Making a is one of any carmaker’s most complex endeavours, mainly because one has got to balance out more functions and purposes than any other type of car.
A has got to drive like a passenger car, take loads (capacity and mass), have off-road capability and it’s got to have the looks and a character to go with. A bakkie is supposed to be some kind of jack of all trades and an imbalance anywhere spells disaster.
What are the odds that most, if not all, bakkie makers seem to have a truck, SUV and passenger car on their line-ups? For example: Volkswagen, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi and lately Mercedes-Benz.
To the contrary, consider BMW, Land Rover and Audi, which are masters at their game but not manufacturing bakkies. This confirms the broad range of talents it takes to make a .
Nissan produced its first bakkie in 1935 and as of today, 14 million units have sold in 180 countries with a proud legacy of reliability and innovation. So the Navara is not a novice in any way.
We here at consider the Nissan Navara a favourite and have had a few previews including the Namibia debut and some summaries, and recently, we got to take it on a test drive south of Windhoek.
When I first saw the Navara name, I thought of it as whole different car, but I came to learn that the generation of the Nissan Hardbody, the D22 of 1997 to 2004, was also called a Navara in some markets – Australia to be precise. The Navara got its name from the Navarre region in northern Spain, just about where the European version is built.
The name change to Navara and its graduation from a compact sized pick-up to a midsized truck gave the new Nissan pick-up a much needed new image. It didn’t come in as improved Nissan Hardbody, but a whole new bakkie. It was a card well played as it set all its competition, Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Isuzu KB, way behind in terms of image.
In this market, the Navara has been the most influential bakkie in terms of design; it was the first larger bakkie and the rest had to grow in size to remain competitive.
At first sight, my conclusion on the Navara, compared to the previous one, is that it has shed size, looking more streamlined. Its larger headlights set it apart from rivals making it have a handsome muscular look. The new Navara maintains the same architecture of a balanced body with a rear not as high as its rivals the Hilux and Ranger. Generally speaking, it’s sleek, bold, modern and chunky.
Stepping into the interior, there’s something I call ‘Nissan manners’ – that Japanese high-tech, Hi-Fi signature only found in a Nissan – and it was present. It was also amusing to see it in a bakkie.
The Navara interior has much resemblance to that of siblings, the Altima, Teanna, Xtrail, and is now carried to a bakkie.
Other interior notables include leather seats, powered driver seats, dual climate zone, heated front seats and power opening rear window. All these features packaged in an above average refinement. The Navara’s work horse ethic was also considered and hard plastic was placed in various places. For infotainment, the Navara lives up to its Hi-Fi like aura. It includes: A seven-inch touch screen, satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, USB, Nissan connectsmart phone app connectivity and DAB radio.
Our test drive Navara is powered by a vigorous twin-turbo diesel engine pushing out 140 kW and 450Nm of torque working with a seven-speed automatic transmission. Nissan claims to have the best in class fuel consumption at 7,0 l per 100km.
The all new Nissan Navara is made to merge the rugged strength of a bakkie with the comfort of an SUV and create a new kind of bakkie. With a ground-breaking five link coil rear suspension system, the highlight of the Navara is its suspension, ride and handling which seemed to iron out the most notorious of bumps and uneven surfaces.
Safety features include electronic stability control (ESC), electronic brake assist (EBA), electronic brake distribution (EBD), traction control, whiplash reducing headrests, ISOFIX child seat mountings and seven airbags – knee, front, rear, side and curtain. It also has five stars in the NCAP safety rating.
The Navara is way more comfortable than its competition – that’s its highlight – and it still comes up as tough, oozing with technology. It also has the looks to make it stand out. It’s certainly the best on the market.
