New Nissan Navara - Dune Conqueror

The double cab market in South Africa is largely dominated by the likes of Toyota, Ford and Isuzu, with other manufacturers taking the rest of the sales. It has been over a decade since Nissan last gave us a double cab offering in the Navara, and I can honestly say the wait has been worthwhile, as Nissan South Africa introduced us to the all-new 2017 Navara on the dunes in Lamberts Bay.

Looking at the new Navara one might think that Nissan hasn’t really done a lot, as the exterior hasn’t really changed that much. Many of the design cues are very much the same as the previous generation, with the front end receiving a bit of a makeover.

Whats new?

Where Nissan has spent the last 11 odd years, is in the engineering department. The new Navara is a whole new vehicle under the skin, with over 1 million test kilometers in some of the harshest conditions.

Nissan claims to be the market leader in many of the categories that double cab vehicles compete in, and also claim to have been the first manufacturer to introduce the idea of softness to traditionally hardcore vehicles. We will get to why that’s important in a few.

The development work done underneath the Navara is evident, with Nissan being able to boast that the new Navara has the best approach, break-over and departure angles in the segment, that being 33, 25.2, and 27.9 degrees respectively. The Navara can also take on a tilt angle of 50 degrees if you so choose.

By far the most important new addition to the new Navara is the five-link coil rear suspension. This is where their claim to softness in hardcore off-road vehicles comes in.

The biggest drawback to driving double cab vehicles, is that the back end becomes light and develops a bounce, requiring a load in the back to settle it down. To counter this, Nissan has replaced the traditional leaf spring arrangement with a coil suspension, much like a car. This has improved the ride of the Navara significantly.


What do the numbers look like?

Even though the Navara is now fitted with a coil suspension in the rear, it can still carry a class-leading 1002kg and tow 3.5 tonnes, braked. This is thanks to a twin-turbodiesel engine that develops 140kW and 450Nm, and does so from low down with almost minimal lag. Despite this, the engine will return figures of 7.0l / 100kmh on the combined cycle, and these are real world figures as our drive delivered exactly that.

With all double cabs there are model variants and the Navara is no different with 3 models available on introduction. The SE, LE MT, and LE AT.

The SE will be the introduction model fitted with the 6-speed manual gearbox and is fitted with entry-level refinements. The LE -models, however, are going to be the ones to have. Although not too keen on the SE -manual version, it proved itself to be very capable and handled the 400km I drove it very well. As mentioned before, the LE is going to be the model to own as it comes with a host of niceties that make the Navara an absolute pleasure to drive.

The LE AT -models are fitted with an electric sliding rear window, LED- headlights and air conditioning to the rear seats as well as a push button start and navigation. The only criticism I have is the angle of the screen that makes it very difficult to read or view in sunlight.

The Verdict

Our test drive took us over 800km on varying terrain, freeways, winding back roads, gravel, and of course the giant play area on the West Coast dunes. This is where we spent our time trying our best to get stuck in the sand, but to no avail! Through all of it, the Navara did not disappoint and is sure to become the new standard that consumers will expect from a double cab.

Representing a culmination of a decade’s worth of development and testing, the new Navara is set to take the fight to the segment with class-leading technical specifications and good looks. This Navara was worth the wait and if pre-orders are anything to go by, the current sales rankings are in for a shakeup.

Models and Pricing

2.3 DDTT 4x4 SE Double Cab  6MT	R514 900 (incl. VAT)
2.3 DDTT 4x4 LE Double Cab  6MT	R565 900 (incl. VAT)
2.3 DDTT 4x4 LE Double Cab  6AT	R584 900 (incl. VAT)

All models are backed by a 6-year / 150 000 km warranty and a 3-year / 90 000 km service plan.