Nissan NP300 Pick-Up : SOLID VIRTUES

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What the Nissan NP300 lacks in style and comfort, it more than makes up for in practicality. Matt Low reports

The Nissan NP300 is a good old-fashioned, solidly built pick-up that is more at home on the challenging terrain of a building site than it is on the Chelsea school run. Whereas some pick-ups have been going the way of the SUV in recent times and becoming trendy tax havens for company drivers, the NP300 reverts back to a no-frills style that is aimed at benefiting building site foremen rather than city slickers.

For some reason, pick-up trucks have started to become trendy. Company car drivers have begun ditching their expensive SUVs and, attracted by the personal tax advantages, started buying up pick-ups in numbers. To cater for this, pick-up manufacturers began flooding the market with high-end models that are big on cab comfort and gadgetry but not really suited to the building site environment that pick-ups were originally intended for. But now this all seems to be swinging back the other way. Thanks in no small part to the economic downturn, manufacturers are beginning to create more basic models for a smaller fee. And it is in to this arena that Nissan introduced the no-frills NP300 pick-up. Based on Nissan's old Pick-Up model, the NP300 represents an affordable pickup option that should ensure you'll be seeing one on a building site near you in the near future. The NP300 comes with one type of engine and that is a four-cylinder, 16-valve, common-rail 2.5-litre diesel. This unit reaches its maximum power of 133bhp at 3,600rpm and peak torque of 304Nm kicks in at 2,000rpm. A five-speed manual gearbox comes as standard. The front suspension employs a double wishbone set-up while a rigid rear axle and leaf springs help support the rear end when carrying a load and ensures a reasonably bump-free ride. Power-assisted steering leads to a wall to wall turning circle of 12.2 metres and a kerb to kerb turning circle of 11.2 metres. The power-assisted steering does not seem particularly responsive on the roads and handling can be vague. Under normal road use the NP300 utilises rear-wheel drive but if you have the 4x4 option, a lever near the gear stick can be used to engage the all-wheel drive for when the going gets tough.

"The NP300 is a gutsy performerâ€¦."

The single cabin NP300 features a fairly uncomfortable three-man bench that has to be slid forward and backward in its entirety for the driver to get nearer the pedals. The bench cannot be adjusted for rake and the middle seat has inadequate legroom even for a hobbit. However the steering column height can be altered to suit the driver. Although the NP300 holds its own when up to motorway speeds, this 2.5-litre diesel powerplant is really more suited to biting into tough terrain at low speeds and this is where it comes into its own. The NP300 should not cost a fortune to run and fuel consumption is pretty much par for the course with CO2 emissions at 241g/km. It averages around 30mpg on the combined cycle and should not cost the world to insure either. Nissan provides a three-year, 18-000-mile warranty along with three-year paint and six-year anti-corrosion guarantees, meaning you can get on with your work without worrying about endless appointments at the garage. The rear load area is capacious, well-designed and should make life on the building site a whole lot easier, especially if you fork out the extra money for the Double Cab or King Cab models which provide better fastening equipment in the loading bay. Where the NP300 may frustrate you however is on the road. Its engine is more suited to rugged ground than tarmac highways and the handling can be irritating. The maximum payload the Nissan NP300 can carry is a respectable 1,135kg and it can tow anything weighing up to an impressive 3,000kg with the brake on, 750kg with the brake off. Inside the cabin it's a seriously no-frills approach with limited storage space in the doors and dashboard. Some of the interior trim also looks a little cheap but what do you expect from a pick-up for this price? The NP300 is not about style and comfort. If you're looking to haul large loads across rough terrain without caring what you look like, it's built for the task. If you're really looking for positives, you could say the natty vinyl interior will wipe clean easily when it inevitably gets caked in mud. The NP300 features a very accessible rear loading bay. Access is gained through a drop-down tailgate that opens up across the whole width of the vehicle and can be locked horizontally to carry long loads, or can drop down entirely if the chains are released. The bay area can take loads that are 2,235mm in length, 1,465mm in width and 430mm in height and five rope hooks are mounted along the outside on both sides of the bay area to help secure loads down, although in the cheaper models there are no load tie-down points inside the bay area which can be frustrating. The edge of the load area incorporates a lip to attach hooks to, although it looks a little flimsy and it is unclear how much strain it can take. Body colour comes in a selection of eight colours and the interior is available in three upholstery shades. Prices run between £11,630 and £16,230 and there are four variations of the Nissan NP300 to choose from. The entry-level model is the standard 2x4 wheel-drive Single Cab. This features power-steering, 14-inch steel wheels, front electric windows with one-touch, a CD stereo with two speakers, a three-man front bench and manual air conditioning. Next up in the range is the same Single Cab model but with four-wheel drive. This has the added extra of front and rear mudguards, 16-inch steel wheels and front fog lamps. The King Cab model is next in line with individual front seats, an extended cab with opening rear side windows, a carpeted floor, a central console with a lid and a smooth outer cargo bed with internal lashing hooks and a rear step bumper included in the price. The most expensive model is the Double Cab, which comes with all the added extras featured in the other models plus a rear bench to seat three more people, rear head restraints and rear electric windows. Most customers will probably find the 4x4 Single Cab serves their purposes adequately, especially if they're looking to keep costs down. But for a relatively small extra premium the Double Cab and its added extras will make your NP300 seem not so no-frills anymore and will be a great help if you need to transport workmates around. The Nissan NP300 is a gutsy performer when ploughing through wastelands, building sites and fields, but does not perform as well on the roads. The car does not move quickly away from a standstill, has relatively unresponsive steering and is certainly not big on comfort. The cabin feels cheaply put together and is sparse in its knobs and dials but it will keep you warm and dry when you're negotiating bumps and hills and that's really the point of the NP300 pick-up. In its defence, it does not have any pretensions to be comfortable and enjoyable to drive. What it does have is an excellently designed and incredibly easy to access loading area and a powerful engine to get you around hazardous terrain. For a bit of extra cash, you can also transform your NP300 into a Double Cabber that transports six. Marry these pluses with the reasonable pricing and the NP300 could take a fair slice of the pick-up pie. It's also worth bearing in mind that for just a couple of grand more, you can move into much plusher Nissan Navara territory.

Facts At A Glance MANUFACTURER: Nissan MODEL: NP300 pick-up BHP: 133 PAY
LOAD CAPACITY: 1,135 GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT: 1,680kg - 1,700kg LENGTH: 2,235mm WIDTH: 1,465mm HEIGHT: 430mm August 8th 2008