Nissan has released details for the new Nissan Navara ute which arrives here in 2015 and is available in a variety of body styles and in four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive variants.
ACCORDING TO DETAILS FROM the international reveal, “The Nissan design team focused on delivering a sportier and more emotional expression on the Navara, while maintaining Nissan’s distinctive design DNA. The view from the side is marked by the smooth silhouette thanks to the high beltline and blacked B-pillar, which lends the Navara a unique character (although, to our eyes, the front-end bears a passing resemblance to the Isuzu D-Max – Ed).
“The door section with dynamic convex and concave surface boldly expresses its energetic and dependable appearance along with the massively sculpted fenders. Nissan’s signature ‘V-motion’ motif flows from the grille and into the hood through to the front fender, giving a smooth and dynamic character line.”
Inside, Nissan has followed in the footsteps of Ford and Mazda in offering an interior that walks a fine line between rugged practicality and passenger-car-like quality. We’ll wait to see it in the metal before saying whether they’ve been successful or not.
While we haven’t yet seen the all-new Navara in the metal yet, it would seem the changes are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Nissan says its upgraded the chassis, making it stronger, but the suspension, albeit tweaked to offer more comfort, up front is independent, coil over with a leaf-sprung rear. There are two engines on offer, but which one will be available in Australia hasn’t yet been confirmed: a 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder petrol and a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder. A seven-speed automatic and a six-speed manual transmission are available.
To keep the Navara from slipping and sliding too much, Nissan is offering an electric, shift-on-the-fly four-wheel-drive system, stability and traction control, and Active Brake Limited Slip which uses the brakes to apply force to a spinning wheel in low-traction situations on both the front and rear axles. A mechanical differential then sends power to the opposite wheel (the one with grip).
“Since we built our first pick-up in 1933, over 14 million customers around the globe have come to depend on a Nissan pick-up to transport their families, work-mates and cargo, sometimes in the toughest of circumstances,” said Andy Palmer, Nissan’s Chief Planning Officer.
“Nissan pick-ups are often the lifeblood of their communities, and they need a broader range of abilities than almost any other vehicle. Engineering a good one isn’t easy, but with the NP300 Navara, we’ve added to our accumulated 80 years of pick-up know-how, more comfort, convenience and SUV-inspired features, in-order to build a great one.”
“We are confident that the all-new Nissan NP300 Navara will go straight to the top of pick-up buyers’ shopping lists in all of the markets where we will sell it. Its combination of striking looks, efficient performance, robustness and durability will allow owners to work and play harder – enriching their daily lives. The NP300 Navara continues the legacy of Nissan’s long pickup history and, like all Nissan models, it will deliver excitement through innovation,” said Palmer.
Looks as good as the competition, not better. Reliability is a big factor in purchasing, but the question for me is it’s offroad ability and whether it can be modified easily. It looks quite low, so it may not be on the short list. Until they give useful specs, I won’t bother thinking about it again.
Fair call, Matt. What would be on your shortlist?
We’ll let you know more about the new Navara and whether it’ll be any good off-road as soon as we get more info on it. Cheers, Isaac (Editor).