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Nissan, having launched the new NP300 Navara in Asia, has now gotten it gussied up and prepped for European sales. The new pickup will make its debut at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show and then go on sale across the continent. You can hear the hearts of plumbers and carpenters across Europe beating that little bit faster.
It's a new design and chassis, with very little carry-over from the last Navara. The Double Cab version gets a sophisticated new rear five-link suspension while the King Cab gets a simpler leaf spring, but Nissan says that both setups are lighter than before.
Up front, there's a new twin-turbo 2.3-litre dCi diesel engine with either 160- or 190hp, and a choice of six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic gearboxes. Maximum towing weight is 3,500kg and all models can take a tonne payload in the load bed, which is 67mm longer than it used to be.
Nissan is also playing the safety card with the Navara, saying that it has safety tech (including an emergency automatic braking system and surround-view cameras) that no other competitor has. It also gets toys like hill descent control, hill start assist and cruise control.
Ponz Pandikuthira, Director of Light Commercial Vehicles for Nissan Europe commented: "Since we built our first pick-up in 1935, over 14 million customers in 180 countries around the globe have come to depend on Nissan pick-ups to transport their families, colleagues and cargo, sometimes in the toughest of circumstances. Nissan pick-ups have often been the lifeblood of their communities and a trusted work partner to businesses and tradespeople. Now in its 12th generation, we've harnessed this experience and our customer feedback to develop the new Nissan NP300 Navara which sets a new benchmark for performance, refinement, convenience and running costs in the sector."
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