Tow Test: Nissan Navara 2015

The Nissan Navara is the fifth dual-cab ute to be substantially upgraded or renewed in 2015, and it couldn’t have come sooner for the Japanese manufacturer.

Once a serious threat to the top-selling Toyota HiLux, the Navara currently languishes at fifth place in year-to-date 4x4 pick-up sales behind Hilux, Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton and Holden Colorado, despite the new NP300 Navara selling in Australia since June 2015.

But that’s probably more a reflection of the Navara playing catch up in the hyper-competitive new ute segment, than anything significantly lacking in the latest model that has been substantially overhauled except for the ladder-frame chassis. 

Priced at $54,990, the flagship ST-X diesel automatic tested here boasts a more powerful and efficient four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine matched to a seven-speed auto.

The new 2.3-litre twin-turbo engine produces 140kW/450Nm -- comparable to the latest HiLux and Triton albeit significantly down on it’s the previous range-topping 550Nm 3.0-litre V6 diesel that’s no longer available. Official average fuel economy is a class-leading 7.0L/100km.

Perhaps most interesting is that all dual-cab Navara utes are now fitted with a segment-first coil-sprung five-link rear suspension, promising a more forgiving ride than traditional leaf springs particularly when unladen.

Standard features in the highest grade extend to a rear power sliding window, rear parking sensors and rear camera, keyless entry and starting, leather-accented and heated seating, dual-zone climate-control, a 7.0-inch touch-screen with sat-nav, sunroof, 18-inch alloys, and heated exterior mirrors with LED indicators.

The ST-X also scores LED projector headlights, fog lights, side steps, alloy sports bar, and seven airbags.

The off-road package includes a part-time, dual-range four-wheel drive system, rear differential lock and hill descent control, along with 218mm ground clearance, sharper approach (31 degrees) and departure (25.6 degrees) angles and a 450mm wading depth.

The cabin is generally quieter and has more upmarket presentation, although predominantly hard plastic surfaces and lack of steering wheel reach adjustment ensure you never forget its workhorse origins.

Five adults can be comfortably seated, and are looked after with rear vents and various storage compartments including 10 cup-holders. The rear tub features a plastic liner, 12V outlet and two-channel Utili-Track tie-down system.

To keep pace with dual-cab rivals including Ranger, BT-50, D-MAX, Hilux and Colorado, the Navara now boasts a 3500kg tow rating –1000kg greater than before.

For this test we towed a two and half tonne caravan (2645kg to be precise), or about 75 per cent of the maximum. But as we discovered during a

recent dual-cab ute comparison, the coil-sprung rear end droops considerably with a decent weight on the tow ball (306kg in this instance).

In this case Hayman Reese 'load levellers' were fitted to distribute the weight more evenly across the rig, but in our experience leaf springs are probably a better option for heavy towing.

The Navara felt comfortable cruising around 90-95km/h on the flat, but there was some stomach-churning pitching as soon as we hit poorer quality bitumen. There was also undesirable swaying and ‘tail wagging the dog’ effect whenever a big truck passed or during cross winds.

The engine and transmission also felt out of sync when towing. While the small four-cylinder engine delivers maximum torque across 1500-2500rpm it often struggled when accelerating or maintaining pace up hills. Left in Auto mode, the transmission had a tendency to switch to lower gears at every opportunity, resulting in high revs and extra cabin noise.

It was also reluctant to shift to sixth or seventh gear when towing, spending most of its time on the flat in fourth gear revving above 3000rpm or fifth just above 2000rpm. The transmission could be manually up-shifted but the engine then felt laboured and sluggish.

Also annoying was the transmission’s reluctance in Manual mode to automatically change gears when required, as is the case with other automatic transmissions.

As a result, fuel consumption rose considerably from 8.1L/100km when driving ‘solo’ to 17.2L/100km when towing. While it’s not unusual for fuel usage to double when towing, the fact our test route wasn’t particularly taxing infers it could have been a lot higher.

We also noticed a couple of items missing that would be appreciated by caravanners and are offered by rivals, like electric side mirrors that fold flat to keep strap-on towing mirrors out of harm’s way when not in use, and steering wheel paddle shifters that provide finger tip adjustment of engine braking down steep hills.

Unlike most of its rivals the Navara doesn't come with the potentially life-saving trailer sway assist feature.

As a result, and as is

the case with other dual-cab utes we've tested it’s hard to recommend the ST-X Navara for three tonne plus towing. While capable of doing the job, it’s not the most stable or capable towing platform.There’s also a question mark over the coil springs’ ability to cope with the heaviest loads.

Towing the full 3500kg would also reduce to just 430kg the carrying capacity of the top-spec Navara, which has a 1980kg kerb weight, 2910kg Gross Vehicle Mass, 5910kg Gross Combined Mass and 930kg maximum payload.

According to Nissan, 300kg on the towball (the maximum is 350kg) also reduces the GVM by 410kg.

That said, the new, range-topping Navara is a step up on its predecessor as a recreational and family vehicle. And its $54,490 pricetag seems reasonable when compared spec-for-spec with its main rivals.

* Thanks to