FAMILY CAR REVIEW: 2020 Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior 4x4

How good is the storage in the Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior?

How big is the tray of the Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior?

The tray door of the Navara is very heavy like I've found with most utes. It is at prime child head height and I am always worried about them falling down onto a child's head or a child walking into the corner of it when it is down.

The tray of the Navara will hold 24 shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres ia not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

Accessing the tray actually isn't too difficult and I'm only 162cm. I can reach over the side to put the shopping bags in but can't quite reach the centre of the tray.

With a twin stroller in the tray, I can fit 14 shopping bags in around it.

The tandem pram fits with six bags in the reachable space beside it or 16 shopping bags in the whole tray.

Putting strollers and prams in and out of the tray I found okay with the Navara. The surface of the tray is grippy but smooth and you can roll the prams into the tray which is really useful! I have had other ute trays that have had rough grippy surfaces that have scratched the strollers putting them in and out.

You could easily get any size dogs in the tray of the Navara.

Inside the dual cab of the Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior, there are two cup holders in the central console. They are square-shaped though, which is only really helpful if you're drinking that tradie's favourite, flavoured milk! A reusable and disposable coffee cup do fit but rattle around.

There is also a cup holder that pops out of either end of the dashboard. I love these cup holders, they are really easy to reach while driving and being beside the aircon vents means they can cool your drink too!

There is a phone tray in front of the gear lever with USB, AUX and 12V sockets.

On either side of the central console as you go into the footwell there is a small pocket for storing something. Maybe designed for walkie talkie radios?!

There are also little wells in the door handles too which are fab!

I find the door wells really handy for keys or little things my daughter has in her hands when I'm putting her in and out of the car.

The door bins in the front are shallow but they do hold a large refillable water bottle and an iPad fits in them too.

The glove box will hold my wallet with the manual but an iPad won't fit.

There is a lined glasses case in the ceiling and both visors have lit vanity mirrors.

There is a storage tray on the dash with a 12V socket.

The central console storage box is small, it is really only big enough for a couple of cans. There is a 12V socket in there and the lid is padded so you can rest your elbow on it! It is more of a token effort than a very useful storage space.

Storage in the back of the Navara is very limited. There are map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold but not conceal an iPad.

The door bins are smaller the back; they will hold my large refillable water bottle and there are little storage wells in the handles too.

That's it for rear storage.

How noisy is the Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior? How good is the media system in the Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior?

Road noise is fine in the Navara, even with the off-road tyres, but the engine noise is very loud and especially bad when accelerating uphill. Which can be disturbing for little passengers.

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

The window mechanisms are quiet enough in the Navara that they wouldn't disturb little passengers.

I found the doors of the Navara needed to be firmly closed otherwise, especially the rear doors, didn't always close the first time, which would obviously disturb a sleeping child!

With baby asleep you want to be able to get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy and wake Bub up!

The indicator noise is quite quiet, it has a nice gentle ticking sound that I don't think will disturb a sleeping child.

There is a seatbelt visual on the central dashboard which is great for knowing if a rear passenger removes their seatbelt, which is fantastic!

I find the media system in the Nissan Navara confusing to use and not very simple to navigate…

… so I was pleased to see Apple CarPlay and Android Auto introduced to it now which makes it so much easier!

You can control the volume of some of the beeps and voices through the media system which is helpful when carrying kids around.

You can adjust the sat-nav guidance volume in this screen too, although it's tricky to do while driving along!

The reversing camera image fills the screen but this feels quite small for such a big vehicle. You can mute the parking sensors with a button next to the 12V socket down in the central dash.

A feature I love on the Navara that you don't see in other utes is the little window in the back windscreen that you can open while you drive along, with a button by the driver's right knee.

In the digital display in front of the steering wheel,  you can see your fuel distance to empty, which is fantastic when you are travelling with kids in the car.

The distance to empty display becomes extra important as a parent because getting fuel with a baby is a whole new world of difficult. If they are screaming in the car you definitely do not want your journey prolonged with a fuel stop! If they are asleep the turning off of the engine, doors opening and locking and unlocking, then re-opening the doors and closing, starting the engine again, beepers going off because you haven’t got your seatbelt on when you start the car or because you blink in the wrong direction, do you take them out of the car when you go in to pay? If you do will you get them back in the seat again or will they have a complete meltdown and you’ll be stuck on the fuel station forecourt with a screaming baby!! Hopefully you are starting to gather the anxiety that what was once a simple fuel stop can be for a mum!!!!

For this reason, the distance to empty display can let you know if you have enough fuel to make it home with bub and then go out and get fuel another time when you will not have to take bub with you.

How many child seats fit in the Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior?

The Nissan Navara now has ISOFix points, which is fantastic because the earlier model I tested didn't have any. They are in the two outer rear seats and although they're not within plastic guides they are clearly labelled and easy to connect to.

For the top tethers, there should be three woven loops behind the rear headrests, attached to the frame of the car. However, one was missing in the Navara I had for testing, there was nothing behind the rear headrest on the driver's side!  So with only two top tether anchorage loops, I could only install two child seats.

