Nissan Navara Review - Anyone?

[73.RSR]

I am thinking about buying a new Navara D40 ST-X, 4X4 dual cab, 4 litre, 6 cyl, manaual.
I can see 2011 models for around $40K driveaway.
Does anyone own one or have you driven one?
Any comments good or bad would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

[Skedy]

I have heard the cltuches on those are really weak. but that is all second hand info

[justin_d]

Can't comment on the petrol as I've only every been in a diesel but would certainly steer clear of them (at lest if you want to take it off-road). The sump hangs too low and I've seen two ripped off (once again, this is the diesel and they may have fixed this by now), not doing anything too crazy either. The 4x4 shat itself as well which caused the ABS to fail as well. Not going to bother going into the diesel issues as that's not what you're after, but I wouldn't touch them after what I've seen and experienced.

[73.RSR]

Ok, thanks for the comments so far, starting see why they are more than $10K cheper than a Hilux.

Haven't been able to find much on the internet about this particular model either.

Cheers.

[hallyoz]

Verbatim comment from a Nissan salesperson ' Navara's and Pathfinders have turned to crap since they moved production to Thailand'. i was a bit dissapointed as I had one of these on the shopping list for my next car.

The salesperson only said this as I with a mate purchasing a 370Z.

[Black AH CDX]

Check out the VW Amarok. Much better vehicle

[v8dude78]

Have also heard the front diff is a weak spot something to consider if going off road :)

[hallyoz]

Is it worth waiting for the T6 Ranger to be release later in the year? Should stir up that market.

[A PSYCHO]

My parents bought a brand new Navara in either 08 or 09, i cant remember. Its was the STX petrol manual. Biggest peice of shit they've ever owned, to put it nicely. :)

They are both in their 50's so its babied essentially and has never been off road. its now on its 4th or 5th clutch. Whole front suspension makes horrible squeekes and stuff. Interior is poor quality.

Get a Hilux, theres a reason they cost more.

[greySStoke]

I have a 2009 STX, petrol auto. Spanish built.
I have got to say it is the happiest I have ever been with a car. It does everything we want it to do and does it with ease and comfort.
Kids are comfortable with plenty of room in the back seat.
Has a good payload and towing capacity.
It's not real light on the juice but has plenty of go on the road. Overtaking on the highway - put the foot down and your past very quickly. Off the mark - has scared plenty of sedans on the road.
I have never 4WD before owning this, but it makes me look good. I don't do anything extreme and it is completely stock, but have taken it on the beach, through creeks and around the Glasshouse Mountains, up and down some decent hills and through some thick mud and its never let me down.

When I was looking at buying I had no preference, just went out and drove every dual cab 4WD I could find and honestly it came down to the Navara or Hilux, and there was no way there was 10grand more car in the Hilux.

Anyway thats my take on things, and each to their own, but hope it helps.

[Ruger]

A mate has a 2010 STX 2.5 td and its a great car. Goes great, comfy and quiet. The OE tyres will last 50k in the city

Id say take a closer look at the new v6 td. 550nm of torque from under 2000rpm will leave hilux owners looking a little shy

[cams290]

My mate has just bought the STX 2.5 litre turbo diesel with 140kw 450nm.
To say I was impressed with how it drives and goes would be an understatement.
I have driven the latest Hilux TD so I am in a position to compare, the Nissan kills the Hilux for refinement and grunt.

Not sure how they would stack up in the long run after some hard off road kays or towing, but going on how good the little 2.5 is, the V6 TD would be a torque monster, 550nm @ 1700rpm.

BTW, my mates car is an auto, and the Hilux was auto as well.

[A PSYCHO]

Not sure how they would stack up in the long run after some hard off road kays or towing,

The Navara i mentioned above, went in for clutch #3 and was refused warranty claim as they said it must be towing too much. Before they would replace it, had to have the business trailer weighed at a weigh bridge to prove it was under the 3T capacity i think its rated to. Either way, it came in at under half what the car is rated to. And even though its well within the Navara's apparent towing capabilities, i wouldnt exactly say it does it with ease.

Theres a bloke here is S/E QLD that got another one of the 'lemon' Navaras. He has it all stickered up with the numerous problems its had and Nissans poor responses to handling it all. He drives around and parks it outside the major Dealerships in an effort to stop other people buying the damn things.

Cant say ive seen anything like that with any of the competitors 4x4's.

[57VYU]

i got the 2010 narava 2.5 turbo deisel and never had any problems. tow a 3 tone trailer around ever day and never had a problem after 50 000km.
pulls my fully loaded trailer better than my mates patrol and new hulix.

