NISSAN NAVARA REVIEWS | 2014 – 2019 MODEL

Read and compare reviews on the Nissan Navara 2014 – 2019 Model from top New Zealand automotive journalists on trusted websites.

Twin-turbo tough guy: road testing the Nissan Navara 450

SOURCE: DRIVEN | YEAR: 2019 | BY: MATTHEW HANSEN

The common adage says that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

This saying used to be a favourite among car-makers, but times have been a changing. Manufacturers now need to appear to be environmentally conscious future-proofers. And, doing what they can to straddle the divide is Nissan.

Think about the Japanese brand’s line-up. There’s the advanced Nissan Leaf EV and the reasonably up-to-date Qashqai and X-Trail SUVs. Then on the flip-side you have the ageing 370Z and GT-R, the old-school Patrol, and one of the brand’s best sellers in New Zealand — the Navara.

To the Navara’s credit, it’s aged well over its tenure. Hitting the market in its current ‘NP300’ guise five years ago, it was ahead of the curve for driving dynamics and ride quality. Handsome styling has helped to no end, too. Now Nissan New Zealand has introduced a new trim-level to the range called the 450 Twin Turbo, which provides us with a great reason to revisit the platform.

For those wondering, the ‘450’ designates the 450Nm of torque that comes from the Navara’s 140kW 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder engine. This is the same unit that we’ve become accustomed to in Navara models SL and above.

Indeed, most of the 450’s changes are cosmetic and comfort related. You get a new set of 18in wheels, blackened door handles and mirrors, black side steps, orange highlights inside and out, a slick decal kit, and new half-leather upholstery front and rear.

New improved Nissan Navara ute range

SOURCE: DRIVEN | YEAR: 2018 | WORDS: TONY VERDON | PHOTOS: TONY VERDON

Nissan New Zealand is introducing a range of “under the metal” changes to its Navara ute range, aimed at improving the ride, handling, steering and safety of the models.

There will be a new rear suspension change, and the introduction of an “Around View Monitor” fitted within the 7-inch infotainment system on the top-of-the-range ST-X dual cab and King Cab models.

Four mounted cameras will help drivers notice people and cars surrounding and approaching the new Navara, and make it easier to park the utes. Rear view cameras will be offered as standard on all models in the Navara range.

However the external appearance of the Nissan Navara is largely unchanged for 2018.

Changes to the rear suspension have been developed specifically for the New Zealand and Australian markets, following feedback from customers.

The updates have been developed for Dual Cab SL, ST and ST-X variants in the Australian and New Zealand markets.

A new dual-rate rear spring system has been introduced, to improve drive performance, particularly when the Navara is carrying a load, and when towing.

NISSAN NAVARA KING CAB REVIEW – RETURN OF THE KING (CAB)

SOURCE: AUTOCAR | YEAR: 2018 | WORDS: KYLE CASSIDY | PHOTOS: TOM GASNIER

NISSAN’S KING CAB NAVARA HAS COME AND GONE FROM THE RANGE OVER THE YEARS, BUT IT’S BACK ONCE AGAIN.

For those unaware, the King Cab is a cab-and-a-half design, one with extra room behind the front seats, where you’ll find a pair of fold away pews, accessed by reverse-hinged doors. One thing you may find odd is that the King Cab is around about the same price as the double cab equivalent and, in the case of this ST-X, is actually $1000 more expensive.

You’d think because there was less cab space, it would be a few grand cheaper, but they say it’s down to the build process and the complexity of the roof and freestyle rear door. It’s why the King Cab option has been an irregular feature in the past but the way the ute market is going ahead at present, Nissan NZ is giving it another nudge.

It’s the 2+2 of the ute world, the cab-and-a-half design seeing a couple of seats in the back, although a perch would be a more apt descriptor. You wouldn’t really want to be sat back there for any lengthy period as the seat back is bolt upright and leg room is scant.

Changes to Nissan Navara will carry it through 2018

SOURCE: STUFF | YEAR: 2018 | WORDS: DAMIEN O’CARROLL

When Nissan launched the NP300 Navara back in 2014, much was made of the five-link coil-spring rear suspension.

It could handle the same weight as the leaf-spring set up, but brought significant ride and handling benefits to the ute segment.

Except it didn’t really.

While the Navara was one of the better-handling utes when unladen, the ride quality wasn’t anywhere near the top of the segment, and both only got worse as you added weight.

Nissan has now released an updated version of the Navara featuring little in the way of visual change, but a lot of under-the-skin tinkering with said suspension.

The suspension revision was undertaken at the insistence of Nissan Australia, which saw much testing done in that country, specifically in the central Victoria areas around Bendigo and Kinglake (where the revised vehicle was launched), meaning that the roads are actually rather similar to our own here in New Zealand.

The new suspension setup has been developed specifically for the dual-cab SL, ST and ST-X models (the biggest-selling variants in both countries) and features a new dual-spring-rate system.

Nissan Navara R Sport – Onya Sport

SOURCE: AUTOCAR | YEAR: 2017 | WORDS AND PHOTOS: KYLE CASSIDY

Here we sample a ute that ditches the chrome for a more street-worthy look. It’s the Nissan Navara R-Sport.

Truck sales continue to go crazy here; four of the five top-selling nameplates now belong to a ute. While all pick-ups tend to go out the door with an accessory or three, there’s a growing taste for customisation as well. The crew at RVE Vehicle Enhancement has been tapping into this market for a few years and has raised the bar with its recent Ford Ranger XSV that’s getting international attention.

Now RVE has turned its attention to the Nissan Navara, producing a range of styling options to transform it into the R-Sport. It’s based on the mid-spec Navara ST and is intended to create an alternative to the ST-X, which has a skew towards being more of a luxury ute. The R-Sport, as the name suggest, takes what is quite a conservative looking truck, and adds more of a sporting appeal to it.

It goes about removing most of the shiny bits of the Navara’s exterior, save for the chrome belt line along the bottom of the windows, and adds the ute must-haves – big wheels, flares, a more distinguished style via unique graphics, and a new frontal treatment.