FEMI OWOEYE
With the recent media launch of the new Nissan Navara in Nigeria, one can safely say that the nation’s pickup truck market is set to reach a boiling point. Late last year, I drove the latest Toyota Hilux through a hellish terrain in Ondo State.
Less than six months after, Nissan Nigeria launched the all-new and most powerful Navara pickup ever in Lagos and also released eight units for a media test drive.
The location was Victoria Island to Lekki in Lagos. Unlike the Hilux test drive held along a callous off-road terrain in Ondo State, I was opportune to navigate Navara through the Lagos city traffic. But, on the latter’s off-road capability, I made a return journey via a different route. Unbelievably, driving through the Lekki route in question, I soliloquized: “Surely, when the late Tai Solarin used to pray for his students, saying: ‘MAY YOUR ROADS BE ROUGH’, this must be one of the roads he had in mind.”
Do you want to know my findings? Hold your breath. First of all, what does the truck look like in and out? Come with me…
Styling
Artistically illustrated below the new Navara’s hood is a black Interlock grille with new lava-orange accents of the Nissan logo, symbolizing power and strength.
Although the test drive was done in daylight, the truck’s LED headlamp design with four chisel-shaped projector units assures clearer cruising vision at night.
Aside from Signature C-shaped LED tail lamps, Navara’s rear end also features a noteworthy bumper with a built-in step for easy access to the load bed.
It features bold black trimming on its door handles and roof rails and comes with a side step, as well as a bumper, which gives the truck a rough and tough look, notwithstanding a visible aerodynamic flow line on its body and load box.
What is more? Buyers are offered a choice of colours, including warrior grey, techno grey, white, red, infinite black, blue silver, forged copper. Also on offer are seven specs, including two variants of 2×4 and four variants of 4X4. The top of the variants is the NAVARA PRO-4X, which I also drove.
Comfort and Space
A muscularly-built double cab truck, the Navara sits five comfortably with generous legroom and headroom.
Sitting behind the driving wheel is akin to driving a typical Sports Utility Vehicle. Although its driving wheel’s downside is lack of level adjustment, it does not only feel comfortable but, better than the previous models, all the buttons and controls you need are assessable on the steering wheel with their functions clearly labeled and defined.
Ride and Handling
Powered by a 2.5-liter petrol engine(with a power output of 125KW and 244Nm of torque) mated to a six-speed manual transmission, the Navara I drove throttled obediently through the busy Victoria Island-Lekki traffic like a Sports utility vehicle (SUV) made for the city and off-road cruise.
We stopped briefly at Lekki private beach for lunch after which we embarked on the return journey to the Nissan VI office. But this time, I took a different, longer and rougher route.
Though not as harsh as the terrain, where I test-drove the Hilux in 2021, I instigated the truck to get harsh with every obstacle, including potholes, speed breakers and flooded holes.
Brilliantly, it trundled, proving its ability to easily tackle any harsh landscape across Nigeria. And there is no doubt it would do, given its Intelligent 4×4 system as well as the latest technology, including Active Brake Limited Slip, Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control and Electronic Locking Rear Differential.
Away from the terrible terrain, I pushed the throttle speeding up to about 60km/hour and slammed the brake. It stopped with ease recording an excitingly short stopping distance.
Although I had no heavy load to transport for confirmation, the truck comes with a reinforced rear suspension, which would no doubt allow Navara to convey heavy loads up to 1090kg.
Safety
Riding in or driving the new Navara gives a sense of total safety and security, as it comes with a load of safety features, including Dual Front Airbags, Side, Curtain Driver Knee Airbags (Plus Models), Brake Assist; Vehicle Dynamic Control, Hill Start Assist; Hill Descent Control (Plus Models), Trailer Stability Assist, ISOFIX Child Seat Anchorage and Anti-Theft System (Immobilizer), among others.
In addition to the LED headlights, which provide clearer vision at night, the Navara is equipped with a blind-spot warning and a lane departure warning, so you have all the information you need to stay safe on wheels.
For optimized occupants’ protection, the truck also comes with an improved driver’s assist system, forward collision warning and, best of all, Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB).
With an alarm and a dashing message, the new Navara’s AEB, using its rear and front sensors, informs the driver that it is likely to crash. How? The truck is intelligently wired to detect any obstacle that you can’t see.
Verdict
Having driven both specs of the all-new Navara, I can attest that notwithstanding what spec or version of the new Navara you opt for, the all-new Navara comes with the capability to dominate all terrains, with tropicalized off-road capability and on-road performance.
In essence, the New Navara can safely be described as a premium all-terrain pickup, offering unprecedented levels of dynamic styling, luxury interior comfort, the latest in connectivity and all-terrain driver safety technology.
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