[rgmast]

I got a 2006 STX D40 auto diesel done 90,000kms and tow a tonne or more everyday .

Have had no issues

Its does however chew thru the brakes. New discs every 20K and Pads every 10K

But I do a lot of work in the foothills and do a lot of stop starting .

Its still going strong and have no reason to replace but if I was it would be another Navara

[Spoolin]

A mate has recently purchased a Navara STX 550.
I have driven it a reasonable amount and had it for a couple days to test drive it. If you have the budget there is no other 4x4 ute that comes close to it, V6 turbo diesel, 7 speed auto which is a Renault combination so not a rough Japanese deisel. It's also Spanish built which makes a difference to the build quality.
I don't rate HiLux's very highly, I think it's an over rated Toyota and the competition have either caught up or passed them. I'd also look at the VW amorak, a mate works for a VW dealership and thinks they are a nice truck.

[littlered]

Second for the Amarok. VW are going to sell a few of these. Quality is outstanding and it drives pretty good to

[chevypower]

I have driven one, and I think it's a great truck! Plenty of power, and build quality is great. When I was still in Oz, I had to look for a ute for my dad's business, and the best deal I could get was a Hilux 4.0 V6 SR 4x4. So we got that. I think it's fine too, but the Navara is much better in my honest opinion.

The truck I would get in Australia right now, without any doubt in my mind, and without having driven it, is the 2011 Ford Ranger I-5 turbo diesel. (if the price is competitive).

The Navara 3.0 V6 diesel (550) has an extremely high price premium in my honest opinion. $66,000 - you have to be kidding me! Even if I had the money, I don't think I would waste it like that.

[73.RSR]

Thanks for all the opinions, it seems like a lucky dip at this stage because the comments have ranged from a piece of $hit to outstanding!

I looked at the V6 Diesel Navara but I'm not parting with over $60K for a family truck.

I might take an Amarok for a spin, I just think they will be too slow, I know I'm not buying a sports car but I want something that will do 0-100km/h in around 8 or 9 seconds not 12 or 13, it's just a bit too slow and I know I will get the $hits with it very quickly if it is too slow.
I will go take a few for a drive.
Thanks again.

[v8dude78]

Some good info on the Amarok here
http://www.themotorreport.com.au/51431/2011-volkswagen-amarok-launched-in-australia

[chevypower]

Remember that acceleration is about the easiest thing to improve. Especially what chips do these days to turbo diesel engines. Everything else; build quality, towing capacity, room, comfort, styling, refinement; are much more difficult to fix.
I really would put the Navara, 2011 Ranger, 2011 Colorado at the top three, and look at the Amarok more as an alternative (rather than a direct competitor) to them, which is mainly for fuel economy.
http://carsdesigns.com/2011-chevrolet-colorado-concept
http://www.ford.com.au/servlet/Satellite?c=DFYPage&cid=1248885252235&pagename=FOA%2Fcontroller&site=FOA

[GODSMACK]

Ive had a D40 STX for a couple of years, and it hasnt missed a beat. Having said that, its purely a road car, only ever had it off road once on an unsealed road to get to a popular fishing spot. The 2.5L CRT is a great engine, i believe the 4.0L V6's to be quite thirsy.

Like any car, its has its duds, plenty of Holden owners on this site have had huge issues with thier new cars, doesnt mean its a POS.

[PTVYSS]

I have been looking at a 4wd ute as well and I must say for the money they are all disappointing in different ways.

The Stx 550 nissan has the best engine /gearbox combo but is let down by poverty pack interior and ugly roof racks and is $66 k driveaway !!

The Vw Amarok has the best interior by far but is let down by only having a 120kw turbo diesel with manual box. It badly needs a V6 turbo diesel option with Auto transmission as well.

The Toyota Sr5 has the best resale and reputation but only comes with a 4 speed auto and also has a poverty pack interior.

A VW Amarok with a v6 turbo diesel would be my pick ( if available )
until then the maloo will be staying put :)

[michaels1v8]

You've seen new 2011 models for 40k? You sure it wasn't 2010 runouts? Man there'd be some pissed off navara owners if thats true

[73.RSR]

You've seen new 2011 models for 40k? You sure it wasn't 2010 runouts? Man there'd be some pissed off navara owners if thats true

Yep 2011, $41K driveaway for ABN holders - which I am.
And I bet I could get one for $40K or less too.

