For the first time ever Nissan Motor Europe held a vehicle launch event in Iceland. It’s rugged terrain surrounding its scenic and weather beaten countryside proved to be an ideal introductory venue for its latest Navara Pick-up truck, on sale now across Europe.
Business users and private owners and families will be reassured by the Navara’s improved efficiency, and journeys will be smoother thanks to the Navara’s all-new six speed manual transmission, while the upgraded suspension improves the ride, handling and comfort of the vehicle. In addition, the revised suspension means that the Navara can now also carry heavier loads.
“This new generation Navara is developed from Nissan’s 80 years of experience designing robust and practical Pick-ups, and represents an exciting new step for this vehicle,” said Paolo D’Ettore, LCV Business Unit Director. “With its Go Anywhere capabilities and award-winning engineering, the Navara will undoubtedly maintain its status as the hero of Nissan’s LCV range far into the future.”
As the ultimate versatile working tool, the Navara’s more efficient 2.3 litre twin-turbo engine comes with a choice of two outputs, as before, offering 163PS / 425 Nm and 190PS / 450 Nm respectively. The entry level engine also sees a 22Nm boost in torque to 425Nm, thanks to the change from single to twin-turbo chargers.
Navara’s all-new six speed manual transmission is manufactured in Europe and is the first application globally, delivering a major improvement in ease of shifting and refinement thanks to cable operation, adoption of a shorter gear lever and reduced vibration. The new transmission also features a more conventional shift pattern, with reverse gear located next to first, and new gear ratios for improved fuel efficiency and lower noise levels for motorway driving. There has also been further tuning of the 7-speed automatic transmission, with improvements to comfort, refinement and responsiveness.
The Navara features the second generation of the SUV-like 5-link rear suspension, a radical departure from the leaf springs used on most competitor Pick-up trucks, providing better comfort and control. This system has now been applied to the King Cab. The Double Cab sees a payload increase of 54 – 114Kg (depending on specification), taking total payloads to 1115Kg – 1180Kg and a Permissible Total Weight of 3250Kg.
Front suspension modifications enable steering effort to be reduced, with lighter and more comfortable handling in low-speed manoeuvring, while the 25mm lift in rear suspension and 2-stage coil spring changes the vehicles posture a little – slightly lower in the front and higher at the back end.
As well as heightened posture from improved suspension, new wheel designs (taken from one of its recent prototypes) are also applied across the Navara range. The wheel size has also been increased from 16 to 17 inches on lower grades. Higher grade models feature updated LED headlamps with a high gloss black inner shell replacing the previous chromed part of the design.
Inside, the NissanConnect infotainment system sees a dramatic hardware and software upgrade, allowing users to mirror their phone inside the vehicle, displayed on a new 8” high resolution clearer screen (7” previously) with multi-touch control and faster response times. The Navara also sees the addition of the NissanConnect Services app, featuring a telematics control unit and built-in 4G device that allows data to be shared without a separate phone connection. Embedded TomTom Maps combine with over-the-air updates to ensure mapping is accurate in real time, alongside live traffic information, 3D maps, weather information and Google Satellite and Street View. The new system is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, delivering the seamless connectivity expected by today’s consumers.
Navara is sold in 109 countries worldwide, and this model is engineered specifically with European customers in mind and is built at the NMISA plant in Barcelona, which has just celebrated 35 years of production success.
The next edition of Fleet Van & Utility will feature the inaugural test drive report of the new Nissan Navara from Iceland.