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BUYER'S GUIDE: 2018 Nissan Navara

The 2018 Nissan Navara is one of the ideal choices in the Philippine market if you're considering to purchase a brand-new pickup truck. Among the many reasons why the Navara is a good choice is that Nissan has been building pickups for around 80 years, which is a clear indication that the Japanese automaker knows what it's doing. Here's a rundown of the notable features of the Nissan Navara.

Specification

The Nissan Navara is available in 10 variants with a starting price of PHP917,000 (4x2 6MT variant) while the most expensive Navara is the Sport edition 4x4 VL 7AT that's priced at PHP1.49 million. To give you and idea, the Navara Sport is a special edition model. It is similar to other Navara variants, but it comes with exterior enhancements such as a new grille, revamped front skirt, and sports roll bar. Strip those down, it's essentially a regular production-spec Navara. With that in mind, I consider the Navara 4x4 VL 7AT as the top-of-the-line variant, which has a price tag of PHP1.423 million. As such, I would be using the Navara 4x4 VL 7AT as the main car for this Buyer's Guide article. The Navara 4x4 VL 7AT variant is powered by a 2.5-liter diesel engine that delivers 187 hp and 450 Nm of torque. The engine is connected to a seven-speed automatic transmission with manual mode. In terms of dimensions, it is 5,255 mm long, 1,850 mm wide, and 1,840 mm tall along with a wheelbase of 3,150mm. With those numbers, the Navara is relatively smaller as compared to the Ford Ranger Wildtrak. Nissan said that the Navara has payload and towing capacity of 1,000 kg and 3,500 kg, respectively.

Exterior

The Navara's exterior design doesn't fall short of testosterone--it's bold, composed, and has a confident stance. Overall, it has the right mixture of muscular and sleek design. Up front, it comes with Nissan's V-motion chrome-plated grille, sweptback LED headlights with daytime running lights (DRL), large bumper that's integrated with fog lamps, and wide fender flares. In side profile you'll see that this Navara comes with chrome door handles, roof rails, and a side step. You also can't miss this pickup's distinctive character lines, which adds to the Navara's muscular yet sleek appeal. The rear gets a tailgate-mounted spoiler, which gives the Navara a soft touch of sportiness. It also has a massive third brake light and a chrome accented bumper.

Interior

Inside, the Navara features a black interior theme along with silver accents. At first, you might notice that the interior is not meant for a pickup truck as it looks like a cabin for sedans. Making the interior of the pickup look car-like is the trend among manufacturers. With that in mind, the center console stands out from the dashboard due to its glossy black finish. On the other hand, this pickup has arguably the best ride comfort in comparison to its rivals in the Philippine market. This is brought upon by the Navara's five-link coil-spring suspension set-up, which is a breakaway from the traditional leaf spring suspensions. So, if you're looking for a pickup truck that has a car-like ride comfort, the Nissan Navara should be on your list. The Navara also gets a three-spoke steering wheel with audio/phone controls, a white-on-black instrument cluster for easy readability, and leather seats. Speaking of which, the front driver seat comes with an eight-way power function that'll help you find your best driving position. Not only that, the front driver and passenger seats is co-developed by Nissan and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Nissan calls it Zero-Gravity seats, which reduces fatigue by distributing pressure evenly across the seat. I got to try the Navara's Zero-Gravity seats--and it really reduces driver fatigue as it hugs you perfectly while driving. If you have back problems, this feature of the Navara is perfect for you.

Space

The interior space of the Navara is generous. The rear passenger area has decent head- and leg- room, while the cargo bed can fit a number of things such as water gallons, furniture, sack of rice, among others. With the pickup's 1,000 kg payload capacity, you can almost fit anything in its bed.

Safety

Safety-wise, the Navara comes with the standard driver and passenger airbag, anti-lock braking system (ABS), brake-limited slip differential, vehicle dynamic control (VDC), and ISOFIX. You should also know that Nissan's pickup is equipped with the brand's Intelligent Mobility technology. This safety tech includes an around view monitor, which gives you a 360-degree bird's eye view of the truck that will come in handy when you're parking. The said tech also includes hill start assist and hill descent control.

Our Verdict

The Nissan Navara has a lot to offer, which makes it one of the ideal choices if you're looking to buy a brand-new pickup truck. The Navara's edge over the other pickup trucks offered in the local market is its car-like ride comfort thank to its coil suspension set-up and Zero-Gravity seats. Combine those features with a reliable 2.5-liter diesel engine and a seven-speed automatic transmission, the Nissan Navara is one of the top pickup trucks in the local market.

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