All-new Nissan NP300 Navara debuts globally
Nissan has taken the wraps off its latest generation pick-up truck this week with the global unveiling of its all-new NP300 Navara. In case you’re wondering, the NP300 designation here is incorporated into the model’s official nomenclature, though it is unclear if this convention will be practiced in all markets.
Built on the platform of a newer and tougher ladder frame, the new Navara will be available with a wide selection of body types, drive-line, and powertrain combinations. Overall height of the vehicle is reduced, but ground clearance is raised and loading area expanded. A most interesting variation on offer, however, is the choice between narrow- and wide-body options in addition to the usual king cab and double cab configurations. No mention of the single cab layout, but that can easily be saved for a later introduction.
The Nissan design team sought to create a sportier and more expressive design for the new Navara, giving it modern and sophisticated design details such as the new ‘V-motion’ corporate look accentuated by the pair of distinctive ‘boomerang-shaped’ LED daytime running lights. Darkened B-pillars help create a smoother silhouette, whilst a high belt line emphasizes the vehicle’s chunkiness and muscle, desirable traits to project on a pick-up.
Considerable attention is evidently paid on cabin design with Nissan’s official press pictures showing us a cabin that would not look out of place in a Sylphy or Teana. It is much better looking than what the predecessor offered, sophisticated design lines creating a more varied landscape across the dashboard and a selection of materials that include upmarket touches such as aluminium inserts and double-stitched leather.
Although typically conservative when setting up their passenger cars, Nissan has a tendency to go berserk with its pick-ups. The outgoing Navara remains hard to beat for straight-line performance despite being near the end of its life cycle, so it is no surprise that the 2.5-litre YD25 turbodiesel engine remains in use for the new model, reworked to two output settings – 161hp/403Nm and 188hp/450Nm – both offering exceptionally competitive performance. Nissan claims improvement of fuel economy of up to 11% over the previous model. Also available is a 2.5-litre petrol engine of unspecified outputs, but we are not anticipating this variant on our shores. Expect lower engine tunes to surface at later stages to cater for more utilitarian applications.
The NP300 will be available with a choice of both manual and automatic transmissions. The manual, as before, will have six gears, whilst the auto generates headlines with seven forward ratios. Drive line of 4×4 models will have shift-0n-the-fly operation, and range-topping variants are packed to the hilt with driver aids featuring stability control, ABLS (active brake limited slip), hill start assist, and hill descent control.
KON
Pictures: Official Nissan release.
