2017 Nissan Navara vs Volkswagen Amarok

What's the difference?

The S2 ST-X is a stylish, competent and well-equipped vehicle that will meet the diverse requirements of many premium dual cab ute owners. The only possible exception is if they need to regularly carry maximum payloads.  We could see merit in Nissan's two-stage system first time around, reasoning that typical ST/ST-X owners would favour coil-spring handling and ride quality over a rare requirement for maximum payload hauling. And that probably still rings true.

However, the unladen handling and ride qualities of the ST-X and numerous leaf-spring rivals are now so similar we have to question if the coil spring case can still be defended given the compromises that still exist under heavy loads.

Fact is, if you want a premium grade ute that can lug its maximum payload on springs alone - and maintain a more level ride height while doing it - there are numerous alternatives with a horse-and-cart heritage. We hope Nissan will at least offer this option in future top shelf dual cabs, because it must be a deal breaker for some.

We expected to go to Birdsville in an Amarok and be laughed out of a town rammed full of Toyotas, but my theory was debunked almost immediately. Aussie buyers aren’t abandoning the brand that helped to open up the outback by any means, but there are plenty of other rigs starting to show up, dusty and dirty, in outback townships.

The Amarok’s penetration will always be limited in the bush by a lack of rural dealers, but in terms of being a valid, relevant product for a tough environment, it deserves a place at the outback pie shop table. 

There will still be snide asides made by the diehards for a few years yet, but don’t be surprised to see more and more Amaroks, carrying the marks of a week in the bush, turn up in your office car park on a Monday morning.

The ST-X rides on a 3150mm wheelbase which is 70mm shorter than Ford's Ranger, but 65mm longer than Toyota's HiLux. Its off-road credentials include a competitive 228mm of ground clearance, an excellent lateral tilt angle of up to 50 degrees, 32.4 degrees approach angle, 26.7 degrees departure and 23.8 degrees ramp-over angle, with a wading depth of 700mm.

The rugged ladder frame chassis features double wishbone/coil spring independent front suspension and a coil-sprung five-link live rear axle. Braking is via front discs and rear drums inside 18-inch alloy wheels with 255/60R18 tyres and a full-size alloy spare.

There's good driver and front passenger comfort and big grab handles on the windscreen pillars for easy entry. Rear passengers have adequate head and shoulder room, well-placed arm rests and central pillar grab handles, however tall adults may demand more rest stops on long trips due to a low seat cushion height resulting in a high knee position that concentrates weight on the lower back.

It’s one of the neatest and cleanest designs in the four-wheel drive (4WD) dual cab unit mix, and stands in contrast to rivals like the Toyota HiLux for the simplicity of its finish.

'Our' Ultimate V6 has been modified for the trek, but only lightly. Along with the standard sports bar in the rear of the dual cab’s ute tray, a black lockable roller shutter has been added, along with a genuine accessories-sourced roof rack and platform combo, an ARB awning and sand shovel holder.

The usual 19-inch rims have been replaced with 17-inch versions from the Amarok Canyon special edition finished in black, and fitted with 265/60 R17 General Grabber G2s all-terrain tyres.

There’s a set of rock sliders along the side of the car, but no bull bar or snorkel, as VW Australia is yet to finalise approval for factory-fitted items. A light bar with an aerial mount cleverly attaches to bracing fitted across the front of the radiator, while customised black graphics complete the look.

With a kerb weight of 1969kg and a GVM (gross vehicle mass) of 2910kg, the Navara ST-X is rated to carry a 941kg payload. It's also rated to tow a braked trailer weighing up to 3500kg with a 300kg maximum tow-ball download.

However, if you need to tow 3500kg, be aware that with a GCM (gross combined mass) of 5910kg you will have to reduce the ST-X's payload by a whopping 500kg or half a tonne to do it legally. In other words, you will only be left with a payload of 441kg (or roughly 4-5 adults with no luggage). Keep those numbers in mind if heavy towing is important to you.

The pick-up's cargo bed floor is 1503mm long, 1560mm wide and 474mm deep with 1130mm between the wheel arches so it won't take a standard 1160mm-square Aussie pallet like the Amarok.

Inside the cabin are single bottle holders and storage pockets in each of the four doors plus an upper dashboard storage tray and two pop-out cup holders, centre console storage including a lidded box, two cup holders and front cubby, single glovebox, driver and front passenger seat-back pockets plus an overhead console with sunglasses holder.

The standout item in the Amarok V6 from our trip has to be the front seats. Put simply, they are bloody amazing. Even after a 450km stint over rough and rolling terrain, I only got a slight twinge of discomfort right towards the end of the run – and I’m super fussy when it comes to seats.

The side bolstering is spot on, the extendable base is great, the squab length is perfect, the height range is excellent and the heating elements add the final cherry.

The steering wheel, too, is easy to hang onto and is well shaped, while the main controls are easy to access.

