Review of the new Nissan Navara range

The pick-up truck remains the ultimate go-to vehicle. Whether you're heading off to the beach with your sun kissed family, surfboards, jetskis and immaculate dental work in tow, or transporting two dead sheep through a swamp, this is one multi-purpose vehicle that lives up to its billing. Nissan's Navara has been at the top of the pick-up pile in the UK for years, ticking the important boxes for business and private buyers alike. To fight off competition from its small but capable band of pick-up rivals, the latest model underwent a thorough refresh.

Nissan has the NP300 to satisfy pick-up buyers who need a vehicle tough enough to cope with the very harshest treatment but the Navara is a more refined proposition. More than a simple workhorse, it offers comfort and sophistication that approach passenger car levels. Indeed, it shares a platform with Nissan's Pathfinder 4x4 but the open load area brings greater scope for carrying cargos that don't integrate well with leather upholstery and soft-touch plastics.

The Navara's pick-up status also gains it commercial vehicle classification from the tax man with associated benefits for business users who run one as a company car. This factor has been crucial to the pick-up's popularity as a 'lifestyle' vehicle for work and play. The Navara has thrived in precisely that market.

"Nissan has ably demonstrated that it understands the lifestyle pick-up market"

Lots of power is the last thing that's needed in some of the market's more flighty pick-up trucks. Running in rear-wheel-drive mode without a cargo to help tie down the leaf-sprung back end, they can be quite a handful, especially in the wet. The Navara is probably the most composed of all the contenders on the UK market, which is handy because its diesel engines pack quite a punch. Even the entry-level 2.5-litre unit has 187bhp these days, that and 450Nm of torque. Go for the 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine and you get 228bhp and 550Nm of torque, 500Nm of which is available from 1,500rpm. That's some serious muscle and ESP stability control is standard on the V6 to help rein it in.

The Navara is a fine handling pick-up but its off-road and load-carrying abilities require heavy duty suspension that isn't as at home on the road as we're used to in our passenger cars. There's quite a bit of body roll and the vehicle can become unsettled if you throw it into a series of bends too vigorously. You can counter this to some extent by switching out of two-wheel drive into 4x4 High mode, via the dash-mounted knob. Go a step further into 4x4 Low range and you're at the wheel of something that feels pretty unstoppable off-road. Take things easy on the tarmac and the Navara can be a surprisingly quiet and relaxed cruiser too.

It's the bumper that constituted the biggest change to the latest facelifted Navara. It's curvier and juts forward further, arching round the front corners into the flared wheelarches for a sportier look. Tweaks to the bonnet and grille are less easy to spot. The Navara is certainly no shrinking violet in terms of appearance and at 5,300mm in length with a 3,200mm wheelbase, it's big too.

That means there's plenty of cabin space, even if you go for the halfway-house King Cab version with its backwards-opening doors and occasional rear seats. This is a bit of a compromise and nine out of ten Navara buyers go for the Double Cab model with its four doors and five seats.

An interior that already impressed in terms of its quality and car-like feel has gone up in the world in the latest model. Improved switchgear, classier trim and chrome detailing all go down well but the Navara keeps half an eye on the need for durability. The storage bins are larger than before too.

That huge 1,861mm by 1,560mm load deck can support up to 1,045kg of weight and there's a range of load cover options to provide protection from the elements. The Navara can tow a prodigious 3,000kg with the V6 engine installed and combined cycle economy for the 2.5-litre unit is 33mpg with 224g/km emissions.

The 2.5-litre engine is the mainstay of the Navara range being available in XE, SE and LE trim. Reserved for the range-topping 3.0-litre V6 engine is the LEV6 trim level. Most versions get features like side steps, dual-zone climate control, a leather steering wheel and electric/heated door mirrors. At the top of the range, the LE comes fully-loaded. Heated front seats, a speed limiter, ESP stability control, headlamp washers and 17" alloy wheels are all included. Buyers who really want to go to town can specify leather trim, a Bose premium stereo and satellite navigation with a rear-view camera display on the screen.

The usual suspects serve as rivals for the Navara. There's Mitsubishi's L200, the Toyota HiLux and Ford's Ranger with Volkswagen's Amarok being a less well established name coming up on the rails. Even in this company, the Navara takes some beating.

In recent years, Nissan has ably demonstrated that it understands the lifestyle pick-up market. Its Navara has consistently offered as much flash for the cash as any of its mainstream rivals while leading the way in terms of its on-road driving experience and cabin quality. The latest Navara cements Nissan's position at the top with some of the most powerful engines in the sector and an equipment list loaded with high-tech features. The task facing its competitors isn't getting any easier.

TOP 5 NAVARA DEALS

The results below show the top NAVARA deals on buyacar

Nissan Navara D/Cab Pick Up Tekna [Connect] 2.5dCi 190 4WD Auto diesel Double Cab Pick-up
Price £21,219 Read Navara Reviews	Save £3,468
Nissan Navara Double Cab Pick Up Acenta 2.5dCi 190 4WD diesel Double Cab Pick-up
Price £16,578 Read Navara Reviews	Save £2,564
Nissan Navara D/Cab Pick Up Tekna [Connect] 2.5dCi 190 4WD diesel Double Cab Pick-up
Price £19,921 Read Navara Reviews	Save £3,325
Nissan Navara Double Cab Pick Up Outlaw 3.0dCi V6 231 4WD Auto diesel Double Cab Pick-up
Price £26,511 Read Navara Reviews	Save £3,668
Nissan Navara Double Cab Pick Up Tekna 2.5dCi 190 4WD Auto diesel Double Cab Pick-up
Price £19,981 Read Navara Reviews	Save £3,332
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