THE CARAVAN YOU WANT IS NOW EASIER TO FIND tradervs.com.au^123
RATINGS
VALUEFORMONEY"You can buy cheaper these days
but not necessarily better "TOWINGPERFORMANCE"Gutsy diesel with
excellent transmission"HITCHINGUP"Slightly higher ride height
doesn't hinder the hitch"CREATURECOMFORTS"Cabin is well appointed
and comfortable"
ACCESSIBILITYOFSPAREPARTS"Strong Aus-wide dealer network "FUELECONOMY"Diesel is a solid performer in the
sipping department "SOLOPERFORMANCE"Coil springs give it a ride comfort
edge over rivals"ENGINEPOWER"Twin sequential turbos provide
excellent response"INNOVATION"The around-view camera is a
handy tech upgrade"X-FACTOR"With each upgrade Nissan builds a
better mousetrap but category leaders
like Ranger still offer more wow factor "The engine is redlined at 4500rpm but
even if you’re really into the throttle the auto
will upshift a few hundred revs ahead of this
mark. Downshifts are equally smooth and
rapid, and the gearbox has a faux-manual
mode which allows driver selection of the
preferred gears.HITCH UP THE HORSES
While the last Navara suspension upgrade
focused on the dampers, this time around
it’s the turn of the five-link rear suspension,
which now features dual rate coil springs.
These have been re-engineered, following
extensive local testing by a team of Nissan
engineers in and around the Bendigo and
Kinglake areas of Victoria.
In a bid to better understand Australian
roads and driving conditions, a team of
chassis engineers visited Australia three times
over a period of 12 months, testing the Navara
with no load, and then with loads of 500kg
and 700kg while towing 3.5t.
The resulting changes to steering
dampening, front and rear shock absorbers
and rear springs are the key mechanical
upgrades to the MY18 model, designed to
offer significant improvement to the ute’s
ride, handling and steering when empty,
laden or towing.
The dual cab’s coil springs were engineered
to deliver a lower (softer) rate when unladen,“The steering also continues to
provide a good sense of directional
stability, something that can go out
the window on some utes”
NISSAN NAVARA ST-X
Dual Cab Series III REVIEW