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LOADED4X4.COM.AU
REVIEW: NAVARA ST
regular stops to arrest fatigue, a stretch of 600-800kms day
wouldn’t be out of the question. The other things retained from
the D40 cabin are doors that open wide for easy step-in and out
and the same flip-up rear seat to leave ample room on the floor
to carry gear too precious for outside. There’s a couple of underseat
bins for the jack and tool roll built into the floor for safe
stowage. In this specification, the floors were covered in carpet,
which isn’t my favourite flooring at all, but at least the pile was
generous and looked plush for the urban moments = good for
trapping sand and mud out in the bush! Can’t win them all.
Those consumed with how good the sound might be, how
easily the Bluetooth works and how reliable is the navigation, will
be pleased to know it all works. One thing I really liked is that with
the headlights on (that’s during the day – it’s safer being seen by
other road users even with DRLs) the screen (measuring 7”) didn’t
dim to a point where my eyes struggled to see what was going
on. The prompts for changes in direction were prompt, and when
I managed a major snafu at an intersection en-route for a dinnerdate,
it was quick to pick up
my mistake and recommend
an alternative exit.
One of the Navara’s party
tricks is an electric sliding rear
window. If you were hauling
a longer load or wanting to
introduce some fresh air into
the cab, a button on the dash
on the right-hand side of the
steering column operates the
sliding mid-section, just made
for lazy drivers including me.
Speaking of things
ventilation, there were
plenty of vents and the airconditioning
pumped out
lots of cold air in the heat of
a couple of 30 degree days
followed by some pretty nippy
evenings where the heater
worked a treat. Best of all, it’s
controlled by simple dials and
all easily over-ridden if you
want fresh air. Sorry folks but
climate control doesn’t float
my boat. If it floats yours,
you’ll have to opt for the STX.
Oh and then there are
those stupid push-button
starts, being an ST midspec
model, it ducked that
idiot way of starting. Keys
go in ignitions, so thank you,
Nissan, for not caving into
peer pressure across all your
models.
OK time to do some
driving. On the road, the ST
steers beautifully and handles
high-speed bitumen, good and
bad, impeccably. Some might
find it too firm, but I liked it a
lot. I put it to the “Moose Test”,
and it passed with just the
right amount of autonomous
braking to correct the induced
oversteer I’d provoked at
80km/h. A couple of crash
stops pulled it up straight and
true despite the use of drum
brakes in the back end (yep
one of my other pet hates).
I decided I needed to
put the rear coils to the test
with a typical tradie load.
If you believe that utes in
this country can reliably tow
3,500kgs off the showroom
floor, you must also believe
in fairies and elves too. Given
the grief that’s been heaped
on the Navara, I loaded our
big tandem alloy trailer with
the Rhino and a bunch of
timber and garden soil to a
weight nudging two tonnes.
I deliberately put the timber