After doing countless tests in Mzansi, the new Nissan Navara has finally taken off the wraps and is now available for purchase.
The Nissan Navara is one bakkie that started the war in the premium bakkie stable when it was first introduced in SA in the mid 2000s and that generation has enjoyed relatively impressive sales over its life cycle.
For the 2021 model year, Nissan is introducing the facelifted Navara, available in 4x2 and 4x4 drive setups as well as four trim levels; XE, SE, LE and PRO. The new Navara is available in single cab and double cab guises.
In terms of design, the new Nissan Navara features a fresh new look in the form of new LED headlights that incorporate a quartet of main beam elements as well as C-shaped daytime running lights.
The rear is bolstered with LED rear lights with distinctive lighting signatures. There are new side steps as well as a new rear bumper.
According to Stefan Haasbroek the Marketing Director at Nissan South Africa, he is confident that the introduction of the new Navara will deliver significant technical changes implemented across the brand’s extensive line-up.
Inside, Nissan has done vast improvements in terms of reducing the noise, vibration, as well as harshness for a very quiet and comfortable drive. The interior is fitted with an 8-inch touchscreen with NissanConnect and allows Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility.
Powering the new Nissan Navara are petrol and diesel engines. The 4x2 and 4x4 double cab models are powered by a sole 2.5 turbo diesel engine with 120 kW and 403 Nm of torque. The single cab XE 4x2 variant can be had with a 2.5-litre petrol engine while the rest of the range is powered by the turbo diesel motor including the 4x4 single cabs.
The new Navara also comes equipped with a new chassis, revised mountings, increased rear height, better shock absorber damping, Active Brake Limited Slip Differential plus a new dual-rate 5-link coil suspension.
The new Nissan Navara’s payload is now 100 kg bigger, thanks to an increase of 36 mm in the front, and 64 mm in the rear of the height of the load box. There is an added step to the rear bumper for the SE Plus and LE grades, and an easy-lift tailgate and a torsion bar on all DC derivatives.
Our editor recently drove the updated Navara, albeit a pre-production unit, but was mightily impressed by the heightened refinement. There is very little in the way of suspension shimmy, while overall build quality feels a few steps up the tactile ladder.
Orders are now open for the new, locally-produced Nissan Navara, set to roll off of the production line at Nissan’s Rosslyn plant in June 2021. Pricing starts at R311 000 for the Navara 2.5 Petrol XE SC, and R474 000 for the Navara 2.5D SE MT DC, and topping out at R527 000 for the 2.5D 4X4 LE MT SC and R740 000 for the 2.5D PRO-4X 4X4 Auto DC. All models come standard with a 6yr/90 000 km service plan and 150 000 km warranty.
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