Tow Test: Nissan Navara 2018

Nissan has recently released its latest incarnation of the Navara with upgraded rear suspension, so we strapped a caravan on the back to see if it really does bring improved towing and load-hauling capabilities, as the company claims...

Backflip

This is the third version of this generation of the Nissan Navara and the latest update includes a rejig of the suspension to include dual-rate rear springs and recalibrated dampers.

The price of the top-spec ST-X remains the same as the previous update and, indeed, since our last tow test back in 2015 -- at $54,490. However, our test vehicle was fitted with the optional sunroof ($1000) and leather seat trim ($1500).

Obviously, also included was the factory tow kit and Redarc brake controller. So, when it’s all said and done, you’re not going to get much change out of $60K once you’re on the road with the above boxes ticked.

Spics and specs

Standard equipment in the ST-X is fairly comprehensive with heated electric seats up front, dual-zone climate-control, push-button start, reversing camera with bird’s-eye view, 18-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, a protective tub liner and Nissan’s Utilitrak side rails in the tray.

The ST-X also gets the handy rear electric sliding window that you can use for ventilation or patting the dog if he’s in the tray.

And while the ST-X is the top-spec in the Navara range, the ST that we also had on test isn’t far behind and you can save around five grand ($49,690 for the 4x4 auto).

On the road

Running around town, the Nissan Navara isn’t a bad thing. Its little 2.3-litre twin-turbo (in the case of the ST-X, or single-turbo for the RX, is a willing, if revvy, engine. It has the claimed outputs of 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque for the twin-turbo and 120kW/400Nm for the single-turbo.

These are mated to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed auto transmission with a two-speed transfer case and part-time four-wheel drive operated by a dial on the dash.

Unladen around town, the Navara is spritely off the mark with the auto changing in the low gears at a bit over 3000rpm, which can be a bit annoying, but it smooths out as speeds increase to settle at around 1800rpm at freeway speed.

It’s a big ute and has a big turning circle to match. In fact, at 12.4 metres, it’s bigger than the eight-tonne Isuzu truck I had on test recently for trucksales.com.au; that had a turning circle of 11.8 metres.

We’re told that the latest update includes a revised gear ratio for the steering, but that hasn’t improved manoeuvrability.

The new suspension makes the Navara ride a bit higher in the rear when unladen, but whether it’s any more comfortable as a commuter – as more and more of these types of vehicles are pressed to do – is debateable. I found it a bit stiff in the rear, making for a jiggly ride.

The leather seats are OK without being outstanding but I found I could comfortably sit in them for two or three hours without a problem.

Rear-seat room is good but it’s an upright seating position, which is standard for a dual-cab ute. Taller rear-seat passengers may suffer from a lack of headroom due to the sunroof encroaching an inch or two, but overall the interior is roomy and comfortable.

Towing times

And so it came time to rig my dual-axle 18ft caravan to the back to see how it towed. And that’s where my problems began. You see, I have to confess to going into this test with a bit of a preconceived notion of how this ute would tow.

With a two-tonne vehicle powered by a 2.3-litre engine and a seven-speed gearbox, you can't blame me for thinking it would be under-powered, hunt up and down the gearbox all day and generally be a chore to drive.

I even said to our photographer Rene when I picked up the van: “I hope this thing doesn’t prove me wrong.” Well, it did. I was wrong.

My van had a tare weight of around 1650kg, but it was loaded so was probably more like 1900kg as we towed it with a ball weight of around 190kg.

With the van on the back, the jiggle went out of the rear-end – as you’d expect -- but it also sat down nicely at the rear with no sag, and tracked beautifully.

The engine seemed content to haul the extra two tonnes of the van with ease, and the gearbox didn’t have a hissy-fit and run up and down the gears like a fireman on a ladder drill.

In fact, the Navara seemed like a better vehicle with the van on than it did with it off.

We had three blokes on board and Rene said that the ride in the back was noticeably better with the van on as well.

Our fuel consumption around town without the van was remarkably good (no doubt due to the abundance of freeway driving I did) at 7.9L/100km, and initially when we put the van on it jumped up alarmingly. But that was due to our towing component starting with steep inclines and dirt-road work.

It soon settled down and we recorded a combined total of 12.8L/100km for the towing section, which included open secondary roads, hills, urban crawl and freeway driving.

Safety first

The Redarc brake controller was perfectly positioned on the centre console, where it was easy to adjust and where I could clearly see the setting it was on.

The big mirrors on the Navara meant I didn’t need to fit auxiliary towing mirrors, but I was curious that even in the top-spec ST-X we don’t get blind-spot monitoring -- something I expected given the high level of other safety gear on the vehicle.

In the cabin, seven airbags protect the occupants -- including side curtain bags for the front and rear passengers.

There’s also the usual range of electronic safety gear including ABS with EBD, traction control and what Nissan calls Brake Limited Slip Diff, which really isn’t a limited-slip diff as we know it but a use of the ABS to brake a wheel if slip is detected.

Summing up

I was quite impressed by the way the Nissan Navara acquitted itself on our tow test with my middle-weight van on the back. It sat well on the road with no apparent rear-end sag.

It pulled well up hills and even on the dirt. Nissan seems to have done the job it intended on the rear suspension as it didn’t bottom out on the bumps and secondary roads we took it on.

The Navara tracked well with the van on the back and never hinted at any bad manners, but can it be called a heavy-weight tow vehicle? I don’t think so. While it made a liar of me with my van on the back, it could struggle to tow its official maximum weight of 3500kg.

That said, there are precious few vehicles on the market that actually live up to their 3500kg towing capacities, which really remains the domain of vehicles like the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol — or trucks.

2018 Nissan Navara ST-X Dual-Cab 4x4 Pick-up pricing and specifications:
Price: $54,490 (plus ORCs)
Engine: 2.3-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder
Outputs: 140kW/450Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 186g CO2/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP (2015)