The Toyota Hilux Legend 55 (left) and the Nissan Navara Pro 4X Warrior
When Toyota and Nissan unveiled the new generation Hilux and Navara last month, bakkie lovers immediately turned their attention to 2026.
Both vehicles are special to South Africans and consistently rank among the best-selling bakkies, with the Hilux being the country’s best-selling car.
I had the last special-edition variants of the current generation on test for a week — the Toyota Hilux Legend 55, which celebrates 55 years of the Hilux, and the Nissan Navara Pro 4X Warrior. This special edition is more than just an aesthetic upgrade.
I wanted to understand where both brands can improve and what I would like to see in the new models. Then I also found out that Nissan is not bringing the new Navara to South African shores, which disappointed me, given that we are a bakkie-loving nation.
I took a look at the exterior, interior, the ride quality and value for money before deciding which special edition I would actually buy if I had the money.
The exterior
For the Legend 55, without changing too much from the original Hilux, Toyota has added blacked-out accents, badging around the car, a sports bar, a lockable roller shutter, underbody protection, and two-tone 18-inch alloy wheels with a machined finish and beefier all-terrain tyres.
Basically, it’s a Hilux that took a few protein shakes and went to the gym.
I quite like that Toyota has just beefed up the Legend 55 without spoiling too much of the next generation from an exterior perspective. It lets you focus on what the current Hilux is, but adds some style to make it an attractive bakkie.
The Nissan Navara Pro 4X Warrior is a similar story. Nissan has taken the Navara Pro 4X and sent it to lift some weights as well.
The Warrior takes everything that the regular Navara Pro 4X has and adds a body-coloured hoopless bullbar with an integrated LED lightbar, a steel bash plate, unique wheel arch cladding, and Warrior decals around the vehicle.
However, the Navara Pro 4X Warrior adds more than just aesthetic changes to the vehicle.
For starters, it has a revised suspension developed by Premcar, which means the rings, dampers, and jounce bumpers have all been upgraded for better off-road performance.
The Navara Pro 4X Warrior also gets an additional 11mm of ground clearance over the regular Navara Pro 4X, bringing it to a whopping 232mm.
The Hilux Legend 55 does everything right, but for me, the Warrior just looks like more of a beast from the outside.
Continuing with the gym analogies, I dare say the Warrior looks like it might be on steroids.
Interior
Now this is where I feel both brands need to improve.
When I tested the Ford Ranger Platinum and BYD Shark 6, it was evident to me that bakkies can still feel rugged but luxurious at the same time.
The comfort that both of those bakkies gave me was unmatched.
When I looked at the Navara Pro 4X Warrior and Hilux Legend 55 from the outside, they both look like these modern bakkies that are going to wow you, and to be fair, they do in most departments, except for the interior.
Both interiors just feel extremely outdated, with very old-looking instrument clusters and screens that are unresponsive.
The interiors of both vehicles just don’t feel like they belong in 2025.
However, I will give Toyota credit for including some ambient lighting in the Hilux Legend 55 that at least gives the vehicle a good atmosphere at night.
The Legend 55 interior takes the win here, though neither vehicle did it for me on the inside. They lacked a sense of refinement, especially for two vehicles priced close to R1 million.
But it’s not all doom and gloom about the inside of both vehicles. Luckily, Toyota has revealed an all-new interior on the 2026 Hilux that pays far more attention to detail and really pushes the boundaries of luxury and refinement.
However, with this current model, if you are a stickler for those things, then it just might not feel as good as you want it to.
Ride quality
Now, we get back to the good stuff.
Starting with the Hilux Legend 55. It keeps Toyota’s trusted 2.8-litre GD-6 turbodiesel engine, paired with a refined 6-speed automatic transmission. This delivers 150kW of power and 500Nm of torque.
Toyota has kept the same engine in the next-generation Hilux as well, because it just provides an excellent drive.
The interior might not feel refined, but the drive certainly does. I just wanted to continue driving the Hilux Legend 55 as much as I could because the gear shifts were buttery smooth, the suspension was excellent, and it was more than capable of doing anything.
From quick overtakes to curb climbing, it just gives you a great sense of confidence once your foot is on the pedal.
The Navara Pro 4X Warrior employs a 2.5-litre DDTi (Direct Diesel Turbo Inter-cooled) 4-cylinder turbo-diesel engine paired with a 7-speed automatic gearbox, producing 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque.
Although you shouldn’t really feel the difference in power between the two vehicles, you do. This is not to say that the Navara Pro 4X Warrior is underpowered in any sense, but the Hilux just feels more powerful.
However, the Navara also offers a beautiful drive both on and off-road. It does feel slightly rougher and more rugged on the open road, but the Warrior did get suspension and ground clearance enhancements to help on rougher terrain.
However, in terms of ride quality, the Hilux Legend 55 just handles itself slightly better, offering more refinement and confidence while still offering all the things that the Warrior offers from an off-road perspective, such as four-wheel drive with differential lock and 4H and 4L modes.
The Legend 55 wins this one, but just.
Value for money
The Toyota Hilux Legend 55 is an incredible vehicle, barring that outdated interior. It uses the same mechanics as the Hilux and just beefs up the exterior to make it a more attractive vehicle.
We were in the Toyota Hilux Legend 55 2.8 GD-6 4×4 Double Cab AT, which is priced at R935 900, and for me, it is well worth the money if you want a special edition Hilux.
But there is a slight problem. With the 2026 Hilux already revealed and featuring massive upgrades to the interior, it becomes difficult to advocate for the Legend 55, knowing that Toyota is bringing a better product in just a few months.
The Nissan Navara Pro 4X Warrior is priced at R924 000. This is also well worth it, and what makes it even better is the fact that Nissan is not bringing the new Navara to South Africa.
Of course, if you really want the new Navara, then you might need to switch brands and just go for the Mitsubishi Triton.