Nissan Navara Pick-Up Range

Nissans Navara Brings SUV Qualities To The Workmanlike Pick-Up Genre. Steve Walker Reports

The demands of todays buyers have largely overtaken the previous generation of UK market pick-up trucks. Ultimately, these models were always going to be too utilitarian, both for the business people and company car users who have been attracted by the pick-ups low commercial vehicle taxation burden and for the lifestyle buyers who want a pick-up as an outdoor activity tool. These people demand higher quality interiors and greater refinement along with better on-road performance. The current generation of pick-ups, typified by Nissans latest Navara, are primed to deliver exactly that.

The Nissan Pickup launched in 1998 was designed as a commercial vehicle. Primarily, it needed to be tough, functional and inexpensive. Happily, it was. The Navara version of the Pickup was launched in 2001.

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A higher specification derivative produced to give car-like levels of comfort, this model was a response to a marked shift in the way pick-up trucks were being employed in this country. These vehicles were increasingly being purchased for use as family transportation and ironically, it was their commercial vehicle tax status that was encouraging this non-commercial usage. A market was emerging for more luxurious pick-ups but no matter how much the Navara models dressed up the basic Pickup platform, the vehicles CV origins were never satisfactorily masked. The new Navara shouldnt have that problem.

The key indication to this models positioning in the grand scheme of things is that its manufactured at Nissans NMISA plant near Barcelona, alongside the Pathfinder SUV. It shares its basic design and many up-market features with the Pathfinder, so its better equipped to give pick-up buyers what theyve been clamouring for.

"the big plus comes in terms of raw power"

The gap in refinement between pick-up truck and SUV is being narrowed by vehicles like the Navara. Its very similar to the Nissan Pathfinder SUV as weve already stated and it includes features like integrated satellite navigation and Bluetooth phone connectivity that you just wouldnt have found in a UK market pick-up a few years ago. Like the Pathfinder, the Navara rides on a ladder frame chassis and uses independent double wishbone suspension at the front but it differs from its stablemate at the rear. The pick-ups load carrying duties necessitate a more robust rigid axel arrangement out back with tough leaf springs softening the blows on uneven surfaces.

Styling-wise theres definitely more than a hint on Pathfinder about the Navara. The Nissan 4x4 family face which is now in evidence on models from the X-Trail to the Patrol pops up again here with its tri-sectioned chrome grille and large headlamps positioned in a glinting stripe across the Navaras nose. A deep under bumper with inset fog lamps curves round at the sides merging with the accentuated wheel arches to chunky effect. The latest models also feature indicators integrated into the wing mirrors.

This Navara is a substantially larger vehicle than the model it replaces. At 5,220mm in length, its 175mm longer and the wheelbase has been extended by 250mm to 3,200mm. Buyers can specify the Navara in Double Cab or King Cab form depending on their passenger-carrying requirements. The Double Cab now offers genuine 5-seater capabilities thanks to the extended cab dimensions in this Navara along with proper 4-door access.

The King Cab also boasts a quartet of doors but here the rearmost pair are hinged on their rearmost edges so they open backwards Mazda RX-8 style. The King Cabs cabin is shorter than the Double Cabs and so the rear seats are temporary fold-away affairs suitable only for children or Lord Of The Rings extras. The space behind the front seats in the King Cab is best utilised for the dry storage of luggage or equipment but what you lose in interior space with this model you gain in exterior load bay. The King Cab has a load bay of 1,861mm in length thats 1,130mm wide while the Double Cab offers the same width coupled to a length of 1,511mm.

There are no single cab versions of the Navara because the old Pickup model is scheduled to continue and will cater for buyers looking for a basic workhorse truck. The Navara hasnt only made steps forward in becoming more like a family 4x4. Its also a more practical vehicle than its Pickup forebear. Storage space in the cabin, never a strong point for any of the previous generation of pick-ups, has been improved through the inclusion of a 6.

0-litre box in the centre console and twin gloveboxes in front of the passenger. There are also specialist spaces for coins, cups and cards along with a neat sunglasses holder which folds down from a console in the roof. The door pockets are much larger than before and the seats in the Double Cab can be folded into various positions to further boost the capacity. Buyers who want to can even specify the C-Channel system from the options list.

Its comprised of five rails mounted into the loadbay sides and floor. These can accommodate special cleats which slide along and lock into place to provide lashing points for securing loads. The Navaras powertrain may well be its most impressive feature. The vehicle is powered by a heavily modified version of the 2.

5-litre diesel engine found in the Pickup. This unit uses second generation common-rail injection technology with a variable nozzle turbocharger and twin counter rotating balancer shafts. The net result of all this is increased efficiency and refinement but the big plus comes in terms of raw power. Buyers used to UK market pick-ups with between 100 and 130bhp will feel their eyebrows raising at the Navaras 174bhp output.

Theres a massive 403Nm of torque too which should give the Navara real prowess as a towing vehicle. Theres the option of 6-speed manual transmission or a rather uncertain 5-speed automatic box but all models get Nissans proven part-time 4x4 system. All drive goes to the rear wheels under normal conditions but torque is split equally to all four wheels when 4x4 mode is engaged via a dashboard-mounted dial. Theres a low ratio mode for serious offroad work too and with this setting selected, drivers have the option of employing an electronic rear diff lock to extricate themselves from really sticky situations.

Nissans Navara is a massive improvement over the previous generation of UK market pick-ups. The pick-ups role has become increasingly leisure and family orientated in recent years and Nissan have taken these changing demands on board. The gap between pick-ups and family 4x4s is narrowing and most of the major manufacturers are getting in on the act but theyll have their work cut out in eclipsing the Navara.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Nissan Navara ENGINE: 2.5-litre 174bhp DIMENSIONS: 5220/1850/1780 length/width/heightmm