To fit a child seat you pass the top tether under the headrest, through the loop behind the headrest and then across and connect it onto the woven loop behind the central seat. You should be able to do the same on the other side too however I couldn't because that top tether anchorage loop was missing.

I am not a fan of this method of top tethers not least because I find them REALLY difficult to use. Getting the top tethers through the loops is not easy and connecting and disconnecting of the central loop is really difficult too. Not to mention adjustment afterwards!

Also, I am worried that over time the metal top tether clip rubbing against the woven loop will wear away at it, possibly causing fraying of the loop and how would you get another loop fitted when the rear seats are fixed and the loop is part of the ute?! In ANCAPs initial crash testing before the current generation Nissan Navara came out, the top tether loops failed and Nissan had to improve them, as well as recall a batch of Navaras that made it into Australia with the old anchorages fitted. You can read more about ute top tether anchorages in utes here.

Concerns have also been raised that having the two outer seat top tethers attached to that central loop in the event of an accident each seat will move differently pulling on that loop and could cause a kind of tug effect on the loop depending on which seat has more momentum.

I installed two child seats in the Navara N-Trek Warrior but you could physically fit three across if all anchorages are present. Installing child seats isn't straightforward, space is confined in the back and you have to try and reach behind all the child seats and attach and tighten the straps. As I said in the overview I lost patience doing it!!

With two child seats installed there is room between for someone to sit and the seatbelt and buckle are both easily accessible.

Although space is confined in the back of the Navara, legroom in the front is quite good, with a rear-facing child seat installed we could fit a 180cm driver in front.

When posting bub into their rear-facing child seat the rear side pillar comes quite far forward, affecting the amount of room you have got.

It is actually much easier from inside when you have only one child seat installed because the pillar is not obstructing it and the ceiling is nice and high.

Australia being a country of weather extremes- blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

There is plenty of room to feed Bub in the back too if you only have one child seat installed.

The seats in this N-Trek Warrior edition are black leather with woven fabric contrast central panels which make cleaning harder because the little holes trap kids crumbs and spills!

Legroom for the central seat is good as there is not a hump in the floor that you have to straddle, but there is not much room for your feet. The backrest is comfy as there are no fold-down armrest or cup holders.

For the first year of Tulsi's life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Tulsi so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

How comfortable is a Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior?

The front seats of the Navara the same contrast central panels and stitching as the rear seats and they are really comfortable. Heated seat controls are in front of the cup holders in the central console.

The headrests in the front stick forward so they don't allow for wearing a ponytail while driving!

I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get it just right too… said no new mum ever!!!

The steering wheel is only adjustable up/down not in/out unfortunately as there is so much legroom for taller drivers but they have to crane forward to reach the steering wheel.

The controls are on the right side on the steering wheel and they are easy to use. I found the cruise control ran away with itself at lower speeds on undulating roads but was accurate on motorways.

There are two horizontal air vents above the media screen and a small circular one at either end of the dashboard.

There are also vents in the back of the central console box for the rear passengers. I found I could reach around to adjust them while driving which is good.

The controls are in the central dash below the media screen and are simple to use.

Visibility is good in the Navara. The windows are big and deep and even with rear-facing child seats installed, I can still see well out of the rear side windows. The higher riding position of this beefed-up N-Trek Warrior model also helps with visibility.

The reversing camera helps when parking because it's such a large vehicle I really felt I needed the extra vision down at child height at the back when manoeuvring.

I have realised I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

The rear side windows slope up a little bit, so visibility for rear-facing little passengers is not so good.

The rear windscreen is flat which for rear-facing child seats means the sun just beats straight in on them, even when windows are tinted. Putting a shade up is the only option but it does affect the driver's ability to see out.

Forward-facing rear passengers have great visibility out of the side windows and the ceiling is high so there's a very open feel to the cab.

The visors in the front are nice and deep and both have lit vanity mirrors in them.

The interior lights in the front are press on and the driver can reach the rear lights to control them whilst driving, which is fantastic!

I have found Tulsi does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.

Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINATELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a 5minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!

It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.

There are handles above both back doors to hold a child's toy.

The Navara has keyless entry which is great leaving your hands free to carry kids and all their ‘STUFF'!!.

I LOVE keyless entry now I am a mum! When I go out to the car carrying my daughter, with my arms laden with everything I now appear to need even just to nip to the shops for some milk!! I can press a button on the door handle and they unlock as simple as that!

The Nissan Navara scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2015.

It got an overall score of 35.01 out of 37, getting 14.01 out of 16 for frontal offset test, 16 out of 16 for side-impact and pedestrian protection was rated marginal.

The Navara comes with seven airbags; dual frontal, side chest and head-protecting curtain airbags and driver knee airbag as standard.

As standard, the Navara also comes with anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), traction control system (TCS), brake assist (BA), vehicle dynamic control (VDC) with brake limited-slip differential (BLSD) and advanced seat belt reminders are fitted to all seats as standard.