Nissan NP300 Navara

Overview

Serving as the most successful pickup truck in Nissan’s global portfolio, the Nissan Navara, in its current generation, has moved up a few notches in terms of premium appeal as well as functionality. Also known as Nissan Frontier in American markets, the Navara, currently in its third generation model, for Philippines has been made available in seven different variants, all of which come with a 2.5-litre diesel engine as standard, and is being offered in a choice of 4x2 and 4x4 variants with both manual and automatic gearbox options.

Interior & Features

Step into the Nissan Navara, and you will be surprised by how airy and premium the cabin feels. Mirroring the large appeal of the exterior, the interior cabin too feels large and wide, with the cabin finished in an all-black theme and an elongated center console to make you feel that nothing in the Navara will make you feel ‘small’.

The three-spoke steering wheel is slightly different from what you have seen on other cars from Nissan, with meaty feeling brushed aluminium inserts, on which are placed the buttons for audio and Bluetooth along with cruise controls as well. The colored MID screen positioned in the middle of the instrument console feels nice and intuitive, something which we have not experienced much in a pickup truck before.

The wide center console though misses out on a touchscreen which is gradually becoming a norm even on other pickup trucks. However, the 5-inch screen for the music system has supports for CD, radio, USB, Aux-in, i-Pod and Bluetooth connectivity, with a nice layout of buttons around it making it feel subtle and old school. Positioned below the music system are the controls for the manual AC, which provide optimum cooling ability along with the rear AC vents. However, the presence of automatic climate control would have been appreciated. The faux aluminium touches on both the sides of the center console is a nice element too.

Other features which do make the Navara a premium vehicle include leather upholstery, power adjustable driver’s seat, push-button start with keyless entry. However, with that slightly old-school center console with staid music system and controls for AC, the Navara feels slightly outdated from inside.

Exterior

Being a pickup truck, having an intimidating stance is a must-to-have trait, and the Nissan Navara successfully manages to break the code here with its bulky and boxy appearance.

The Navara shares its frontal design language with the other famed Nissan SUVs including the mighty Patrol, by having the three-partitioned ‘V-motion’ chrome grille, which along with boxy looking headlamps give it a huge front face. The headlamps come integrated with LED projector headlamps as well as daytime running LEDs to spruce in some premium-ness to the frontal view. The fog lamps too come with chrome surrounds, adding in some premium touch. However, we would have liked to see faux aluminum skid plates in the front bumper, which are absent here on the Navara.

Moving on to the sides, the Nissan Navara has got the traditional pickup truck appeal, with no characteristic lines or creases on the side doors. However, the Navara tries to maintain its gigantic appeal on the sides as well, thanks to the large 18-inch alloy wheels. The chrome garnish on the rear view mirrors (which are nicely styled rather than being squared), door handles and window waistline make the Navara look much more premium than what it is, while the roof rails at the top add in some functionality and sporty appeal to the car.

At the rear, the Navara has got a huge loading bay, which ends up in a smoothly designed rear tailgate. Unlike other pickup trucks’ rear end, the tailgate of the Navara comes with a distinct looking V-shaped cavity, above which are placed the Nissan logo and door handle, along with a uniquely styled spoiler. Unlike the front, the rear bumper has a thick faux aluminium garnish, while the large and vertical tail lamps have a subtle design to it.

Ride & Handling

The Nissan Navara, like all the other pickup trucks, is not meant to provide you a super plush ride quality, but a rigid and rock solid stability in all driving conditions is a must, which it successfully possesses. With a suspension setup of independent dual wishbone with coil spring and stabilizer bar at the front and a multi-link with stabilizer bar at the rear, the Navara feels slightly stiff but stable on each and every driving condition.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

For the Philippines market, the Nissan Navara is being offered with only one engine option – a 2.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine, which though is tuned in different ways for both 4x4 and 4x2 versions. On the 4x4 variants, the engine is capable of pumping out a maximum power output of 188 bhp and a peak torque output of humongous 450 Nm. On the other hand, the same engine on the 4x2 variants produces maximum power and torque figures of slightly lesser 162 bhp and 403 Nm respectively. Both the 4x4 as well as 4x2 variants get the options of a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed automatic gearbox.

Braking & Safety

Being a premium pickup truck, the Nissan Navara covers up all the essential safety features which have become almost standard in this category. The list of safety features for the Navara includes dual front airbags, ABS, EBD, vehicle dynamic control, hill start assist, hill descent control and ISOFIX mounts. However, given the fact that how fast the competition is picking up the pace, we were expecting the Navara to come equipped with more active safety features.

Verdict

The Navara, in a true Nissan fashion, is one nice vehicle but still misses out by an inch from being the perfect one. While it impresses you with its bold exteriors with premium inserts, it is the inside cabin which though feels premium, lacks some of the modern and contemporary bits which are gradually becoming standard in the segment. However, the engine feels powerful and the typical indestructible feel and reliability, as well as go-anywhere ability, makes the Navara feel desirable after you crank up the engine.