Review
More and more car buyers are falling in love with SUVs, but it’s little more than a decade or so ago when the double-cab pick-up seemed to be a popular alternative to a mainstream family car.
It had company car taxation advantages and more carry-all capability than anything else in the market. But the disadvantages were the size – I recall a neighbour having to reverse his pick-up to within an inch of his garage door to avoid it overhanging his driveway and blocking the pavement – and the rather workmanlike interior and tractor-like driving dynamics.
In Nissan dealers’ favour, the latest generation is light years ahead. The Navara’s interior quality is as good as any car, it offers a car-like drive, and the on-board equipment in Tekna grade is superb. Owners get heated leather seats, touchscreen sat-nav, Nissan’s amazing 360-degree parking camera and a forward emergency braking system to help them avoid collisions.
Even now, under light commercial vehicle rules there are benefit-in-kind (BIK) savings for the SME employee who gets to choose a pick-up with at least a one-tonne payload, such as the Navara we’re running. A driver of this pick-up could pay a third of the company car tax incurred by a similarly priced estate car.
The negative, however, is poorer fuel economy. They might compare its claimed 44.1mpg with the 62.8mpg official economy of a similarly powered Ford Mondeo estate.
As editor, Tim is responsible for the media content, planning and production of AM's multiple channels (AM print and digital magazines, website, social media and contributing to our events planning). He interviews and writes about as many franchised dealer groups and UK divisions of motor manufacturers as possible, to explore the issues facing UK motor retail and understand what solutions dealers and suppliers are using to overcome these.
Factsheet
Price: £31,590 incl VAT and options
Engine: 2.3-litre 190PS
Transmission: 6sp manual
Performance: 0-62mph 10.8secs, 114mph top speed
Efficiency: 44.1mpg; 169g/km CO2
Start mileage: 1,307
Current mileage: 2,372