Nissan Navara Hopes to Woo European Buyers to Pickups

To further test the European appetite for pickup trucks, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. uses the Geneva auto show for the European debut of the Navara Double Cab that replaces the Nissan Pickup.

The Navara was designed in tandem with the new Pathfinder SUV, and shares its architecture, and the two are built side-by-side at Nissan’s plant in Barcelona, Spain.

The target consumer needs the combination of utility and comfort to pursue a leisure lifestyle that involves such things as snowboards and surfboards.

The 4-door pickup will be available in Double Cab and King Cab. The Double Cab has a 3-person rear bench. The King Cab has room for two children in back.

Nissan Navara

The Navara is 10.4 ins. (26.5 cm) longer than the Pickup it replaces, with most of the extra room going to the cabin. The rear seats in the King Cab, for example, face forward, whereas their equivalent in the Pickup were side facing.

There are two versions of Nissan’s 2.5L 4-cyl. turbodiesel engine, now with second-generation common-rail technology for lower emissions. The base puts out 145 hp and 263 lb.-ft. (356 Nm) of torque. The more potent version delivers 172 hp and 297 lb.-ft. (403 Nm) of torque.

The 4-wheel-drive Navara shares the Pathfinder’s ladder-frame chassis. It has an independent front suspension system with double wishbones and coil springs. The rear has a solid axle.

Nissan says the Navara has the largest minimum bed width in its class in the King Cab.

Meanwhile, sales of the new Pathfinder in Europe coincide with the Geneva show.

Additionally, Nissan has developed a 296-hp version of its 350Z Coupe as part of its collaboration with Sony for the forthcoming launch of the fourth-edition PlayStation game Gran Turismo.

Orders now are being taken for the 700 units available in Europe, with deliveries to begin in April.

The 350Z Gran Turismo 4 Edition has a 20-hp boost for its 3.5L V-6, partly attributable to raising the engine’s red line to 7,000 rpm from 6,600.

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