Nissan Navara (Tekna 4×4)
The all new Nissan Navara (Tekna 4×4).
If you’re looking for a new SUV or Pick-Up then the Nissan Navara may be on your list. But how does this vehicle perform as a tow car and everyday family vehicle? In this blog I will answer that for you having spent a week driving it.
What do you need to know about the Navara Tekna?
The Navara Tekna is a 5 seater Pick-Up from Nissan and comes with a 2.3 litre twin turbo diesel engine which delivers 190PS. There are two gearboxes to choose from, a 6 speed manual or 7 speed automatic, we tested the manual version.
The Navara Tekna has a kerb weight of 1991kg which gives it an 85% match of 1692kg and a 95% match of 1891kg. The Navara can tow up to 3500kg which means it will tow almost any trailer you could hitch up.
As well as an amazing tow capacity, the vehicle can carry a payload of over 1000kg, which is useful if you’re going on a family holiday with an awning and pedal bikes.
Where this Pick-Up comes in to its own is the suspension, unlike other leaf sprung competitors the Navara has a multi-link coil sprung suspension system. What does this mean, it means it rides like a car or SUV as opposed to a commercial vehicle.
The Navara offers good fuel economy, we averaged around 40mpg, which we were impressed with.
How well equipped is the Navara Tekna?
The answer is quite simple, very. The high spec model we tested was loaded with technology, all standard in the price. We enjoyed keyless entry and stop start ignition, electric operated drivers seat, electric heated door mirrors, leather upholstery, heated front seats, alloy wheels and touchscreen SatNav and media centre. The Navara also benefited from 360 degree cameras and front and rear parking sensors.
The Navara is a capable 4×4 vehicle and offers 2WD High and 4WD high and low, complimented with hill descent.
Extras on this model included the metallic paint, a differential lock and the tow bar pack.
What is it like to drive?
The Navara engine was powerful with plenty of grunt for towing and carrying load, but did lack any kick with a 0-60mph of 10.8 seconds. Where this vehicle won out in the commercial Pick-Up sector was the coil suspension. The ride was as smooth as an SUV, even with no load, it cornered well and the steering was responsive and precise. For a long vehicle, at 5.3 metres long, the vehicle turned well but in a confined supermarket car park it did take few manoeuvres to get out of a tight space.
The Navara cruised nicely on the motorways and proved quite economical, probably helped by the low kerb weight compared to some of the other Pick-Up trucks. On country lanes it was enjoyable to drive as the coil suspension prevented the usual unforgiving bounce of a leaf system. We both enjoyed driving the Navara and found all the controls within easy reach. We did agree that our preference would be a automatic gearbox though.
How did the Navara tow?
Due to the test vehicle not having an Alko tow ball we made the decision to tow a twin axle box trailer. This was also useful as not everyone tows a heavy caravan like ours so it allowed a good general comparison. Hitching up was easy with the rearview camera and we were soon on the road. It must be said I could not actually feel the trailer on the back of the Navara, there was no pull on the back, no lag from the engine and no bounce on the suspension. It was fun to tow with the Navara and it proved itself to be one of the best tow cars I’ve experienced in fifteen years of towing. There was no sway on the back at any time, even when overtaking, the mirrors gave good visibility down the side of the trailer. I could not fault the towing capability of this vehicle and I would happily set off on a long journey with our caravan and this Pick-Up.
How much does the Navara Tekna cost?
The Tekna is well priced at under £30,000 and the one we had on test was over that with the three added options.
For a vehicle that can deliver what this does, that is a very competitive price against the large SUV market. The only addition we would make would be a Truckman full rear canopy so we could use the load bed as an actual boot. This would add a further £2000 to that price but still make it several thousand pounds cheaper than our own Rexton.
What do we really think?
We were impressed with the Navara and I actually named this my Pick of the Pick-Ups 2019. The ride was fantastic, it was very well priced and equipped and it’s towing capability was excellent. If you’re considering this vehicle I don’t think you would be disappointed.
