Nissan NAVARA OUTLAW PICK-UP
A Jazzed-Up Edition Of The Up-Spec
Nissan Navara Pick-Up, The Outlaw Operates In The Upper Echelons Of The Lifestyle Pick-Up Market. Steve Walker Reports
Nissan did much to promote the easy comprehension of their pick-up range when they chose to christen the entry-level pick-up models, simply, Pick-Up. But the simplistic moniker shouldnt detract from what is a genuinely impressive pick-up product. Equally well put together, the Navara pick-up is essentially a Pick-Up with a bundle of added equipment and some trendy styling accessories. The model we look at here is the Navara Outlaw pick-up.
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Again, its derived from the base Pick-Up pick-up models but it betters the normal Navara pick-ups extras haul by picking up a range of cosmetic trimmings that are all its own. Have you got that?
The
Nissan Navara Outlaw is targeted squarely and unashamedly at what the people in the marketing department like to call the lifestyle sector of the 4x4 market. Lifestyle, used in this context, is a catch-all term coined to refer to the kind of young, trendy, outdoorsy goings-on that care-free, fashionable people are supposed to get up to in their all-wheel drive vehicles. If you buy one of these products you could load-up your mountain bike, jetski or surfboard and head off into uncharted territory to risk life and limb in search of that elusive adrenaline rush. You could but probably wont.
More likely, youll drive it to and from work, park it on you suburban driveway and revel in the adventure-seeking image without ever getting its tyres dirty. Some Nissan Navara Outlaw owners will live the exciting life that the ad men envisaged but theyll probably be in the minority.
"Nissans Pick-Up could easily be the finest vehicle of its type currently on sale in the UK."
Nissan had a solid starting platform on which to build an eye-catching lifestyle pick-up, in the shape of their good-looking entry level Pick-Up model. This workmanlike, no-frills commercial vehicle features chunky, modern styling and the Nissan family face, all of which is inherited by the Navara Outlaw. The Outlaw takes the extended wheelarches, aluminium side steps, chromed mirrors and 16" alloy wheels that set the Navara apart from the bog standard Pick-Up and adds some extras of its own. Load-bearing roof tubes, a body-coloured styling bar over the load bay, chrome tubular side steps and body coloured door handles are all evident. Theres also a choice of Kuro Black or Aruba Blue paint colours that are not available on the standard Navara, as well as Blade Silver that is. Inside, differences between the Navara Outlaw and the standard Navara are less easy to spot.
Theres special interior
seat and door trim, thats liberated from the Nissan X-Trail 4x4, along with a satin-effect centre console but of more importance is the collection of equipment that the Outlaw shares with its Navara sibling. Climate control, a CD player, electric windows, heated door mirrors, anti-lock brakes, its all included. Commercial vehicles which can match that little lot are very few and extremely far between. The extras that the Navara Outlaw can boast over the normal Navara put a modest £750 premium on the price tag taking the overall price to £16,850 excluding VAT.
Which one buyers choose will come very much down to personal taste. If you prefer the looks of the Outlaw, youll probably find the extra £750 to buy it but if youre happy with the original model theres no real reason to dig out the extra cash. Offered solely in double-cab form, the Navara Outlaw will seat five at a pinch and still be able to take a 1,042kg payload on the back. Crucially, this sizable carrying capacity ensures its status as a commercial vehicle for tax purposes.
This equates to big savings for business users compared to the cost of normal company cars because CVs are taxed on a £500 flat rate bypassing the pricey CO2 emissions-based system. VAT registered companies will, of course, also be able to reclaim the VAT they pay on the purchase price ensuring even bigger savings at least until the chancellor decides to put his foot down. Power comes from a 2.5-litre turbocharged and intercooled diesel engine that generates 133bhp.
Performance is very impressive by pick-up standards and considering the Outlaws considerable size. Theres brisk acceleration on tap up to 30 or 40mph, at which point the laws of physics step in to spoil the fun and slow the progress. The quality of the ride and suspension is another big selling point for the Outlaw pick-ups are not usually noted for their driving dynamics. Its smoother than the competition, it performs better in the corners and the steering feels agreeably responsive by pick-up standards.
The part-time 4x4 transmission and the limited slip differential make sure that this surefooted on road performance is replicated off the tarmac. You get a commanding seating position from the Outlaw, up above the hedgerows where the air is clear, but the actual driving position is more coupe than commercial vehicle. Once youve clambered in, utilising your chromium plated tubular side steps, you sit down into a firm seat thats only eight inches or so off the cabin floor. Its very comfortable and you could imagine lasting out long journeys quite satisfactorily.
The noise from that big oil-burning engine is noticeably well suppressed, you can really hear its rumble from the outside but when youre in with the doors shut, everything becomes remarkably civilised. The controls and switches feel robust enough too and the CD stereo looks flash but might prove a bit fiddly to operate at least until you get the hang of it. Safety equipment includes twin front airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and side impact bars, all of which are very welcome additions. Nissans Pick-Up could easily be the finest vehicle of its type currently on sale in the UK.
The Navara Outlaw takes those pronounced underlying qualities and sticks a cherry on the top in the shape of a collection of styling accessories and that action-packed image. Whether its worth picking up an Outlaw instead of the normal Navara double cab will come down to your own personal view of these aesthetic attachments but whichever Nissan pick-up you end up with, it should do a fine job.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Nissan Navara Outlaw Pickup
PRICE: £16,850 excluding VAT ENGINE: 2.5-litre turbodiesel (133bhp) PAYLOAD: 1,042kg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver and passenger airbags, side impact protection door beams, ABS brakes, front seatbelt pretensioners.
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