The multimedia system is set up for Apple CarPlay (and Android Auto), allowing us to hook onto Spotify via iPhones to annoy each other with our rubbish taste in music over the long days of travelling.

A pair of slightly too-shallow cupholders up front are complemented by deep bottle holders in all four doors that can actually hold two small bottles at a pinch, while map pockets on the back seats and a medium-sized centre console bin helps to stash all the accouterments acquired over a long journey.

When you’re out bush, items like USB points and 12 volt charging bays come into their own, and the Amarok could use a couple more USB sockets scattered around the car, particularly for rear seat passengers.

Once a HEMA map screen and a battery monitor are fitted, charging slots are already running low; pack an adaptor or two if you’re out bush for a period.

The rear seats are taller than the fronts, but are just comfortable enough in terms of leg and headroom for taller passengers to travel for medium distances without discomfort.

One thing about outback driving is the sheer amount of dust that gets into everything, including the tray area. The Amarok remained impressively clean over a solid week of thrashing through sand and silt, though the roller cover over the tray did nothing to keep it out.

Our $67,990 Ultimate V6 is one of the most expensive 4WD dual cabs in play at the moment – but it has a big power advantage over rivals like the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.

And it’s definitely an expensive bit of kit to be subjecting to the rough, rocky and dusty roads of our country’s wilder side…

There is a Highline grade that sells for $10,000 less, and Volkswagen tells us a Sportline version will arrive later in the year.

In terms of value when heading bush, you’ll need to factor in the cost of an alternative set of tyres more suited to the terrain, as well as a set of rims to match. The stock 19-inch rims can be fitted with off road rubber, but they are much more susceptible to damage from rocks and other debris.

As well, fitting the front of the car with some sort of stone protection device is a must; a single pass-by with a large truck or caravan will shower your Amarok with a tonne of small, sharp, fast-flying foreign objects that will crack headlights and windscreens in a heartbeat.

To get a full run down of the Amarok TDI550 Ultimate's standard specification, check out our road test.

A Navara highlight is the smooth, quiet and powerful (YS23DDTT) 2.3-litre four cylinder twin-turbo diesel exclusive to ST, ST-X (and new SL-spec) dual cab utes. Its two-stage inline turbochargers provide a steady stream of power and torque throughout the rev range, with a small primary unit providing good throttle response at low rpm and a larger secondary taking charge at higher rpm. With 140kW at 3750rpm and a hearty 450Nm serving of torque from 1500-2500rpm, it's an efficient match for the ST-X's relatively light 1969kg kerb weight.

The ST-X is still a competent and comfortable highway cruiser with only 1800rpm at 100km/h and 2000rpm at 110km/h.

The seven-speed automatic transmission is smooth-shifting and refined with shift protocols that generally keep the engine humming in its 1000rpm peak torque band for maximum efficiency. It also has a sequential-shift manual mode which is handy when hauling big loads and the overdriven sixth and seventh ratios provide low rpm fuel economy at highway speeds.

The dual-range, part-time 4x4 drivetrain allows electronic engagement at speeds up to 100km/h and its 4.886 first gear, 3.357:1 diff ratio and 2.717:1 low range reduction results in a 44.56:1 crawler gear for the toughest off-road terrain. This is backed up by electronic traction control, hill start assist, hill descent control and an electronic rear differential lock.

The Amarok’s 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 – as fitted to the Porsche Cayenne and Audi SQ5, no less - makes 165kW at 3000rpm, and a stonking 550Nm between 1500-2750rpm.

Those power and torque figures are already impressive for a ute, and are even more impressive when overboost is factored in, which is available from 70 per cent throttle in third or fourth gear. It chips in an extra 15kW for a total of 180kW and 30 extra Nm for a total of 580Nm.

Getting to the bush is half the trip for an outback adventure, and the biggish six easily propels our fully laden Amarok over coarse country tarmac at the national limit, even with a full load of swags on the roof.

Basically, the Amarok did it easy.

When the sealed roads disappear, the mid-range punch of the V6 comes into its own, while the full-time 4WD system sends 60 per cent of its torque rearwards. An off-road mode divides the power 50/50 between the two, and while stability control can be partially disabled, it can’t be switched all the way off.

You can leave the excellent eight-speed auto to its own devices, or flick it over to manual mode and control it via wheel-mounted paddles, which is handy when blasting up a deep, sandy dune face and you need uninterrupted power.

Nissan claims an optimistic combined figure of only 7.0L/100km but at the end of our road test the dashboard display was showing 9.0L/100km. However, our figures based on actual fuel bowser and trip meter readings came in at 10.34L/100km, which is about average for this segment. Based on those figures, expect a range of around 750-800km from its 80-litre fuel tank.

We measured a full tank run from Camerons Corner to Broken Hill, which took us over 388km on dirt roads, and the Amarok devoured 74 litres of diesel, leaving us just over five litres in the tank before we ran dry in the desert. Ulp.

