Nissan unleashes the new Navara
SINCE its introduction in 2015, the Navara pickup’s current generation undoubtedly gained a stronghold in the vehicle segment. More so, Nissan’s brave move to adopt a coil-sprung rear suspension system, the first and only in its class, proved that toughness and comfort could go along. So recently, Nissan finally gave its versatile workhorse the needed makeover.
“We are unveiling the latest in Nissan’s 80-year pickup heritage— the tougher and smarter Nissan Navara. We build our pickups on the basic customer needs of versatility, quality, durability, and reliability. We pushed the basics to elevate the new Nissan Navara with more technology, more safety, more comfort, and more style,” said Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI) president and managing director, Atsushi Najima.
‘Unbreakable’ design language
ACCORDING to Nissan, this new pickup is the latest translation of its frame vehicles’ ‘unbreakable’ design language. Notably, an enlarged front grille with a thick frame design gave the new Navara the same commanding looks its bigger sibling, the Titan, has. It is matched with unique and standard sharp-looking headlamps with quad LED beams and integrated daytime running lights. Even the bonnet received new sharper profiles aligned to the overlapping top portion (with ‘NAVAR A’ engravings) of the grille. of course, the front bumper looks better with a new set of fog lamps and bottom trims.
Inside, we noticed the new car-like steering wheel with controls along with new leather and fabric seat designs (zero gravity seats). Also, there’s a dual-zone automatic air-conditioning and seveninch high-resolution Nissan Advanced display Audio unit. other upgrades are auto-folding mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, lighter tailgate operation, and updated rear suspension with dual-rate coil springs. Impressively, the level of significant changes in the exterior could even pass for an all-new look, at least for unsuspecting onlookers.
Make way for the new Pro-4x variant
ALSO introduced is the new ruggedlooking Pro-4x grade designed for pickup enthusiasts and adventure lovers. Exclusive to this new variant are matte black grille and Nissan emblem, along with gloss black door handles and roof racks and 17-inch wheels. Moreover, it has lava orange accents on tow hook covers, fenders, and the Nissan badge. It’s also fitted with gloss black 17-inch wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires for that enhanced posture and off-road capabilities. Inside, the leather seats have exclusive Pro-4x stitching.
Blissful drive up north
APART from the launch event, NPI also hosted a drive event for select members of the media up to Ilocos Norte. This was also to commemorate the Navara’s first expedition to the province six years ago. Assigned to the entire fleet was none other than the new Pro-4x version. We took all the long connecting expressways and provincial highways for the pick to demonstrate its comfort and power on stretches. The highway cruise gave the new pickup enough room to stretch its legs.
retained was the existing 2.5-liter diesel engine equipped with variable turbocharger dishing out 187 hp and 450 N-m of maximum torque mated to a seven-speed auto gearbox with manual mode. As expected, acceleration was unrelenting when you step on it. Passing multiple vehicles has never been easier, having a staggering torque at our disposal. Safe to say, the smaller rim size and wider tires of the Pro-4x also factored in providing that beefier acceleration.
But what amazed us was the level of steadiness during our entire freeway run, particularly at high-speed limits. Everything became seamless and cozy thanks to the cruise control, gentle ride, cool air-conditioning, and crisp music from the audio system. We reached Laoag City feeling we drove for lesser distance.
Dune adventure
PERHAPS the best experience during our entire drive was when we get to test the Pro-4x’s off-road prowess on sandy terrain. For this particular test drive alone, we needed to set the drivetrain to 4h with Traction Control turned off to tackle the challenging granulated terrain. In every section, our lead instructor was clear in giving out pointers on how to attack every varying trail. In one particular situation, we enabled the hill descent control to showcase the vehicle’s ability to apply the amount of braking on downward slopes autonomously.
But on open and winding paths, we were able to push the vehicle to its limits further. Every attack, it seemed that the Navara Pro-4x was telling us to step on it, never hesitate, as it hurdled every difficult section. We felt how the gearbox swiftly shifted on gears to maintain within optimum rpm range during challenging climbs. Even the suspension system took most of the beating but performed well, nonetheless. More so, the light and responsive helm made constant steering, including counter steering, easier while charging to remain in the path. In the end, we all felt wanting more from the Pro-4x impressive off-road performance.
Smarter and safer than ever
ACCORDING to Nissan, this new pickup is the smartest one to date, packed with several Nissan Intelligent Mobility features such as Forward Collision Warning, Emergency Braking, Lane departure Warning, and Around View Monitor (with off-road monitor), among others. These intelligent features demonstrated well during our highway cruise.
Now with a new radar system installed, alarms are emitted real-time on vehicles sensed from all directions, especially oncoming ones, within the safe distance and time for the driver to react. More so, there’s driver Attention Alert, Blind Spot Warning, rear Cross Traffic Alert, and high Beam Assist.
on top of the Nissan Intelligent Mobility technologies and numerous upgrades, Nissan will provide a fiveyear warranty exclusive for new Navara customers—a first in its product lineup. Price points for the new Navara variants are as follows: Pro-4x AT 4x4 (P1.849 million), VL AT 4x4 AT (P1.779 million), VL MT 4x4 (P1.699 million), VE MT 4x4 (P1.499 million), VL Calibre AT 4x2 (P1.599 million), VE Calibre AT 4x2 (P1.459 million), VE Calibre MT 4x2 (P1.369 million), and EL MT 4x2 (P1.149 million). All prices are inclusive of the provisional safeguard duties.