Our ticket to explore

In January 2016 we picked up what would later be called Olive, a Nissan Navara STX dual cab 4x4. I always planned it to be for offroad adventures and camping and still opted for black???

I chose the Navara for a number of reasons but I think it was my heart that made me overlook its flaws. It would become the 7th Nissan to have found its way into a garage of ours.... even if it doesnt physically fit anymore.

We had found that our Xtrail was starting to lack the space for long camps so opted for the carrying capability of a modern dual cab teamed with its low range gearbox for getting to those hard to reach spots. A big feature I was seeking was a rear diff lock and the Navara offered this as standard. I wont go into the technical aspects but instead I will explain why they help in offroad situations. When traversing uneven ground where wheels may lift off the ground or at least lose most traction the diff lock ensures that power will still be put to the ground by the wheel remaining in contact. Put it this way, it has already saved us many times from being stranded on difficult tracks.

It was my wife who talked me into the STX model which among other features gave us leather, Sataellite navigation, smart key, sunroof and big unforgiving 18 inch alloys. The alloys have been dropped for steel wheels an inch smaller with more rubber. The sunroof is painfully noisey at highway speeds but the key and navigation are excellent.

I will go into my modifications in later posts, but at the time of buying the vehicle we had the ARB ascent canopy fitted and the genuine Nissan towbar.

How does it suit the family? We have had it for over two years now and it is meeting the requirements and almost at 50000km on the odometre. Our boys two and five fit in the rear one in a booster and the other still in a full car seat. The car seats attach to oddly designed loops at the back of the seats and we often struggle to get them to sit properly with minimal movement. I have had adults in the rear seat who have found it comfortable and sporting sufficient legroom.

Offroad the Navara has continued to impress me with its ability to crawl up uneven inclines due to its coil rear suspension. Unlike most utes that utilise leaf sprung suspension and have a harsher unforgiving ride, the Navara used more sedan like coils. For the early series NP300 Navaras this caused great grief as they struggled to live up to the near 1T ayload claim and 3.5T towing. Mine sagged in the bum worse than Michael Moores jeans. A mate even teased me asking if I had had the ute lowered. This was the cause for more money to be spent in aftermarket suspension which in fairness is on the cards for any offroad touring vehicle.

The engine is a 2.3 litre twin turbo diesel - its not the most powerful in the class but does the job. Nissan claimed average fuel range of over 1000km per tank...even before I made any changes to the vehicle I could not come close, a tank of diesel would burn to nothing in well under 800kms at best. This puts it around that 10L/100 mark. for such a big vehicle that cant be too bad really.

Servicing costs are around the $500 mark and Nissan want them done every 20000km or 12 months. A change of oil and filter at least should be done every ten in my opinion, so thats what I do.

Towing is a big piece of the Navaras core duties and it probably isn't as strong as I would want or expect and can seem to slow considerably on some steeper longer hills. Considering I am only towing a sub 1000kg camper I find this dissapointing. Towing the camper offroad in low range however, was a different ball game. Some tracks that the camper has been dragged up by the Navara would have seen others balk at without a trailer. The reverse camera was surely installed as a gift from Mr Hashimoto himself, without assistance you can place the tow ball directly under the coupling and removing the need for the vague assistance from the partner, a little left or was that right...about a foot...no less...oops.

Tip: When buying, be prepared to walk, be prepared to place a deposit, shop around and test the dealership near the end of the month when they are pushing to meet targets.

The important stuff:

Nissan Navara STX

2.3L Twin Turbo Diesel Engine

450nm and 140kw

6 Speed Manual

4wd low range

80L fuel tank

5 Star safety rating

Front/side/curtain and drivers knee airbags

Claimed fuel usage 6.5L/100km

Price new: About $50000

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