Have you ever thought that the Nissan brand has been in the African continent for over 60 years? Makes you think doesn't it with the kind of vehicles Nissan has offered over the years. One of the most popular cars over time was the 1400 bakkie, and even when you search AutoTrader, you'll still see a few examples floating about.
Related: Nissan Navara (2024) Colour and Price Guide
Fast forward to today and Nissan is still a household name in many respects. Commercial, lifestyle, enthusiast vehicles and daily runabouts. In this article, the Navara bakkie has the spotlight as it's poised to partake in the Daring Africa expedition.
What is Daring Africa?
In addition to the celebration of over 60 years of Nissan, the Daring Africa expedition takes the Navara range on a 'Rosslyn to Cairo' convoy trip boasting the robustness and capability of the Navara range. Not to mention, there's manufacturing in both South Africa and Egypt. It goes without saying that the African landscape is not for the faint of heart, and it's a remarkable feat for a vehicle to complete a bottom-to-top trip and do it unscathed. Take 4 Navaras in the form of the top-of-the-line Pro4X double cab 4x4 variant and even the humble single cab SE 4x4 variant to handle the journey. Pair that with an X-Trail for a support vehicle and demonstrate some of the SUV's capabilities. The Navara is proudly built in the Nissan Rosslyn manufacturing plant, and the same locally built Navaras will be heading on the huge journey.
The first leg sees the vehicles set off from the Rosslyn plant to Mbombela, Mpumalanga, near the Mozambique border. After that, the next legs will take place in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, and the final destination is Egypt. Each country will have the vehicles and intrepid drivers being met and accompanied by a team from each country’s media and visiting some key dealerships along the way. The expedition aims to keep the bakkie legacy going. It sees the Nissan brand looking to the future by maximising its assets with some new vehicles in the pipeline and growing some opportunities in the African Landscape.
The Vehicles
The Navara in Pro4X 4x4 double cab trim has an 'SUV-Like' cabin and ride quality. The Pro4X comes with a high level of safety, such as 7 airbags, an Intelligent Around View Monitor with Off-Road mode, and moving object detection, to name a few. To keep the drive entertaining, a NissanConnect infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Single Cab SE 4x4 has a top-class 1119kg load capacity, easy-lift tailgate and side step access. The Navaras here use 2.5-litre turbodiesel engines with two different power outputs. In the Pro4X, the mill produces 140kW and 450Nm with power sent via an automatic transmission and in the SE, 120kW and 403Nm with power sent via a manual transmission. The X-Trail support vehicle is in Accenta Plus 4WD trim with a 2.5-litre petrol engine producing 135kW and 244Nm with power being sent via a CVT transmission. The X-Trail although a support vehicle, is apt for the open roads.
We covered the first leg of the journey from Rosslyn to Mbombela, and the trip was pleasant in these vehicles. Along the way, we visited Nissan Menlyn and the Produkta dealerships, who shared their enthusiasm for the expedition. Some 4x4 accessories to tackle some harsher environments have been included on the Navaras naturally. We have assurance that the Navaras and X-Trail, too, will be able to handle the journey just fine.
All the best to Nissan and the lucky drivers for the great expedition!
Check out AutoTrader for the latest used and new Navaras and X-Trails.
