Nissan Navara 3.0 V6 dCi 4x4
Make no mistake, there is a war being fought. The lines have been drawn and the troops are nestled into the trenches. VW Amarok vs the Toyota Hilux in the battle for the double cab honours. The traditional values of the tried and tested 3.0 Toyota diesel vs the 2.0 low consumption approach that the little bi-turbo VW that could provides. And so sides have been chosen. Nissan has come to be a company that defies convention and builds some excellent products. Think 370Z, killing in the junior sports-car bracket for those who like to hang the tail of their cars out on anything even vaguely resembling a corner. Not to be forgotten of course is GT-R killing in… Well just killing.
So back to the battle of the double cabs. VW with 120kw, the mighty Hilux with an identical power output in a more brutish traditional way, and then the Nissan. A whopping 170kw! Almost 50% more power. Straight 4 vs the Nissan V6. Engines? Game over. On to drivetrains then. The Toyota comes with the option of a 4 speed auto. The VW at least manages 6 gears to choose between, but you will have to row between them yourself. No auto is available. The VW is over a litre per 100km more fuel efficient, but about 2 seconds slower in the dash from standstill to 100km/h. The Nissan trumping all at 9.3 Seconds!
When it comes to feel, all three are impressive. Feeling bulletproof in the extreme. The VW definitely has the most car-like every day ride. One to VW here. The Nissan just feels a little slower steering, lazier both in terms of steering feel and suspension suppleness. It provides a plush ride, but seems to feel under damped if pushed harder into corners or over corrugations mid corner.
The Nissan seems tough and has plenty of ground clearance. The rail system fitted to the Nissan's bak combined with the standard roof racks, carve out another win for the Nissan.
When it comes to interiors, the VW is arguably the most modern and upmarket, with the best ergonomics. The Nissan not trailing very far behind however. The Nissan has an, admittedly optional, arsenal up its rather clever sleeve. The curiously named Nissan Premium Connect. In essence a touch screen, knob or steering wheel button controlled media centre come trip computer come navigation system that is in this writer's opinion the absolute best system of its kind on the market. Bluetooth is a cinch to setup, your iPod just connects and the screen allows you to see a bit of everything at once. It is a big screen, and bright enough to always read. It is marginally let down by the sound it provides, and I am being fussy here, due not to speaker quality but due to positioning. Sadly the stereo separation and tonal quality are unable to ultimately deliver to your ears what is a superlative set of components. It is in fact , other than the slightly lumpy ride at times, the Nissan's only shortcoming, that is if a price just a little over a half a million Rand for a bakkie doesn't bother you.
Ultimately the Nissan is the card to hold if they bring out a bakkie version of Top Trumps.
