Photo: Nissan
In production since 2014, the NP300 is the third generation of the Navara so far. Updated for the 2020 model year both inside and out, the mid-size pickup truck still hasn’t got a performance-oriented model similar to the Ranger Raptor from Ford.
Speaking to Cars Guide, the head honcho of Nissan in Australia made it clear the Navara could use “a couple of extra cylinders.” A twin-turbo diesel, coming in the guise of the 2.3 dCi, has to suffice for the time being. In other parts of the world, customers are treated to 2.5-liter options.
"I would love the team at global to give us an engine that’s in another car, we’ve got some tremendous engines,” said Stephen Lester. He’s right about the potential of the engine bay, but it’s hard to imagine Nissan shoehorning the twin-turbo V6 from the GT-R there. On the other hand, remember the high-performance special edition of the Juke known as the Juke-R?
Another candidate would be the 3.0-liter engine from the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport. There’s a case to be made for the 5.6-liter powerplant in the Patrol, which rides on the F-Alpha vehicle architecture of the previous Navara and outgoing Titan. Over in the United States, the Frontier can be had with a 4.0-liter engine with up to 281 horsepower and 281 pound-feet of torque.
"I certainly think Nissan as a brand has the capability to do it, we just need to convince the will of the company to follow,” concluded Lester. As part of the profitable nightmare known as the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, we’re not keeping our hopes up for Nissan to deliver a hi-po Navara anytime soon.
Turning our attention back to the 2020 Navara, the 2.3-liter dCi now comes as standard with a pair of turbochargers to meet the Euro 6d-TEMP emissions standard. Other highlights include 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment, dual-stage coil springs for the multi-link rear suspension, and disc brakes instead of drums at the rear.
"I would love the team at global to give us an engine that’s in another car, we’ve got some tremendous engines,” said Stephen Lester. He’s right about the potential of the engine bay, but it’s hard to imagine Nissan shoehorning the twin-turbo V6 from the GT-R there. On the other hand, remember the high-performance special edition of the Juke known as the Juke-R?
Another candidate would be the 3.0-liter engine from the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport. There’s a case to be made for the 5.6-liter powerplant in the Patrol, which rides on the F-Alpha vehicle architecture of the previous Navara and outgoing Titan. Over in the United States, the Frontier can be had with a 4.0-liter engine with up to 281 horsepower and 281 pound-feet of torque.
"I certainly think Nissan as a brand has the capability to do it, we just need to convince the will of the company to follow,” concluded Lester. As part of the profitable nightmare known as the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, we’re not keeping our hopes up for Nissan to deliver a hi-po Navara anytime soon.
Turning our attention back to the 2020 Navara, the 2.3-liter dCi now comes as standard with a pair of turbochargers to meet the Euro 6d-TEMP emissions standard. Other highlights include 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment, dual-stage coil springs for the multi-link rear suspension, and disc brakes instead of drums at the rear.
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