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LOADED4X4.COM.AU
REVIEW: NAVARA ST
the brand in droves.
That first release of the D23 didn’t appeal to users carrying
heavy loads, and the new coil sprung back-end couldn’t cope,
leaving many an owner with the front bumper pointing to the
heavens. In what should have been a watershed moment for
Japanese utes in the comfort and articulation stakes, the coiled
Navara had looked like it had turned into a liability.
Now it is possible to make a ute work with coil springs,
Land Rover did with the 130 crew-cab Defender and followed
it up with the 110 version too, it’s just a question of getting the
spring rates right. So with the imminent release of the Mercedes
X-Class, Nissan has gone to some lengths to correct the carrying
capacity and tweak and refine in other areas to make what I think
is one of the best, if not the BEST stock suspended ute in the
local marketplace that I’ve driven in ages. Pretty big call, but I
reckon it’s justified, given the blancmange suspension I’ve driven
during my professional career that’s been served up as OEM and
supposedly good, by every 4WD maker to an unsuspecting public.
Now in case you’ve been living under a rock, in a bit of badgeengineered
orchestration the D23 Navara has been morphed into
the - soon to be released - in Australia X-Class and in Europe the
Renault Alaskan. That’s three nameplates spun out of the one
platform which is either clever marketing or the realisation that
it’s far easier to do the R&D once rather than three times, or both
I suppose? My ST variant press vehicle from Nissan was white
and unsurprisingly, still the most popular colour in commercial
circles by a country mile. Despite that, the Navara I reckon is the
prettiest shaped ute that we get to see here in Australia. There’s
actually some style, style that has produced a nice silhouette,
front and bum. There’s not a ridiculous amount of chrome on
its face, so there’s a smile that doesn’t need a paper bag. The