of a livelier vibe to the interior. Without it, it would look a bit too drab, and with any more of the chrome, you’d think they’re out-of-place pieces in a ute. Good job at keeping the shine to a bare minimum, Nissan!

The Pro-4X comes with an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen with sounds being pumped out of 6 speakers scattered in the cabin. It comes with a lot of options for connectivity and it already includes wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I must note, though, that I can’t seem to get CarPlay to work with this particular unit, original cables and all. Yes, the phone’s all updated, too, so if it’s some strange hardware fault or any other reason, that’s the only quip I have with regard to the in-car tech. Android Auto worked just fine.

As far as quips go, there’s also no automatic/motorized driver seat adjustment in the Navara Pro-4X. The “normal” VL variant does have it, though. It’s a pretty good convenience feature that Nissan did without for this variant, but it’s not much of a deal-breaker.

The black motif of the interior is nicely accented by the design and colored stitching of the upholstery. The same splash of red-orange can be found in the contrast stitching on the seats, plus on the embroidered “PRO-4X” on the front seats. While the variant’s name is not stitched on the rear seats, the contrast stitching is carried over nonetheless. While I’m not one to pay that much attention to upholstery design, I quite like what Nissan did for the backpiece and seat cushion. Normally you’d find the seats to look totally flat, devoid of any design, but this Navara had a good mix of classy and sporty with their seat design choice.

As far as the comfort of the Navara Pro-4X’s seats go, I’d say they’re really good. That’s thanks to the Zero Gravity front seats. Similar to that in the Terra, padding and cushioning are exceptional in this Navara, something you wouldn’t expect from a pickup truck. Yes, you’ll still feel some of the imperfections on the road, but this is one of the most comfortable pickup (seats) out there, and I say this with a lot of confidence.

Even the back seats, though without Zero Gravity, are quite comfortable. A major problem of many pickup back seats is that the cushion is too low, making your knees jut up and out, but that’s not the case in the Pro-4X. The seats are positioned higher, so much so that you don’t “squat” when riding in the back, and that makes for a more enjoyable rear-passenger experience.

Now let’s get to how it “performs” as far as suspension and ride quality, as well as engine power and torque are concerned.

First, there’s a big change in this particular Navara that Nissan put it, and that involves its rear springs. It’s worth noting that the Navara does not have leaf springs but instead has coils installed. Previously, equal-length coils were used; that is when the gaps between coils are the same. That makes for a rather rough or matagtag ride that we’ve come to expect in pickups and SUVs alike.

The Navara Pro-4X swapped out the equal-length springs for dual-rate springs; that’s when the top portion of the coils sit closer together with the equal-length segments being on the lower part of the spring. What does this do? The top part of the spring makes for a softer ride whereas the equal-length would “balance” it out while giving a firmer quality. That’s the word, “balance”. The new rear coils give you the best of both worlds, so to speak, which makes for impressive ride quality while still being able to handle bigger, heavier loads on the bed. Overall, and again, comfort gets a big fat A grade in the Navara Pro-4X.

Sitting under the hood, you get the YD25 2.5-liter turbodiesel engine, the same as that in the VL variant of the Navara. That’s good for about 190 HP and, get this, a hefty 450 Nm of pulling power at just 2,000 rpm! Mash on the accelerator and trust us when we say you can feel it very early on. The engine is mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission that drives either the two rear wheels or all four with 4×4 engaged.

Power and pull are there, and the fuel economy of the Navara Pro-4X maxed out – had the best reading of – 9.1 kilometers per liter in the city. That already includes daily morning and evening traffic, mind you, and of course, with no hypermiling at all. I was expecting something less, to be honest, after having burned through diesel in the Terra, but this Navara was a bit more frugal. Different vehicle types, different uses, yes, I get it. But that particular statement is simply for those who have fuel economy as their main concern for getting a Nissan truck, regardless of purpose or if it’s a pickup or an SUV.

That notwithstanding, it’s still a very good choice and gets you your money’s worth at a retail price of PHP 1,811,000.

Some things to nitpick about, well, it’s the engine noise. The YD25 truly is a rather loud engine. Nissan saw fit to use Noise-Reducing Acoustic Glass for the cabin, but you can still hear the engine’s grunt, even at idle. “It’s a diesel”, many would argue, and I do agree. But just basing it off of what the “naked” ears can hear, its competitors are quieter. Another is the fact that it only has a tilting steering column and no telescopic function. Not a deal breaker, but if you’re one who wants that “perfect” driver-to-steering-wheel distance, this could be off-putting.

What makes up for this nitpicking, though, is the fact that the Navara Pro-4X has the entire Nissan Intelligent Mobility Suite standard. With its Intelligent Around View Monitor, Intelligent Emergency Braking, Intelligent Front Collision Warning, Blind Spot Warning, Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control, and a whole lot more, the Pro-4X makes driving it on the roads and on the beaten paths a lot safer, and more fun. Who needs a telescopic steering column at this point, right? (See? Nitpicking.)

To say that the pickup wars in the Philippines have a very discerning audience is an understatement. Taxes levied on vehicles but excluding pickup trucks made people gravitate more toward these haulers instead of SUVs when looking for a big, diesel-powered vehicle, and that explains why so many of these bedded workhorses can be seen on the streets, not just on trails.

Almost all automotive manufacturers have fielded fighters in this segment, and Nissan is no different. Yes, you can simply get the normal, top-of-the-line VL Navara if that’s your thing, but if you have the extra coin to get rid of the bling and make your truck look a lot meaner by going black, then the Pro-4X is a pretty good choice. Its price may hover near or even more than some of the competition, but with a comfortable ride, pretty good fuel economy, reliable performance, and I’m going to throw it in here, the bonus of having the “renowned” cold airconditioning system of a Nissan, you’ll get yourself a good deal with the Pro-4X.

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