Review of the new Nissan Navara Mommoth

For some time now, 'Nissan Navara' has been our default response whenever we've been asked to nominate the pick-up we would buy. The one most suited to heavy work yet with the most car-like manners. Our only caveat is sometimes that the plush AVENTURA model that most customers want can be rather pricey. Just as well then, that Nissan have come up with a Mammoth solution.

The Mammoth in question is a special edition version that builds in much of the AVENTURA's lifestyle feel into a product that costs £16,995 plus Vat rather than £20,995 plus vat - quite a difference. The name is inspired from the well known mountain resort located in central California and as you would expect, this pick-up is offered in double cab form with a 6-speed manual transmission. As you might not expect for this kind of money, the equipment list includes dual zone climate control air conditioning, CD auto changer, cruise control, auto headlights, rain sensing wipers, C-Channel load anchorage system, driver and passenger airbags, 17inch alloy wheels, roof rails and front fog lamps.

You do without the plusher model's leather upholstery - but then I've also felt that leather in a pick-up was faintly ridiculous. 'California Sports Adventure' floor mats are OK though, as is special badgework to distance your Navara from the local plumber's. Or indeed the rival plumber's, depending on your situation. The vehicle comes in a choice of four colours: Metallic Black, Storm Grey, Emotion Red and Arctic White.

The Navara shares its underpinnings not with a commercial vehicle but with Nissan's Pathfinder family 4x4 - which gives you some idea why it's so much nicer to drive than commercial rivals with more utilitarian bloodlines. Like the Pathfinder, the Navara rides on a ladder frame chassis and uses independent double wishbone suspension at the front but it differs from its stablemate at the rear. The pick-up's load carrying duties necessitate a more robust rigid axel arrangement out back with tough leaf springs softening the blows on uneven surfaces.

"The Navara shares its underpinnings not with a commercial vehicle but with Nissan's Pathfinder family 4x4…"

Styling-wise there's definitely more than a hint on Pathfinder about the Navara. The Nissan 4x4 family face which is now in evidence on models from the X-TRAIL to the Patrol pops up again here with its tri-sectioned chrome grille and large headlamps positioned in a glinting stripe across the Navara's nose. A deep under bumper with inset fog lamps curves round at the sides merging with the accentuated wheel arches to chunky effect. The latest models also feature indicators integrated into the wing mirrors.

This Navara is a substantially larger vehicle than the model it replaced. At 5,220mm in length, it's 175mm longer and the wheelbase has been extended by 250mm to 3,200mm. The Mammoth version's Double Cab layout offers genuine 5-seater capabilities thanks to the extended cab dimensions in this Navara along with proper 4-door access. The interior section itself is 1,130mm wide and 1,511mm long.

The Navara hasn't only made steps forward in becoming more like a family 4x4. It's also a more practical vehicle than its Pickup forebear. Storage space in the cabin, never a strong point for any of the previous generation of pick-ups, has been improved through the inclusion of a 6.0-litre box in the centre console and twin gloveboxes in front of the passenger. There are also specialist spaces for coins, cups and cards along with a neat sunglasses holder which folds down from a console in the roof.

The door pockets are much larger than before and the seats in the Double Cab can be folded into various positions to further boost the capacity. Buyers who want to can even specify the C-Channel system from the options list. It's comprised of five rails mounted into the loadbay sides and floor. These can accommodate special cleats which slide along and lock into place to provide lashing points for securing loads.

The Navara's powertrain may well be its most impressive feature. The vehicle is powered by a heavily modified version of the 2.5-litre diesel engine found in the Pickup. This unit uses second generation common-rail injection technology with a variable nozzle turbocharger and twin counter rotating balancer shafts. The net result of all this is increased efficiency and refinement but the big plus comes in terms of raw power. Buyers used to UK market pick-ups with between 100 and 130bhp will feel their eyebrows raising at the Navara's 174bhp output. There's a massive 403Nm of torque too which should give the Navara real prowess as a towing vehicle.

Like all Navara models, this one gets Nissan's proven part-time 4x4 system. All drive goes to the rear wheels under normal conditions but torque is split equally to all four wheels when 4x4 mode is engaged via a dashboard-mounted dial. There's a low ratio mode for serious offroad work too and with this setting selected, drivers have the option of employing an electronic rear diff lock to extricate themselves from really sticky situations.

Normally, we don't have too much time for special edition models but this one is important given that it corrects the only issue that buyers were finding on what was otherwise the market's leading 4x4 pick-up. Namely, getting the right spec for the right price. 'Mammoth' trim is in our view, pretty much the best Navara package to go for. And the Navara is pretty much the best pick-up to go for. Enough said. 

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