The Sunday News
Lovert Mafukure
Curiosity killed the cat! But then again, a cat has nine lives. When I received news of the New Navara Launch I was ecstatic, I was itching and I couldn’t wait to lay my eyes on it! Much of my worry was on whether it would measure up to its predecessor’s legacy of being a beautiful, strong and dependable car that gets the job done. When I saw it for the first time, I realised that it does boast of innovation that excites.
It offers some unmatchable refinement when compared to the last generation Navara. It has lost its Boxy body to a new curvy look. From the front, the Nissan Badge dominates the full chrome grill. LED signature daytime running lights finish the chromy look. All models come standard with LED projector lights. These lights are equipped with twilight detection systems — they automatically switch on when it gets dark. That’s some movie stuff but its real, apart from all the rain sensing windscreen that’s really some sophisticated stuff, I mean, it can sense when its dark! That’s a whole new ballgame and indeed exciting innovation.
The big sporty front bumper has fog lights surrounded by chrome detail as well. It suggests that it’s the car that can work and play at the same time. The whole exterior is quite fancy, with 16 inch Alloys that look more or less the same as the ones on the Qashqai. It’s slowly becoming a Nissan signature wheel thing. A side step compliments the look and it extends from the front right to the back — it offers ease of access to those on the shorter side of life. It blends in with the colour of the wheels too. The load bin is quite big and in proper Navara fashion it’s got 4 tie down points inside the load bin. You also get a 12v power outlet in the load-bin. You might need to power up that light when you go camping — it comes in quite handy.
The interior does not disappoint either. The instrumentation panel has a touch of chrome with Advanced Driver Assist Display right on the speedometer. It’s a full leather affair front and back. Front seats are heated and the safety standard is high with a total of seven airbags including a driver knee airbag. All the other driver assist systems like ABS (Anti-lock brakes, EBD (electronic Brake force distribution), TCS (Traction control system) come standard on the double cab including vehicle dynamic control VDC with Brake limited Slip differential. It’s also got hill start assist and hill descent control. Too many fancy driver aids to mention but I’m sure you get the idea that the Navara has it all.
The audio system is a single CD player with auxiliary and USB/Ipod connectivity with a 5 inch display unit. The driver gets to enjoy steering audio controls right at his fingertips. It’s also equipped with satellite navigation with 3D mapping and a 7 inch touch colour display. The system has six speakers and allows for Bluetooth audio streaming. With the double cab you get an option to have the Nissan Connect smartphone integration. Nissan understood that you do need to a responsible driver by not fidgeting with your phone while driving.
This Navara has an intelligent key with keyless entry and I mean keyless! You do not need to press a button or inset the key into the keyhole. You just need to keep the keys in your pocket or bag, it’s some movie type stuff like I said. It’s got a start button as well, no need to put the key into the ignition or all that boring archaic stuff turning the key. You just need the keys in your pocket and push the start button and voila! It’s like magic.
Under the hood is a 2,3L turbo charged common rail direct injection diesel engine producing upto 450nm of torque at 1500- 2500rpm. It sounds like a small engine but sure does produce enough power. It produces the same power as some of the 3-litre diesel engines on the market. You get to enjoy good fuel mileage and still the same power as bigger engine. How good is that! It has a towing capacity of 3,5tonnes too — you could tow Africa right into Europe if they allowed it. There is a 2,5litre QR25DE Double Overhead Cam engine as a petrol option.
These engines are mated with 6-speed manual transmissions and 7-speed automatic transmission as optional. The model that was available at the launch was all-automatic and did play its part in impressing as better than its older brother. It comes with a service and maintenance plan at Nissan Dulys. Nissan Dulys has a new fully equipped workshop and Nissan trained technicians to cater for all this movie type stuff on these cars. Visit Nissan Dulys Bulawayo Nissan Showroom.
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