New Nissan Navara vs Ford Ranger Fx4 - Head-to-head Part 2

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We couldn't have made this video without the generous help of the people at the beautiful Backsberg Estate. With a top-notch restaurant, wine tasting and cellar store on the property, the winery is leading the way in terms of modern farming practices - it was the first carbon neutral wine farm in South Africa.

We put the new Nissan Navara to the test against the new Ford Ranger FX-4! Watch the video to see how these double-cab bakkies fare in Part 2 of our test.

The bakkie market is truly thriving in South Africa and motorists have never had so much choice. The Ranger FX-4 is a new edition to the leisure bakkie market and South Africans had to wait a good while for the new Nissan Navara to arrive in local showrooms, but it is finally here and Nissan is confident that this is the bakkie to set new standards in the segment.

In Part 1 of this head-to-head test, we reviewed the on-road comfort of the Navara and Ranger FX4 and took a detailed look at the interiors. In Part 2, and with both bakkies loaded with half a ton of water, we set off into the hills of Backsberg Estate to test their 4x4 capability. Watch the video to find out which one of these bakkies performed better in this comparative test.

0:00 Intro
0:25 Preparations
1:17 Off-road Test
2:57 Ford Ranger FX4 Pricing Compared to new Nissan Navara
3:26 Engine Comparison
4:05 Power and Torque Difference
4:22 Weight Difference
5:07 Fuel Consumption
5:32 Navara Suspension
6:37 Nissan Navara Ride Quality
6:44 Similarities and Differences
9:16 Results From The Head-to head Part 2
10:00 Outro

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[pierrepretorius]

Thanks for a good test. I preferred the Navara on my purchase and is very happy with my choice. Yes, the infotainment system really can do with a massive improvement and the ride is a bit more choppy on tar and the engine is noisy. For me the deciding factors were 1= Reliability, 2= ranking on theft and high jacking list. Fact is with Ford’s reputation and known incidents were Ford Rangers’s owners had problems and Ford that would do anything in their power to slide the blame to the owner in staid to man up and assist their client, I wouldn’t risk buying a Ford. On the highjack and theft list, Ford Ranger is no.1 with Toyota Hi-lux 2nd.
Thanks for a good program and an excellent review.

[danielquill]

I have a 2016 NP300 Navara with the YD25DDTi engine, after three years, the van is flawless and still works like new, and it is really quicker than the big 3.2l Ford, I get between 850-900kms on a tank of diesel but I can get 1000plus kilometers if I go for very long drives. I think I’ll stick with the Nissan.

[Miguel.Rosado]

I’m in the USA market. I am on my second Nissan Frontier here and I been happy with the truck. My first I sold with 230, 000 miles and was still running good. The buyer was happy.My second one it’s 2017 with the 4.0 V6 and it has a screaming engine. I wish we had diesel options here. Navarra for me.

[thomashrb]

I struggled with the same comparison a couple of years back before I bought the NP300. The wildtrack has better water fording 800mm vs 450mm, more 12v sockets 4 vs 3 and slightly more ground clearance 230mm vs 220mm. Those are easy enough to fix with aftermarket accessories. However the NP300 has better turning radius 12.4m vs 12.7m, better fuel economy, was 16K USD cheaper at time at purchase, had rear air-conditioning and heating and most importantly was offered with engine variants that could run euro 4 grade fuel (YD25DDTi) especially in remote places where fuel quality can be a concern; while still offering better power to weight and torque to weight ratio than the wildtrack. The wildtracks clear advantages were easy enough to make up for with after market parts costing less than the price difference. The extra A/C, the euro4 fuel rating, and the better turning radius can not easily be made up. The wildtrack is a fantastic machine, but for me; the NP300 made more sense.

[MrTrollnba]

finally I found a real comparison video and not a music and close-up vid. Thanks !! Usefull !!

