Nissan Navara single cab 2015 review

Six months after launching its much-anticipated coil-sprung versions of the new NP300 Navara, Nissan is now offering its leaf-sprung single-, king- and dual-cab versions of its latest light commercial workhorse.

We were among the first to get behind the wheel of the price-leading single cab model in Albury, on a drive program that included road, dirt and a 4WD track.

The hub-of-hard-work launch location was fitting for the single-cab as tradies are big fans because they need its full-length tray more than they do the back seats of the king- and dual-cabs.

Features

NP300 Navara single cabs are only available in DX or RX spec.

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Standard equipment is comprehensive for a two-seater and includes seven SRS airbags (including driver knee airbag), six-way adjustable driver's seat with manual slide/recline/height adjustment, single CD player with AM/FM radio, AUX and USB/iPod connectivity, four speakers, Bluetooth hands-free phone operation with steering wheel controls, Bluetooth audio streaming, day/night rear view mirror with manual anti-dazzle, three 12-volt power sockets, 16-inch steel wheels (15-inch on DX grades) and full-size steel spare wheel.

Towing capacity is 1588kg (4x2 DX); 3500kg (braked) for all other single-cab variants.

Design

All of these new Thailand-built Navaras are nice-looking units: a healthy mix of gentrified labourer and go-hard gentleman. 

Its front end has that almost-uniform look of a modern-day ute – strong yet stylish – but the NP300 boulder shoulders give it an extra-hefty on-road presence.

In 4x4 RX guise, it is 5120mm long, 1790mm wide, 1765mm high with a 3150mm wheelbase, with 221mm of ground clearance.

The interior has a basic, clean layout with neat fit and finish or "hard-wearing surfaces for the toughest working conditions" as Richard Emery described the inside of these vehicles.

Seats are firm, offering plenty of support.

My tall co-driver complained about the protruding hard-plastic storage pocket that dug into his left calf, preventing him from resting his leg there.

The lack of reach adjustment on the steering wheel was also a real problem for him; I told him he should have been shorter.

Engines / Transmissions

Engine options are a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol (122kW/238Nm, and only in the DX 4x2), or a 2.3-litre single-turbo four-cylinder diesel (120kW/403Nm).

The 4x2 or 4x4 drivetrain gets a six-speed manual; the seven-speed auto with manual mode can be optioned in the turbodiesel RX 4x4.

Driving

First up, we drove an unladen DX single-cab 4x2, the one with the gutsy QR25DE petrol engine. Along open-country bitumen and dirt roads, some of them quite twisty, we were pleasantly surprised at the single-cab's confident, settled ride with no weight in the rear. 

The leaf-sprung rear held firm over most jittery gravel sections and there was generally a real tightness to the single cab's handling at speed over loose-gravelled tracks. We had fun in it, like driving a go-kart.

Steering felt spot-on for the most part, but there was a touch of understeer through the tightest of bends.

The engine was lively; it did, however, drop off the pace on a long hill-climb once quite severely, forcing a quick hunt for a lower gear. Might have been the tall bloke missing a gear.

We then drove a single-cab auto in RX spec (laden with a crate stamped 325kg in the tray) over a similar route, again broken into bitumen and bush-road portions.

The seven-speed auto was a great match for the YS23DDT single-turbo diesel. Manual mode yielded a more even driving experience than auto, which seemed to go searching, sometimes fruitlessly, for the right balance of gearing and revs – not unlike the aforementioned tall bloke.

As expected, the load settled this single cab over what were some rather lumpy bits of the countryside. Its maximum payload is 1278kg.

We didn't get the opportunity to do any off-roading in this single-cab cab chassis, but, all in all, it performed well over the surfaces we used it on.

Safety

All NP300 Navaras have a 5-star ANCAP safety rating. Dual frontal, side chest and head-protecting airbags (curtains), driver knee airbag as well as EBD, ESC and EBA are standard. Advanced seat belt reminders are fitted to all seats.