Photo: Carpix
We've talked about Nissan's upcoming Navara-based SUV on past occasions, but the spyshots we're bringing you today show the vehicle leaving its mule roots behind and switching to the production body.
Truck-based SUVs have a more difficult job than ever these days, as the increased refinement demands mean this workhorse can't simply put on the blue collar and call it a day.
However, Nissan is fully prepared to face these challenges, as, for instance, the new Navara has left behind the leaf spring rear suspension, going for an independent suspension featuring spring leafs. So it will bounce around less when coming across road imperfections.
The all-serious plastic cladding and black skin of the tested prototype do a successful job at concealing most of its design details. However, the Navara face clues are obvious if we focus on the little details of the front fascia.
Right behind that tough face, we should find the Navara's engine line-up, which includes a single- and a twin-turbo incarnation of a 2.3-liter diesel, as well as a 2.5-liter gasoline unit. In the transmission department, the Navara lets customers choose between a six-speed manual and a 7-speed automatic.
The Navara-based SUV, which doesn't have an official name yet, will be launched next year, but don't expect it to come as a 2018 model year vehicle - that's the American way and while it might seem natural for the machine to replace the Xterra (put to sleep after the 2015MY), we'll remind you that, while the rest of the world gets the Navara, the US has the Frontier.
The two are largely similar, but the American version is easier to live it, so it can satisfy the truck-educated US customer. And this is where a string of "if"s or "when"s begins: when Nissan decides to bring the Frontera up to the current-gen Navara spec, thus debuting a new model, this could spawn and SUV such as the one spied here.
Such a model would sit above the Rogue (this is called X-Trail in other markets, but wouldn't pack the premium aspirations of the Murano.
P.S.: Looking for a quick way to identify this prototype? Pay attention to the six-nut wheel design, which follows that of the Navara.
However, Nissan is fully prepared to face these challenges, as, for instance, the new Navara has left behind the leaf spring rear suspension, going for an independent suspension featuring spring leafs. So it will bounce around less when coming across road imperfections.
The all-serious plastic cladding and black skin of the tested prototype do a successful job at concealing most of its design details. However, the Navara face clues are obvious if we focus on the little details of the front fascia.
Right behind that tough face, we should find the Navara's engine line-up, which includes a single- and a twin-turbo incarnation of a 2.3-liter diesel, as well as a 2.5-liter gasoline unit. In the transmission department, the Navara lets customers choose between a six-speed manual and a 7-speed automatic.
The Navara-based SUV, which doesn't have an official name yet, will be launched next year, but don't expect it to come as a 2018 model year vehicle - that's the American way and while it might seem natural for the machine to replace the Xterra (put to sleep after the 2015MY), we'll remind you that, while the rest of the world gets the Navara, the US has the Frontier.
The two are largely similar, but the American version is easier to live it, so it can satisfy the truck-educated US customer. And this is where a string of "if"s or "when"s begins: when Nissan decides to bring the Frontera up to the current-gen Navara spec, thus debuting a new model, this could spawn and SUV such as the one spied here.
Such a model would sit above the Rogue (this is called X-Trail in other markets, but wouldn't pack the premium aspirations of the Murano.
P.S.: Looking for a quick way to identify this prototype? Pay attention to the six-nut wheel design, which follows that of the Navara.
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