Nissan Navara pickup (2004-2015)

The Nissan Navara is a big, tough pickup that’s perfectly at home as a workhorse or family car – or more likely a blend of both. With plenty of ground clearance and an engine that can drive either the rear wheels alone or all four, it even displays impressive talent in deep mud.

It rivals the Mitsubishi L200, Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok, and aside from the excellent new Mitsubishi L200 and Volkswagen Amarok, beats them all as a dual-role vehicle.

But like every other pickup, it’s hard to think of the Navara in passenger-car terms. Even the most basic SUV has better road manners, meaning it’ll be more comfortable, quieter and easier to drive than any pickup. That’s because, once you strip away the Navara’s more car-like features, such as alloy wheels and climate control, you’re left with a commercial vehicle, built to carry heavy loads.

There are two big, powerful engine options. A 2.5-litre diesel powers the bulk of the range and depending on the model it’s fitted to, produces either 142 or 187bhp. With a choice of automatic or manual gearboxes, the Navara’s 0-62mph time varies between 10.7 and 13.1 seconds, while its mpg figures are in the low-to-mid 30s.

A 3.0-litre V6 engine is available in the Navara Outlaw flagship. It offers excellent straight-line speed, but fuel economy of less than 30mpg limits its appeal.

More importantly, all Navaras can carry more than 1,100kg, but some versions can carry up to 1,250kg. The Navara can tow a braked trailer weighing between 2.6 and three tonnes.

The Navara is available as a two-door, four-seat King Cab or a four-door, five-seat Double Cab, although the latter sacrifices some load-bed length for passenger space. Even so, every model’s load bed is at least 1.5 metres long.

Four trim levels are available. Visia and Tekna are offered as Double Cab models only, while the Acenta is available in Double Cab and King Cab body styles. The top-of-the range Outlaw V6 can only be bought as a Double Cab. There are also regular special editions.

All models are well equipped, with alloy wheels, air-conditioning, Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity and electric front and rear windows as standard. Our pick of the range is the Acenta trim, which adds a little more glitz, such as chrome trim, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, a trip computer and USB connectivity.

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