Nissan has breathed new life into the ‘old’ Navara with the decision to fit the 2.5-litre turbo diesel from the
Nissan has breathed new life into the ‘old’ Navara with the decision to fit the 2.5-litre turbo diesel from the Pathfinder into its small-bodied ute.
For those struggling with the concept of two distinctly different utes being sold from the same dealer under the same nameplate, it is all in the initials.
Basically, buyers have a choice of the D22 Navara, or the much larger Pathfinder-based D40 Navara, which is more reminiscent of a Ford F-Series.
The D22, which has been available for many years now, will remain a fixture on the sales landscape thanks to Nissan deciding to reduce the number of engine offerings to either the 2.5 litre diesel or a 4.0-litre petrol V6, which is only available in the D40 version.
While the D22, retailed as the ST-R, may have lost half a litre in capacity, the reality is the YD25 motor now pumps out 98 kilowatts of power at 3600rpm, but the torque is a massive 304 Nm at just 2000 rpm.
This means that when you team it up with a five-speed manual, as fitted to our test car, it goes like a scalded cat, thanks to some wonderfully selected gear ratios.
It might run out of puff at about 140kph, but you will get there faster than you thought possible in a dual cab ute with serious off-road capability, or more importantly, it will do it with four adults on board, plus their luggage, with a fully laden trailer hanging off the back.
While it lacks the cabin space of its bigger brother, there is plenty of headroom, and most drivers will be fine with the seating position.
The gear shift is remarkably light, given how much torque it is dealing with, while the return spring on the clutch pedal is the heaviest part of the operation, and is quickly mastered.
The steering is heavy, and the turning circle is more like a turning orbit, however this is offset by good rear vision for three-point turns, or plenty of ground clearance if you decide to drive over the top of things.
Both the build quality and panel finish are in the very good category, while there is enough creature comforts like radio, airconditioning and central locking to keep most people happy.
Safety wise, there are ABS brakes and front airbags, which is pretty good for this category, while the disc-drum set-up works well under normal situations.
For regional operators, who need to be able to get in and out of remote sites carrying a couple of people and tools or equipment, the D22 Navara is certainly worth a look.
For a full review of the Navara, see the June edition of Owner//Driver newspaper.