Nissan Navara Calibre – Less Power, More Sense

Nissan Navara Calibre – Less Power, More Sense

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From my observations, pick-up trucks are generally subject to harder use compared to SUVs, even those with ladder frame underpinnings. This goes a long way to explain why the recent Ford Lanun Darat event had only one Everest in a sea of Rangers despite both cars being almost mechanically identical.

Because they are exempted from sales tax, pick-ups are naturally cheaper than passenger cars, and because they all run on bullet-proof diesel engines, they also make for fantastic ownership prepositions. However, when we say ‘hard use’, it does not automatically involve off-roading in the wilderness crossing rivers and wading through mud.

Many buyers get pick-ups for use as workhorses, and the most off-roading they’ll do is probably to construction sites. These buyers do not need ‘four-wheel-drive low range’ at their disposal, and for them a 4×2 offering like the Nissan Navara Calibre does the job just as well as the 4×4 variants, which cost more.

For private registration in the Peninsula, the Navara Calibre costs RM89,900 inclusive of insurance. In comparison, the standard Navara 4×4 with manual transmission is actually RM100 cheaper, though the manual SE variant which we tested earlier goes for RM94,800. The range-topper with automatic transmission and all the bells and whistles asks for RM105,800.

Compared to other 4×2 pickup offerings in the market, the Navara Calibre maintains the same ride height as its 4×4 brethren. The Isuzu D-Max is the only other alternative with a high-riding 4×2 variant. However, the Navara Calibre is the only 4×2 pick-up that offers an auto gearbox, the only transmission of choice.

The test car you see in the pictures is finished in Desert Gold paint, a colour offered only with the Calibre variant. In terms of equipment, besides losing 4×4 and LSD, the Calibre also makes do without airbags and a couple of minor amenities. It still gets all-round power windows, reverse sensors, ABS, EBD, and electric side mirrors.

In addition to reduced equipment, the Navara Calibre also has to make do with reduced power. It’s the same YD25DDTi turbo diesel lump up front, but here it churns out 142hp @ 4,000rpm and 356Nm @ 2,000rpm, down from the 172hp and 403Nm that comes out from the 4×4 variants; still not slow by any means. Its 5-speed automatic transmission has the same set of ratios as the 4×4 auto variant, but has a lower final drive of 3.357.

When we picked up the test car from Tan Chong’s HQ at Jalan Ipoh, it had already clocked just over 6,000km on its odometer, on which we went to pile on a further 350km before returning.

Starting the Navara proves to be quite an experience for those used to the comfort and refinement of a passenger car. The entire vehicle wobbles as you crank the oil burner up front to life, but that’s as far as its barbaric character goes. On the move, it is far more refined.

Because of its ladder frame underpinnings, its ride is bumpier than most passenger cars to be sure, but noise levels are impressively suppressed. As long as you stay on the legal side of the speed limit, engine and wind noise are unlikely to trouble you even a single bit. Refinement is very much on par with most passenger cars.

You may say the engine is de-tuned, but we assure you it still has more than enough get things going in a hurry. Let’s put it this way, an engine with more than 350Nm of torque at its disposal is not likely to be laggy by any stretch of the imagination; and it isn’t – you can scale your way to the top of Genting Highlands without moving the transmission from ‘D’.

Our tight schedule prevented us from fully examining the Navara Calibre’s abilities off-road, but as we mentioned earlier, we don’t recommend that your off-roading be anything more serious than a construction site visit. Deep ruts of mud can be rather tricky to escape from without the benefits of four-wheel drive.

The Navara Calibre makes for an interesting preposition for the urban truckers looking for a reliable workhorse which still offers some decent creature comforts. It’s not the ideal machine for serious off-roading to be sure, but in the urban context it works just fine.


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