Nissan has given us details of a major mid-life upgrade for the Navara pickup truck, which includes better fuel economy for the 2.3-litre dCi diesel engine, a new gearbox, revised rear suspension, and extra load-carrying capacity.
More torque, less fuel
That 2.3 dCi four-cylinder engine comes in either 163hp or 190hp forms, and some mechanical revisions have liberated an extra 22Nm of torque, with the total now standing at 425Nm. The engine's been given new still pistons, with an ultra-hard, ultra-smooth 'Diamond-Like Coating', while fuel injection pressures have been increased. There's also a new cooling system, and a revised exhaust with closer-coupled exhaust gas treatment that sees a fall in NoX emissions. The six-speed manual gearbox is also new (the ratios have been changed, and reverse is now up next to first in the shift pattern) and that's also good for the car's fuel economy. It's rated at 6.9 litres per 100km on the NEDC-correlated test, with CO2 emissions falling to 182g/km.
New rear suspension
The Navara as-was was one of the few pickup trucks to offer proper, sophisticated multi-link rear suspension instead of the more common leaf-sprung beam axle, but that apparently wasn't good enough, so Nissan's upgraded that too. This second generation rear end, with its two-stage coil springs, says Nissan, offers improved comfort and actually improves load capacity - it's now up to 1,165kg for the King Cab model, or 1,180kg for the Double Cab. Total gross vehicle weight is as much as 3,250kg. Nissan also says that the rear suspension, which now sits 25mm higher, makes the car look better, giving it a 'formidable stance' apparently.
The front suspension has been given some mods too, including updates which reduce steering effort, while the size of the front brake discs has also increased to 320mm. The rear drums of the old model have been replaced entirely with new 308mm disc brakes.
More safety equipment
The Navara also gets more electronic safety systems, including Trailer Sway Assist which tweaks the brakes and stability control to prevent the pendulum effect of a trailer causing you to lose control. Intelligent Emergency Braking, Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control and Intelligent Around View Monitor are again included.
In the cabin there's a new eight-inch infotainment touchscreen (which replaces the old seven-inch unit) and that comes with Nissan Connect online services, powered through a 4G SIM card. The system gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto too.
On the outside, there haven't been many changes, but there are new alloy wheel designs, and new LED headlamps too. The standard warranty has also increased to five years or 160,000km.
"This new generation Navara is developed from Nissan's 80 years of experience designing robust and practical pick-ups, and represents an exciting new step for this vehicle," said Paolo D'Ettore, LCV Business Unit Director. "With its Go Anywhere capabilities and award-winning engineering, the Navara will undoubtedly maintain its status as the hero of Nissan's LCV range far into the future."