Nissan Navara launched: let the truck wars begin

It’s finally here! After our little sneak peek in Thailand (see our January/February issue), the Philippines is finally getting the Nissan NP300 Navara. At the grand launch in Sofitel Manila on February 2, Nissan officially unveiled the Navara to the media, dealers, partners, and hopeful buyers. The black and the orange variants were rolled out for spectators to see. This was a fresh, but familiar look for me since we can hardly expect our models to match perfectly with the Thai Navaras. After the grand launch, Antonio Zara, Nissan Philippine’s managing director, and Toru Hasegawa, Nissan Motor Company’s corporate vice president held a press conference for the media.

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Just to run down what to expect from the Nissan Navara, here are some quick specs for your reading pleasure. A detailed table is also found below. The 5-seater Navara is armed with the new YD25 DDTi engine which runs at 190 ps/3,600 rpm of horsepower and 450 Nm/2,000 rpm of torque. Its transmission is 7-speed automatic with a manual mode. It’s got a multi-link suspension which Nissan assures is flexible enough for both urban and off-road driving. The 4×4 variant is 5,255 x 1,850 x 1,840mm. Ground clearance is 245mm, suitable enough for medium flooding. Curb weight is at 1,946kg. The Navara comes with a variety of accessories, such as daytime running lights, zero-gravity seats (for equally spreading the heat and pressure), and a fully-equipped audio system.

Of course, unlike its Thai counterparts, the Philippine variants will be left-hand drive. More than that, features from above have been adapted to Philippine driving conditions. While I don’t think that the ground clearance will survive Ondoy-like torrents, it’s enough to survive the usual storms that plague our lands. The zero-gravity seats circulate heat from the driver or the passenger, perfect for our tropical heat, as if the air conditioning wasn’t enough.

Hardy pick-up on the outside, friendly SUV on the inside. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that this was a fleet truck. But this pickup is more than a pickup. The Navara was made with lifestyle users in mind. The entry-level trim will be more compatible for fleet truck use but the top-tier trim will be popular with lifestyle users. Given how feature-packed the interior is, it comes as no surprise. The mid-tier trim, however, is predicted to the more popular among the rest.

The Navara will be available starting February 20 in all 28 dealers which will all be capable of selling commercial and consumer products. It will be available in Savanna Orange, Alpine White, Galaxy Black, and Brilliant Silver. The Philippine stock has been in production since December in Thailand so stocks will always be available.

And now for the much-anticipated portion: pricing. We were very surprised with the Navara’s pricing. Here’s a detailed table of the Navara’s priced for each trim.

When asked what Nissan’s game plan will be, Zara affirms that Nissan will be in the top 3 brands for pickups by the end of the year. Regarding other upcoming models, he says that the Navara “won’t be the last launch for this year.” (However, both he and Hasegawa refuse to comment on whether or not we’ll see the infamous GTR or the bug-eyed Juke.)

We’re just starting the year and yet we already have an exciting new pickup in our radars. Who knows how the motoring landscape will change in the coming year. To quote Mr. Zara, “let the truck wars begin.”