Despite a dash-indicated fuel reading of 15.1L/100km, the actual figure is more like 19.0L/100km. This is pretty indicative of dirt driving, though it’s a heck of a long way north of the claimed combined fuel economy figure of 7.8L/100km.

Over 1200km (which incorporated about 80km of tarmac), the figure fell to 17.9, with 215 litres of diesel added to the tank over three stops.

We were fully laden with gear, complete with a very un-aerodynamic load of swags across the top of the rig, while the (surprisingly) undulating terrain and extra drag of the offroad tyres all added to the total.

The Navara's slightly firmer unladen ride will probably go unnoticed by most owners. Acceleration is brisk and braking is good but the steering has an overly heavy or ‘dead weight' feel to it that remains linear regardless of road speed.

It feels outdated compared to the latest variable-ratio electric and hydraulic systems in rivals, which are very light at parking speeds and become firmer as speeds rise.

However, the ST-X is still a competent and comfortable highway cruiser with only 1800rpm at 100km/h and 2000rpm at 110km/h which right in middle of its 1500-2500rpm torque zone. We noticed a bit of wind noise at these speeds, mostly around the large door mirrors, but tyre noise and other sources of NVH were pleasantly low. Unladen ride quality was generally good with a slightly jittery feel on some surfaces due to the firmer suspension.

We then loaded 770kg into the cargo bed, which with a 92kg driver was a payload of 862kg, or just under 80kg less than its 941kg peak payload rating. Despite the slightly stiffer rear springs the Navara displayed a similar tail-down-nose-up stance to its predecessor, with the front rising 15mm and the rear dropping 80mm.

The 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel and seven-speed auto proved a good team on our long 14 per cent gradient set climb.

Given that the ST we tested in 2016 compressed 120mm with about 60kg less load, this may seem like an improvement in springing support. However, the ST was fitted with 16-inch diameter wheels (50mm smaller diameter than the ST-X's 18s) and we always measure from the top of the wheel rim to the wheel arch lip, so it's much the same.

A look under the tail also revealed that, like its predecessor, the rear coils had compressed to a point where the load was again largely being supported by the solid rubber cones which sit outboard of the coils on each side of the axle housing. Although these are designed to progressively engage with the chassis rails as a second stage of damping under heavy loads, it is still in effect like riding on extended bump stops.

Even so, the 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel and seven-speed auto proved a good team on our long 14 per cent gradient set climb with more than three quarters of a tonne on board; the ample 450Nm of torque easily maintaining the 60km/h speed limit at 2000rpm in sixth gear all the way to the top.

Its engine braking was also impressive for such a small capacity engine, with only the occasional brush of the brake pedal required to peg over-run at 4000rpm (4500rpm redline).

Fortune, and the timetable of the road grading program, fell perfectly for us, with all but the last 100km of dirt in excellent – if dusty - condition. With a fully laden Amarok, our pace was steady and solid, and the V6 ate up the long stints with consummate ease.

Pushing the off-road mode button added noticeable additional torque to the front axle, and is also a contributor to our appetite for fuel. With full-time 4WD always on hand, the relatively smooth dirt allowed us to limit the off-road mode for when we really needed it.

The rear-biased drive system gives the Amarok a bit of character, while its compliant suspension tune still offers support in the middle of the stroke, despite the estimated 300kg of payload on board. Steering is excellent for a 4WD ute, and the braking performance is top notch, too.

In fact, off-road mode lengthens the pulse distance of the ABS, allowing the tyres to build up small dirt ridges in front of them to reduce stopping distances.

Basically, the Amarok did it easy, and it felt liked there was a bit left in reserve if the going suddenly got a bit nasty. The General tyres did an admirable job at high and low pressures, though we didn’t have a chance to try them in muddy conditions.

A close encounter or seven with thick-headed kangaroos did highlight the lack of a bullbar on our car, though, which is almost a prerequisite for going bush.

Unfortunately, the Amarok range lags behind its main competitors when it comes to driver aid safety gear and curtain airbags, neither of which are currently (or ever likely to be) available on the car.

Despite holding a top five-star score from 2011, the Amarok’s lack of features like AEB, blind spot warning and trailer sway control, as well as full length curtain airbags that cover the rear seat passengers, do this otherwise solid performer no favours.

Nissan includes a three year/100,000km warranty, with extended warranty option for the Navara ST-X.

There's also a three year 24 Hour Roadside Assistance Program.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 20,000km whichever comes first, and capped price servicing applies to the first six scheduled services up to 120,000km, with costs varying between $547.00 (minimum) and $738.00 (maximum) per service.

The Amarok offers a three-year/unlimited km warranty, while services are recommended every 15,000km or 12 months.

Fixed price service program costs are $470, $663, $557, $824 and $470 respectively for the first five visits, totalling $2984 all up.

If you drive like we did on this test, though, it’s wise to shorten the service interval to ensure items like the air filter, underbody parts and tyres remain in good nick.