Nissan Navara (05 on) - Review

With minimal rear wheel arch intrusion, both the King Cab and Double Cab offer generously sized pick-up bays. The Double Cab offers 2.36 cubic metres and the King Cab has an excellent 2.9 cubic metres of capacity. Both will cope with a payload of at least 1073kg. The pick-up bay is fitted with moveable fixing eyes which can be located to the sides, bulkhead or floor of the load area. The King Cab features two rear seats which can be folded away when not needed to provide extra storage room and the front passenger seat can be folded flat. Its pillarless four door configuration will swallow the bulkiest of shapes too. The Double Cab features storage compartments under the rear seats which also fold up and away in a 60/40 split for carrying larger items within the cab. Both cab versions have numerous other storage areas within the cabin including two gloveboxes and a 6 litre centre console box. A variety of extras can be specified to further increase practicality including lockable chests, hard-tops and even a two-man tent.

Navara performed poorly in Euro NCAP crash tests as a result of airbag failure. Nissan identified the fault and issued a recall on all Model Year 08 Navara models. Owners are advised to check with their dealers to ensure the fault has been rectified. Navara has since been re-tested, though the results have not yet been released. All models have driver and passenger airbags and ABS brakes with EBD and Brake Assist. SE models and above have active head rests and there are ISOFIX anchor points on the Double Cab rear seats. Curtain and side airbags are optional on most and standard on the Aventura model. All models have central locking, an alarm and immobiliser and a locking rear tailgate.

Model prices compare well with rivals when equipment levels are taken into consideration. The Navara range is covered by a three year/60,000 mile warranty and requires servicing every two years or 18,000 miles. Most attract a group 10 insurance rating.

It's too early to be able to say with any certainty, but the previous model served its owners faithfully and Nissan has a good reputation for strong reliability so we would expect good reliability.