It carries over all the good off-road-related stuff from the Pro-4X Warrior so you’re safe in expecting the SL Warrior to be pretty handy when it comes time to go 4WDing.
And it is.
From the get-go, on bumpy dirt tracks and chopped-up gravel roads, the SL Warrior has a nice unstressed feel about it – an almost lazy way of simply trucking along over surface irregularities.
The engine and auto work so well as a unit that it has a subdued but effective quality about it.
The auto is never caught out scrambling up or down for the sweet spot, because it’s generally right where it needs to be in terms of revs.
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You’re safe in expecting the SL Warrior to be pretty handy when it comes time to go 4WDing. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
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On bumpy dirt tracks and chopped-up gravel roads, the SL Warrior has a nice unstressed feel about it. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
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The engine and auto work so well as a unit that it has a subdued but effective quality about it. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
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The auto is never caught out scrambling up or down for the sweet spot. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
Premcar’s work here, as in the higher-spec Pro-4X Warrior, is focussed on wheels and tyres and the suspension. The springs and shocks, which add a 40mm total suspension lift, are engineered to produce a more settled, controlled and comfortable ride. The benefit of that Premcar-sorted, Aussie-tuned suspension package becomes even more obvious when you hit dirt tracks or gravel roads that are veritable minefields of deep ruts and deep muddy potholes, taking the sting out of a lot of harsher lumps and bumps.
Having said that though, ride and handling aren’t yet in the realm of something like a Ford Ranger Raptor, but those characteristics have definitely improved.
The SL Warrior is longer (+90mm), wider (+45mm) and taller (+40mm) than the standard SL, so as well as having more ground clearance and better, more off-road-friendly angles – approach (36 degrees) and ramp-over (26.2 degrees) have increased but departure remains the same (at 19 degrees) – this ute has a more natural, planted stance on dirt tracks, giving it more control when you have to tackle trickier lines through the bush.
So, raised suspension, better ground clearance (260mm), and a wider wheel track (+30mm front and rear), among many other improvements over the standard SL, help to bolster its capability to conquer big and steep rock steps and a lot of other difficult terrain.
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The higher-spec Pro-4X Warrior, is focussed on wheels and tyres and the suspension. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
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The springs and shocks, which add a 40mm total suspension lift, are engineered to produce a more settled, controlled and comfortable ride. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
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The SL Warrior is capable of conquering big, steep rock steps and a lot of other difficult terrain. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
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This ute has a more natural, planted stance on dirt tracks. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
Wading depth is listed as 600mm and, while we didn’t go through any deep river crossings, we did drive through a deep mud hole which had us tickling that measure in terms of depth – and it also had us tipping over at a severe angle on the driver’s side.
Steering retains a nice lightness to it, so for a ute, it gets around nicely.
Low-range gearing is decent (2.717:1) and there's plenty of torque across a nice spread of revs, so you can tap into that whenever you need to while four-wheel driving.
The rear diff lock is a handy addition to any 4WD’s track-tackling toolkit.
As well, hill descent control is effective, holding you to a sustained low speed when you are going down a decline.
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Wading depth is listed as 600mm. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
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Steering retains a nice lightness to it, so for a ute, it gets around nicely. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
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Low-range gearing is decent (2.717:1) and there's plenty of torque across a nice spread of revs. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
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The rear diff lock is a handy addition to any 4WD’s track-tackling toolkit. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
The SL Warrior rides on light-truck-construction Cooper Discoverer AT3s, very decent all-terrain rubber that has plenty of bite and these tyres have plenty of bite, aren’t too noisy on the blacktop and don't seem to affect ride and handling in any major negative way.
These tyres are well equipped for most off-road scenarios – but never forget the importance of adjusting tyre pressures to suit the terrain and driving conditions.
In terms of packability for touring, the SL Warrior is okay.
Payload is listed as 1026kg.
The tub measures 1509mm long, 1560mm wide, 1134mm (between the wheel arches), and 519mm deep. The cargo bed has four tie-down points.
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The SL Warrior has a durable tub-liner, but misses out on the Pro-4X’s Utili-track load-restraint system. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
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The tub measures 1509mm long and 1560mm wide. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
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The cargo bed has four tie-down points. (Image: Glen Sullivan)
It has a durable tub-liner, but misses out on the Pro-4X’s Utili-track load-restraint system.
Towing capacity is 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg (braked).
This Navara has a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 3250kg and a GCM (gross combined mass) of 5910kg.
Any niggles? Sure: the steering is not reach-adjustable, which means I couldn’t quite dial-in my exact driving position and that’s crucial when 4WDing; and the 2.3-litre engine becomes a bit noisy when you give it some heavy right boot.
