Nissan Navara Tekna Double Cab 2.5dCi

Nissan's comfortable Navara 4x4 is ready for work

The Navara Tekna can double as a comfortable and drivable 4x4 when off-duty, with the benefit of a pick-up back for hauling a workload when required

Van test review: COLIN DAWSON

What is it?

The Navara is Nissan’s offering in the trendy 4×4 double-cab pick-up sector. It was extensively upgraded in 2010, with revised front-end styling from the Pathfinder 4×4.

The Tekna test model is highly specified, with leather upholstery, including heated and electrically adjustable front seats, leather steering wheel and gear knob, electric sunroof, dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth telephone integration and six CD autochanger. There’s certainly more luxury car than rugged workhorse about the cabin.

Whether or not the Navara make sense as a company vehicle really depends on what your needs are. A requirement for four-wheel drive would suggest forestry, landscaping, maybe building and even rural veterinary work. We’ve even seen pick-ups liveried for antique dealerships. On the downside, the double-cab configuration curtails the load length, but the bed will accept a standard Euro pallet and at, 1,125kg, the payload is reasonable.

If your business is more than a one-man band, then a five-seater has merit. But probably the best reason to consider the Navara Tekna is how well the vehicle can double as a comfortable and drivable 4×4 when off-duty, with the benefit of a pick-up back for hauling your workload when required.

VAT-registered SMEs and sole traders can reclaim VAT on the purchase price. Most pick-ups, especially the more luxuriously equipped double cabs such as the Navara, are likely to be used for private mileage, but company pick-up tax is not applicable if the owner is a sole trader or partner.

The Navara is not especially frugal with combined fuel economy at 33.2mpg but it is a reassuringly solid and substantial chunk of metal, so you can’t complain too much.

Nissan's comfortable Navara 4x4 is ready for work

There’s more luxury car than rugged workhorse about the Navara Tekna cabin

The pick-up is powered by a turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder diesel driven through a six-speed manual transmission. It certainly has plenty of urge. With a maximum torque figure of 450Nm, it’s no sluggard on the road. It can also be taken seriously as on off-roader, with a rotary-switch-controlled four-wheel-drive system for selecting two-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive high, plus low range, for tackling difficult terrain. And it will happily tug a braked trailer weight of up to 2,600kg.

For a pick-up with leaf springs on the rear, the ride is remarkable good. In terms of safety and security, the Navara Tekna is equipped with anti-skid ESP, and anti-lock ABS brakes with EBD for better stopping power, as well as front driver and passenger airbags and side and curtain airbags.

 What’s hot?

  • Stylish looks belie its workhorse credentials
  • Comfortable, well-appointed cabin with high specification
  • Good dual-purpose on/off-duty flexibility
  • Decent payload and towing capacities
  • Practical C-Channel moveable tie-down points in load bed provide good secure load stowage
  • Creditable off-road ability

What’s Not?

  • Double-cab configuration makes for a shorter load bed compared with single-cab variants
Nissan's comfortable Navara 4x4 is ready for work

C-Channel moveable tie-down provide good secure load stowage

 

  • Run-of-the-mill fuel consumption

 

Business Vans verdict

The Navara offers a good balance between comfortable car and rugged pick-up truck, with the bonus of creditable off-road performance, especially for business van users who need to get beyond the tarmac.

What you need to know

 

On the road price (with optional extras as tested) ex VAT: £25,750.20
Load length: 1,511mm
Load width: 1,560mm
Load height: 457mm
Load capacity: 1.0 litre 3cyl turbo petrol
GVW: 3,210kg
Towing capacity braked/unbraked: 2,600kg/750kg
Engine: 2,488cc 4-cyl diesel
Power/Torque: 188hp/450Nm
Economy (combined): 33.2mpg
CO2 emissions: 224g/km

Got a spare 30 seconds?

 Help us to provide you with better market insight by completing a very short survey. It is anonymous and only takes 30 seconds. You will get free access to the quarterly results.

Thinking of the switch to electric?

Need help in finding the right electric vehicle for you? Compare driving range, battery capacity, charging time, price, and features to find the perfect EV for you.

logo