Navara range expands

NISSAN AUSTRALIA has bolstered its two-wheel-drive Navara line-up with a dual-cab diesel-engined D40 variant to help the ageing pick-up compete with the growing number of new models in the one-tonne ute market.

From early April, the 2WD ST Dual Cab Diesel model will join the expanded Spanish-built 2012 Navara D40 range, which hit the market only last month.

Priced from $36,100 with a standard six-speed manual transmission, the new mid-spec variant is some $10,700 cheaper than the equivalent 4x4 model.

Nissan claims the 2WD ST Dual Cab will have more power, torque, comfort, convenience and style than the entry-level RX model, which is still built in Thailand and is $5500 cheaper at $30,600.

Both are powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, but the latest version in the ST produces 14kW more power and 47Nm more torque for a total of 120kW and 403Nm.

With the manual transmission, the new model returns fuel consumption of 8.3 litres per 100km compared with 9.1L/100km for the equivalent RX – which will also be enhanced from April with body-coloured electric door mirrors.

Extra equipment in the new ST version over the RX includes 17-inch alloy wheels (versus 16-inch steel), rear child restraint anchorages, six airbags (front, side & curtain), dual-zone climate-control air-conditioning, 60/40 split-fold rear seats and side steps.

Navara is Nissan’s best-selling model in Australia (well ahead of X-Trail, Dualis and Micra), but 4x4 sales have dwarfed those of the 4x2.

Last year, Nissan sold 20,162 Navara 4x4s – second only to the Toyota HiLux – but only 1513 4x2s, beaten by seven other models in a market of more than 50,000 vehicles.