Nissan NP300 Navara

The Nissan Navara is described as a pickup vehicle with a high IQ. It has an intelligent cabin with the utmost convenience features added. The top-of-the-line model gets an 8-inch advanced touchscreen infotainment system that gets intelligent connectivity features, like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The lower trims get a 2-Din entertainment system with USB, Aux and iPod connectivity.

A set of six speakers is standard across all the variants. Fabric upholstery is what you get with all the trim levels except the top two, which gets premium leather covers. Power windows and door lock are standard fitments for all the variants in the lineup.

The Nissan Navara looks butch, though a lot more sedate than some of its competitors, like the Mitsubishi Strada and Toyota Hilux. It is rough and tough on its build so that it can be taken anywhere. The boxed frame on the chassis is perfect for the 4x4 drivetrain and incredible suspension setup. The ladder-type frame ads a lot of rigidity.

The range-topping model with 4x4 drivetrain is driven on 18-inch alloy wheels, while the base model gets 15-inch units. Halogen multi-reflector headlamps are standard while the top-of-the-line model gets LED projector units. The top models even get halogen fog lamps, while the lower ones miss out on the same.

The Nissan Navara is a comfortable pickup vehicle to be driven. Power steering being standard, the Navara is easy to drive in the city road. The suspension setup of the independent wishbone at the front and multi-link at the rear makes the car very compliant at high speeds.

The gearbox is very smooth to operate and does not lag at all. If you feel that the automatic transmission is late in reaction, the manual mode can do the needful for you. The presence of cruise control on the top trims makes driving easier on long hauls.

The engine specification of the Nissan Navara is pretty interesting. There is just one 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged engine that is tuned in two different ways. Out of the seven trims, the engine on the bottom five produces 163 bhp of power at 3,600 rpm and a peak torque of 403 Nm, which comes at 2,000 rpm.

The top two trims get the benefit of 190 bhp of power and 450 Nm of torque. The power is transferred to the wheels via a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed automatic gearbox with a manual model.

The primary braking duties on the Nissan Navara is handled by disc brakes upfront and drums for the rear, which is the standard combination. ABS and electronic brakeforce distribution are standard too.

The cabin gets two airbags as standard for all the trims. Driver’s assistance includes a hill start assist and hill descent control. There is also an around-view monitor and 4-wheel active brake limited slip, which falls under the vehicle dynamic control section.

The Nissan Navara is a very competitive pickup vehicle that goes up against the likes of the Ford Ranger, Tata Xenon, Mitsubishi Strada. Pricing is more or less similar to its competition, though the Xenon is the most affordable option here.

However, if you can pay the range-topping Navara, it makes a lot of sense as you get a lot of premium features that can justify the price tag.