Nissan Navara NP300 D23 4X4 Review: With Elephants And Hounds In The Back-blocks Of Thailand
July 31, 2014
What’s hot: Balanced 2.3 litre diesel; brilliant fuel economy, five-link SUV rear suspension, best-in-class interior.
What’s not: The V6 is disappearing, manual shift needs a firm hand, no reach adjustment to the steering wheel.
X-FACTOR: The car-like accommodation and snug feel inside will win friends; so too will the fuel economy and tough-truck capability.
Vehicle style: Light commercial 4x4 utility
Price: (expected range) $39k - $55k
Engine/trans: 140kW/450Nm 2.3 litre twin-turbo diesel | 6spd manual, 7spd auto
Fuel consumption
manual listed: 8.9 l/100km | tested: 8.9 l/100km
auto listed: 8.9 l/100km | tested: 7.8 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Let the battle begin. Nissan’s new D23 'NP300' Navara is a greatly improved car.
And, fact is, it has to be if it’s not to get done over by the segment benchmark, Ford’s Ranger (and its BT-50 half-bro’), and Toyota’s ‘King of the Heap’ HiLux.
The new Navara would seem to be up to the challenge - it feels a wholly different vehicle to the current model it’s set to replace early next year.
It is more sophisticated, more comfortable, better finished, and quieter.
It is also very well-featured. The average family will fit comfortably and well-accommodated between these doors, and, aside from that firmer ‘tub-back’ ride, will not feel they’re riding around in a truck.
Importantly, though the new 2.3 litre twin-turbo engine is slightly downsized on the current model’s 2.5 litre diesel, the new car is just as strong and its payload and towing capacity unchanged.
But the fuel economy, as we discovered on test in Thailand, is exceptional for a vehicle of this style and weight (1.85 tonne no less), notwithstanding the somewhat slippery 0.37 drag coefficient.
INTERIOR | RATING: 4.5/5
Nissan’s target was to match the interior quality of the ‘medium passenger car’ class with the interior of the new Navara.
If you didn’t notice the tub on the back and the upright glass at the rear passengers’ heads, you would otherwise swear you were seated in a smart SUV.
The style, soft surfaces, brushed metal and deep piano-black of the centre-stack and dash is classier by a country mile than the current Navara. For quality feel, it’s a match for the Pathfinder (with which it shares more than a few elements).
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