Following a number of teasers, Nissan has officially revealed the 12th generation of the Navara ahead of its scheduled launch into the Australian market in early 2015.

Nissan’s distinctive design DNA

According to Nissan, the all-new Navara combines traditional traits of strength and reliability with new levels of comfort, convenience and advanced technologies.

The car maker continues to say that its design team focused on delivering a sportier and more emotional expression on the Navara while maintaining Nissan’s distinctive design DNA.

Design-wise, the bakkie adopts a more upscale and refined look enhanced by Nissan’s signature ‘V-motion’ design that flows from the upright grille to the heavily contoured bonnet and wheel arches.

There’s also boomerang-shaped LED daytime running lights which add to the Navara’s distinctive front-end appearance, while chrome adds life to the fog light surrounds, door handles and side mirrors – the latter incorporating the indicators.

The unique new colour choices include Savannah Yellow and the Earth Bronze combined with black B-pillars and chrome exterior mirrors.

The changes continue inside the cabin where designers have styled the dashboard featuring a gentle sweep from the centre panel to the door side with 3D rich sections in order to offer a feeling of spaciousness. The instrument console incorporates a TFT display for compass, turn-to-turn navigational support and fuel economy indicator, while the centre console houses a touchscreen multimedia infotainment system.

Improved performance

The NP300 Navara’s powertrain boasts improved performance, with reduced fuel consumption and emissions, as well as a dynamic control braking system.

Power comes from an improved four-cylinder 2.5-litre DOHC diesel engine with maximum power of 140 kW and 120 kW at 3 600 rpm with torque of 450 Nm and 403 Nm at 2 000 rpm, and higher boost from a turbocharger with electrical actuator. Fuel economy has been improved by as much as 11% over the previous model.

Transmission options include a seven-speed automatic and six-speed manual transmission.

The seven-speed automatic provides for low fuel consumption at slow speeds as well as better acceleration, expanded gear ratio for wider range of speeds, and smooth acceleration and shifting. The six-speed manual features enhanced fuel efficiency from low to high gear, while its optimized shift stroke makes for quick and effortless gear changes.

Sales of the 2015 Nissan Navara is expected to commence later this year. South African availability is yet to be confirmed.

The all-new 2015 Nissan Navara global launch