Nissan Navara Dual Cab ST 4x4 2016 review

Mark Oastler road tests and reviews the 2016 Nissan Navara Dual Cab ST 4x4 with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Nissan’s all new NP300 Navara represents a rationalisation of the company fleet. It has replaced both the D22 and D40 model Navaras and with the impending demise of the full-size GU Patrol 4x4 and its cab-chassis variant, the NP300 will soon handle all of Nissan’s LCV duties.

However, it is available in a wide choice of body, drivetrain and suspension configurations and price points. And in the highly competitive dual-cab 4x4 segment, the top-shelf ST and ST-X models have been tailored more than ever to appeal to dual-purpose ‘work and play’ buyers, with unique coil-spring rear suspension designed to provide the best of both worlds.

Price and Features

Compared to equivalent model grades offered by 4x4 ute sales leaders Toyota and Ford, the ST costs the same as the HiLux SR and easily undercuts both the XLT Ranger ($56,390) and the lower-spec 3.2 litre XLS ($50,290).

Smooth, quiet and powerful, it produces 140kW at 3750rpm and a bountiful 450Nm serving of torque.

The ST is well equipped with quality features like alloy sports bar with integrated high-mount stop light, side steps, 16-inch alloys and 255/70R16 tyres with a full-size spare, LED projector headlights, front fog lamps plus four sturdy tie-down points and a handy 12-volt outlet in the loading zone to name a few.

A 5.0-inch dashboard colour screen is the focal point of the car-like interior and serves as central command for the six-speaker audio system with AUX/USB/iPod/Bluetooth connectivity and Nissan Connect smartphone integration. There’s also a leather-accented steering wheel (tilt only), shift lever and handbrake and a dial for shift-on-the-fly 4x4 selection at up to 100km/h.

Nissan claims extra ventilation as the primary benefit of the rear power-sliding window, but the jury is out on its worth given the visual clutter it creates in rear view vision.

Design

The NP300 is shorter and lighter than the D40 it replaced, with a higher GVM rating and tighter turning circle. It also rides on a slightly shorter wheelbase, which at 3150mm is 65mm longer than HiLux and 70mm shorter than Ranger.

Navara’s body styling, with its plethora of sharp-edged creases and curves, appears to be more form than function in some areas, particularly the raised outer edges of the bonnet which partly obscure driver vision in the lower front diagonal view. Overall, though, the design theme is cohesive and certainly distinctive.

Driver and front passenger comfort is good. However, for taller passengers the rear seat cushion is too low, creating a high knee position which concentrates weight on the base of the spine and can become uncomfortable on long journeys. B pillar-mounted grab handles and door arm-rests are well positioned though.

The robust fully-boxed ladder-frame chassis provides 228mm of ground clearance, riding on upper and lower wishbone front suspension and (in all dual cabs except cab-chassis) a five-link coil-sprung live rear axle located by upper and lower trailing arms and a panhard rod.

Engine and Transmission

As a result of Nissan’s alliance with automotive giant Renault, the four cylinder YS23DDTT 2.3 litre twin-turbo diesel in the ST/ST-X has some French flavouring and is an excellent choice for this application. Smooth, quiet and powerful, it produces 140kW at 3750rpm and a bountiful 450Nm serving of torque from a very low 1500rpm to 2500rpm.

Instant throttle response and spirited acceleration is helped by the Navara’s relatively light 1924kg kerb weight and the efficiency of two-stage inline turbochargers (small primary turbo for low rpm, large secondary turbo for high rpm) which work together to provide a seamless surge of power and torque through the rev range.

The seven speeds in the automatic transmission are topped only by the eight in VW Amarok. With overdrive on sixth and seventh and the choice of sequential manual shifting, it’s well-tailored to this engine’s characteristics. This is most evident in auto mode, with its barely perceptible shifting and a tendency (particularly under heavy load) to hold onto gears right to the edge of the engine’s torque band, rather than endlessly hunt around as some close-ratio autos tend to do. There’s also an electronic rear diff lock for the dual-range part-time 4x4 system.

Practicality

The Navara ST’s GVM of 2910kg is just above the Mitsubishi Triton’s 2900kg figure but below all other major players in this segment up to the Ranger’s class-leading 3200kg. On the upside, it’s also one of only four rated to tow up to the benchmark 3500kg, which even the top-selling HiLux can’t do.

The cargo bed floor, which sits at a relatively low 474mm for easy loading, is 1503mm long and 1560mm at its widest point with 1130mm between the wheel arches. In the passenger compartment, bottle and cup-holders are abundant (10) along with handy storage pockets in the front and rear doors.

Fuel consumption

Nissan claims CO2 emissions of 186g/km and fuel consumption of just 7.0L/100km. Sounds impressive, although in our ‘real world’ test which included a mix of heavy city traffic, suburban duties and sealed/unsealed regional roads with and without loads, we averaged just over 11.L/100km. In other words, nowhere near the official figure.

Driving

Nissan has proved that a properly designed five-link coil-spring rear can deliver the best of both worlds - a big payload/towing capacity when you need it and superior four-coil ride quality when empty or lightly loaded which, let’s face it, for a typical ST buyer would be most of the time. Other coil-spring benefits are less weight and superior wheel travel/traction/stability on all surfaces.

It’s effectively a two-stage suspension system. When the progressive-rate coils are compressed to a certain point, cone-shaped solid rubber dampers which sit right alongside the coils come into contact with the chassis rails to provide a second progressive stage of damping, along with increased stability. If fully compressed, these dampers then double as traditional bump stops.

It refused to be unsettled or thrown off-line by long stretches of mud, potholes and corrugations.

We put this theory to the test with 650kg in the load bed plus a full tank of diesel and two crewmen up front. At 2840kg on the weighbridge, it was only 70kg short of the ST’s 2910kg GVM. Under this near-maximum load the coils compressed 120mm (more than double the usual leaf spring travel), the tops of the secondary dampers engaged the chassis rails and the nose rose 10mm.

Despite its pronounced tail-down-nose-up stance the Navara remained rock-steady without once hitting its bump stops, at speeds up to 110km/h on the highway and up to 80km/h on dirt roads where it refused to be unsettled or thrown off-line by long stretches of mud, potholes and corrugations.

A typical ST owner would rarely if ever need to lug such a high payload, but our test proved it can do the job competently if required. It also proved that when towing, the Navara’s maximum tow-ball download rating of 300kg (at a lower 2540kg GVM) can be accommodated with equal poise.

With just under 0.8 tonne on its back, the 2.3 litre twin-turbo engine and seven-speed auto made light work of the long 13 per cent grade climb on our test route. And on the way down it delivered some useful engine braking for such a small capacity engine, holding 60km/h in second gear with the occasional light brush of the brake pedal to stop it spinning up to the 4500rpm redline on over-run.

Safety

Like all NP300 Navaras, the ST carries the maximum 5-star ANCAP safety rating and comes loaded with an impressive armoury of active and passive safety features including driver and front passenger front/side airbags plus driver’s knee bag and full-length side curtain airbags. There’s also the full suite of electronic dynamic chassis controls except trailer sway control, plus reversing cameras/sensors and LED daytime running lights.

Ownership

The Navara comes with Nissan’s 3 year/100,000km warranty and 3 year 24-Hour Roadside Assistance Program, plus extended warranty and service options.