What North America refers to as the Nissan Frontier, the Land Down Under calls Navara. And compared to the Frontier, the Navara is a whole generation ahead of its U.S.-spec counterpart. So what makes the Navara so great that it’s the best-selling Nissan in Australia? Well, then, where do we start?
Pricing is one thing the NP300 Navara has going for it. At AUD 25,990 for the no-thrills variant, Nissan’s workhorse isn’t as cheap what some of the competition has to offer, but it’s really good value for money considering that even the base model gets a ton of standard goodies. There are four body styles to choose from (Single Cab, Cab Chassis, King Cab, Dual Cab), as well as five trim levels (RX, DX, SL, ST, ST-X), with the most expensive model (ST-X 4x4 King Cab diesel AT) starting from AUD 52,490.
Following criticism over the coil-sprung suspension of the old model, the third generation of the Navara abandoned the setup altogether for five-link coil springs. Retuned shock absorbers are also on the menu, with Nissan highlighting that these changes were made to improve both comfort and stability. Don’t, however, think that this is a luxobarge with a bed just because Mercedes-Benz will use the Navara’s platform for the X-Class pickup.
When properly equipped, the Navara for the Australian market boasts up to 3,500 kilograms of towing capacity. To put that figure into comparison with something from a segment above, the most regular of Ford F-150s has 4,900 pounds (2,222 kilograms) to its name. The variant the comes close to the Navara’s 7,716 pounds is the F-150 4x4 Regular Cab with the 122-inch wheelbase, 3.73 axle, and the 2.7 EcoBoost V6 motor.
Just like the European-spec Navara, the one Nissan sells in The Oz gets the job done with the help of two 2.3-liter turbo diesel engines. The lesser powered unit (120 kW/403 Nm) makes do with a single turbocharger, whereas the more potent variant (140 kW/450 Nm) has two turbos.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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