Trade-A-Boat 496 2017

15km through the town centre and over

the hills to the south of the bay.

Fitted with Redarc’s latest Tow-Pro

electronic brake controller (as featured

in Shopping Cart,Trade -a-BoatIssue

472) it was a great surprise. It offers

two modes working autonomously

• using what Redarc dubs Active
  Calibration – or classically controlled
  viaarotaryknob.WhatIlikedmost
  wasitsintegrationintotheutefrom
  thefactory;itwasneatandtidy,with
  no clumsy knee-banging bolt-on unit
  under the wheel.
  The Navara struggled a bit under
  the big girl’s weight. At all of 3500kg
  towed, the 850 Game Fisher was on
  the limit for the ST-X’s rated capacity.
  Addpassengersandasmallamount
  ofgearandwewerenudgingtheGross
  Combined Mass of 5910kg, so that’s to
  be expected.
  So would I recommend one for
  continued 3500kg towing? No. Going
  full-size – Patrol or LandCruiser – would
  be my preferred choice for that weight
  and size but for offshore trailerboats
  in the 2000kg to 3000kg range, the
  NP300ST-Xshoulddothetrick.

VALUE FOR MONEY

At around $60,000 drive away

(excludingtowpackandRedarc

controller), the ST-X undercuts the Ford

Wildtrack and new Toyota Hilux SR5

that start around $62,000. A similarly

specified Colorado LTZ is slightly less

than the ST-X, at $57,000. Nissan’s

warranty is par for the course at 36

months or 100,000km (whichever

comes first). Servicing through

myNissan, the approved service

network, is capped – the first service,

due after 20,000km, is $522. After

120,000km your first six services will

have cost around $3600, depending on

dealer variance, which is reasonable.

Aftermarket options were limited at

the time we tested but the big players

already had scrub and ’roo bars plus

skid plates and light bars available

immediately, so no worries there.

THE WRAP

Since AGB, Nissan has updated the

Navara to the D23 Series 2, with

small changes to the suspension. Our

experience with this first coil rear-end

was that it smoothed bumps without

reducing payload or towing capacity.

The Navara does well against its

competition in power, torque, gizmos

and capabilities, and sits middle of the

pack in pricing. If the flaws inside the

cabin don’t worry your body shape, the

Navara should be a reliable partner.

quick specs

Nissan Navara NP 300 STX

PRICE AS TESTED

$54,990 +ORC

TYPE Dual cab chassis

ENGINE 2.3L inline four cylinder turbo-

diesel

POWER 140kW

POWER 147kW

TORQUE 450Nm

GEARS Seven-speed automatic

(optional)

WEIGHT 1980kg

PAYLOAD 933kg (automatic)

BRAKED TOWING CAPACITY 3500kg

GROSS COMBINED MASS 5910kg

(includes trailer)

TURNING CIRCLE 12.4m

FUEL 80L

SUPPLIED BY

NISSAN MOTOR CO (AUSTRALIA) 260-

270 Frankston Dandenong Road.

Dandenong South, VIC, 3175

PHONE 1800 035 035

WEB Nissan.com.au

Fuel consumption

Towing 1500kg trailerboat 12L/100km

(tested)

Combined (urban and highway) ADR

7L/100km (claimed)

The NP-300 ST-X has good looks and

the best ride in its class but the seating

needs some more adjustability, as does

the steering wheel reach.

68 tradeaboat.com.au

Navara NP-300 ST-X