Intentions clear: New Nissan Navara ready for Hilux and Ranger

When it comes to South Africa’s bakkie market, the general consensus is that the Nissan Navara has been something of an underachiever compared to its Japanese rivals, the Toyota Hilux and Isuzu D-Max, as well as the Ford Ranger.

Fighting back

Whereas the previous D40 generation proved immensely popular, the current D23 has struggled to achieve the same level of success, not helped in part by it arriving in 2017 after having been unveiled internationally three years before.

The use of a coil spring rear suspension instead of traditional leaf springs also didn’t help and with Nissan continuing to manufacture the dated but more cost effective D22 Hardbody on local shores, a model which preceded the D40, the D23 Navara found itself languishing far behind its rivals and scrapping with the Volkswagen Amarok for the position of the country’s fourth best-selling bakkie with sales often struggling to crest 350 units.

RELATED: Locally built Nissan Navara arrives with extensive line-up

Nissan’s announcement two years ago that it would invest R3-billion into its Rosslyn Plant outside Pretoria to build the Navara for the local market and Sub-Sahara Africa from 2021 not only came as a welcome boost, but arguably also a logical step as all of its rivals are assembled locally with the next generation Ranger-based Amarok coming next year.

On track to go on sale from this month, The Citizen was given a sneak peek of what to expect recently with not only a drive in an almost production ready Navara, but also how it stacked-up against the soon-to-be outgoing model.

Facelift? It is more than that

Conforming to a Japanese principle called Pika Pika that places emphasis on improvements throughout a model’s lifecycle, the Navara, while still retaining the D23 internal moniker, has been reworked in such a way that it is classified by Nissan as an all-new model instead of a simple facelift.

While still a looker, the current Navara plays second fiddle by long away in the styling department.

Sporting a design similar to the North American Titan in response to the growing appeal of US-style bakkies adopted first by the Ranger (F-150) and more recently the Hilux (Tacoma), the Navara not only looks more imposing, but also a lot more macho with the bulging wheel arches, a massive chrome grille and sweptback LED headlights.

Significant strides have also been made inside with the inclusion of better materials, a new eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system on SE models up, relocation of the reverse camera from the rear-view mirror to the display itself and a full suite of safety and driver assistance systems.

Where change really shows

It is however underneath the skin where the biggest changes reside. In addition to a strengthened chassis, Nissan has also reinforced the front-end in order to better cope with potholes, added new front suspension struts and improve the coil springs to avoid the rear sagging with a load on board while continuing to provide a comfortable ride.

The changes don’t stop there though as the steering has been revised, the loadbox redesigned to suite local market conditions, more sound insulation added to curb both road and engine noise and a new SUV-style windscreen fitted to further stem noise intrusion.

Rear has also been given a prominent restyling.

Staggering is perhaps the best way to describe the transformation as Nissan had not only supplied us with the “new” Navara, but also the “current” model as a means of showcasing the mentioned changes.

Traversing the same rutted and potholed lined route a short drive from Rosslyn that had been used during testing, the “current” Navara exhibited a coarse ride that ‘hit through’ when going through a pothole as a result of the suspension not providing enough dampening.

Not helping the bouncy ride was the lacklustre steering feel and a jarring sensation whenever a slight imperfection came into view. Even worse was its performance on gravel as the rear felt wavy and the ride jarring akin to sitting on a rock separating machine.

Change from new to current obvious.

The complete opposite was however true of the “new” Navara. Despite being a two-wheel-drive model where the “current” one had been four-wheel-drive, the uptakes to the suspension and chassis was such that it felt more like levitating than driving as the bumps and ruts were soaked-up with little fuss or body shake.

Faced with the same gravel road, the ride was smooth and a lot better dampened with the mentioned sound insulation resulting in a significantly quieter cabin.

No replacement for displacement

Before: Interior of the current Navara

The engine itself came as a surprise as Nissan, for the sake of less stringent emissions and providing a better suited and less complicated powerunit for Sub-Sahara Africa, had reverted back to the YD25DDTI 2.5-litre turbodiesel used in the D40 rather than continuing with the 2.3-litre single-or-twin-turbo YS23DDTI used until now.

In our mid-spec SE, the unit produced the same 120kW/403Nm as the 2.3, but felt more responsive with little lag present. While likely to account for fewer sales, the six-speed manual gearbox had undergone a number of tweaks with revised ratios, the result being a slick and positive feel likely to please buyers averse to driving a bakkie equipped with an auto ‘box.

After: Interior of the new Navara

As the YD23DDTI Navara we drove had been equipped with the seven-speed self-shifter, we were kindly afforded a short drive in the new model equipped with not only the same ‘box, but also with four-wheel-drive and in LE spec.

Producing the same 140kW/450Nm despite only having one turbocharger, the YD25DDTI suited the workings of the ‘box much better than the YD23DDTI as the shifts were smoother and the tranny less hesitant to kick-down a gear when required.

Conclusion

Nissan’s implied logic that it had produced an all-new Navara rather than face-lifting an existing model certainly carried weight as the difference between the two models more than adhered to the ‘”light-and-day” principle.

With an expansive 17 model line-up plus the aim of taking the third step on the podium from the venerable D-Max, the Navara finally has what it takes and deserving of the same attention as the D40. Let battle commence!