[gthausde]

Ive got the same 2.3l biturbo in my Renault Master, done 210.000km in 16months now, great engine, not a single failure yet and i think its got the best fuel economy in its class, at least for transporters.

[Spin-D]

I’ve had Navara for 3 years I tow blackseries HQ19 3.5 Tonne off-road caravan the Navara tows it beautifully highly recommend.

[ashleyslabber]

Ciro.

Dont forget alot of people use the vehicle's for overlanding and at times do load up to 500 kg on the back. Dont forget about Alu Canopies and drawers, water tanks and long range fuel tanks.

Others even use it on farms and construction sights. Contrary to popular believe they not all only mall crawlers.

So thank you for loading 500 kg on the back and thanks for a great review. Im sure alot of us really appreciate it.

[HighSeazFishing]

Considering reliability and resale value of both trucks, I think the Navara clearly takes it.

[AlexW]

Have I understood that correctly?
Both can pull 3.5T, the ford can load little under 1T and the nissan can load little over 1T.
Right?

[sawhsatosay]

In thailand, no one buy ford for off road but using for city. Nissan and Toyota buyer happy to use them for hardwork

[alessandralovato]

😁 hi guys I am proud to follow car.co.za from Verona Italy 😉

[ccommit]

Ranger = 10 years
Nissan Navarra = 15-20 years

[bmwdaywhatyouwant]

From Belgium here!
I bought a Nissan Navara D23 tekna 2019, like the one in the video. Manual transmission and I love it! It's as practical and functional as it needs to be. It's very muscular by looks. I love it!
The Ford Ranger looks vulgar, an imitation attempt of the bigger F150. Rangers are bought mainly by families, used for trips or pulling trailers. I've NEVER seen a Ranger used for serious duty, only Hilux and Navara are used for serious duty.
Navaras here in Belgium have a favourable reputation, used by families and companies, for serious duty, pulling trailers, construction, haulage, or long trips!

Excuse me if I seem biased towards the Navara, but I'm not biased, I chose it because it was near to perfect value for money. Ford has obnoxiously expensive kit and options, and here in Belgium and most non-anglophone countries, Ford has very bad customer service.

[henricsdoseofrealitytharik]

Nissan navara - very reliable comfort + more power on a little engine torque. Manual or automatic

Ford Ranger - revs to loud which equals to more fuel consumption less torque. Manual gearbox doesn't last. So automatic is more relevant.

Nissan navara is the winner on road or off road.

[irishmick]

Good review guys - not at all biased, good going.

[warutebae]

Ford service and maintenance in Thailand are poor.I will buy NP300 in this month.

[danieliidelima]

We have two ford rangers, 2014 and 2017.. i have to say the 2017 has a lot more power and is more comfortable than the 2014.. the suspension with the 2017 is a lot better than the 2014.. and i agree that the engine with ford is a lot softer than the navarra.. both ranger has a 100 thousand odo but so far it has no issues and runs softly.. with a strict maintenance of oil change (full synthetic) every 10, 000 km ofcourse.

[ChrisTrick]

I own a 2017 Navara and my average fuel consumption is 9.0l per 100 in 14k km I also did a trip this summer and drove about 450km with 1 stop and 200kg on the back and got an average of 7.6 fuel consumption is really good.


Edit: also ranger may look better to some people (I like the navara better) but witch of the 2 is gonna look better in 5 or so years? The navara.

[allanmacbadger]

I have had several Nissan Navara Tekna D40 double cabs, all automatic. I now have a Ford Ranger Limited double cab with auto. Not very much to choose between them but the Ford is definitely much better on the road - I've driven sports cars that don't have such a good front end. The Nissan has a slightly bigger and therefore more powerful engine, and that is the only differences - the choice is your.

I use mine in construction and forestry, plus I tow a trailer as well, the Nissan was 175hp and the Ford 155hp, the 3.2 engine in the Ford just drinks too much fuel, by the way i am in the UK.