[michaels1v8]

Yep 2011, $41K driveaway for ABN holders - which I am.
And I bet I could get one for $40K or less too.

impressive. Makes the discount they offered abn holders for 2010 look silly now. My mate bought a 2010 model and we would of looked at 5 or 6 different dealers and each swore black and blue the price wouldn't be anywhere near the 40's driveaway for abn holders on the new models. They must of been lying through their teeth! Haha. I personally love them. Great tradie car. . Not the worst thing going around in the sand. Good power and economy. As mentioned the nissan clutches are a weak point but from what i've heard, after 1 or 2 standard clutches the dealers have in the past agreed to fit aftermarket and you only cover additional costs over standard.

[VYBerlinaV8]

What are the expected service and maintenance costs on the new Amorak?

[cams290]

FYI, only the Navara STX has the 140kw/450nm motor, the ST makes do with the 128kw/403nm motor and believe me there is a HUUUGE difference in the way they perform. Like chalk and cheese.

[BLUESSV]

Like any car they all have issues. The Navara is known for weak clutches but they have improved significantly in the recent years. They have also had timing chain tensioner issues, once again most evident in 2007-2008 models, however have also fixed that too.

I own a 2010 ST manual, hasn't missed a beat!! Love it!! If I had my time again I'd definitely spend the extra and get the ST-X which has the upgraded motor.

As far as being a Thai biult....a lot of dealers are building these type of cars in Thailand. If I'm not mistaken, the precious Toyota Hilux is now built in Thailand and you pay an extra $10,000 on top of any of their competitors.

And I have spoken to plenty of Toyota owners that would love to se their Hilux on fire with all the problems they have!! Every manufacturer has issues...such as the 3 auto boxes I had in my 2008 SSV ute and the collapsed lifters in the motor after only doing 55,000km's. Does it mean all Holden V8's are crap....no!

[SS_FIFTY]

2 Navaras I know of both 2010 Models have had the cabs come loose, and have had to take themback to nissan to get them to tighten all the cab bolts.

[ssv 427]

im looking at buying a 2006 D40 nissan navara stx dual cab with 60xxx km's its a private sale and one owner, full log book history, the price is really really good as its a friend of a friends, its 6 speed manual and its the 4 litre v6 motor, anything i need to look for guys or check for? the car has never left the hot mix really only been on a few dirt roads nothing major though

cheers shaun

[racketsports]

Copied this from the 4x4 thread,

Sorry to thread mine but a long time member is now without an LS1 for the first time in almost a decade and without a Holden for, since, ever

Out with the old:-
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l203/racketsports/IMG_0331.jpg

And in with the new:-

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l203/racketsports/P1040075.jpg


Moved over to the Navara forums but will drop back in here from time to time as old habits die hard!

Cheers
Racketsports

[racketsports]

Very happy so far with my choice. I went a 2011 Silver ST-X diesal auto. I got a great deal at $45,888 driveaway (with ABN discount). I ended up putting a few extras on, hardlid, nudge bar, spotties, fog lights, mats and protectors. All this for just over $50K driveaway with an extended 6 year factory warranty!

It was a bit of a culture shock jumping in the Navara from the luxury of the Calais! Saying that thought the cabin of the Navara is not bad for a utility. I test drove all competitors such as the Hilux SR5, Amarok and Triton GLXR. I was going to wait for the Ranger later this year but the release date keeps on getting pushed back. The Amarok has the nicest interior but manual only until at least next year was the deal breaker. They are offered in 4 different spec levels but you have to go to the second top level, Highline to get the decent fruit and this then pushes them into mid/high $50K's. The GLXR is priced right and has constant 4WD but I couldn't warm to the looks, plus the auto is 50Nm down on the manual.

I weight up the STX550 but a $15K premium over the deal on the STX is something I couldn't justify. The interior bar the instruments is exactly the same and those roof rails = ugly. After careful research the decision on mods to the 2.5 TD engine will result in the same outputs as the V6 with longevity in mind too.

The Amarok and ST-X were the most car like to drive and I've taken the Nissan off road and on the beach and she performs well at my skill level. The ST-X diesal has TC and stability control along with a plethora of airbags which makes it a safe family hawler when the need arise to lug my family of 5 around. Overall, very happy with the purchase at this stage.

Hope this helps with you decision.

Cheers
Racketsports

[73.RSR]

Oh yeah, I forgot I started this thread.

Ended up getting a New Golf GTI :lmao:

I figure for the 5 or 6 times a year I need a pickup I can hire a Hilux from the servo down the road for $70 per day.

[Marco]

Good plan - that's basically what I do, except I need a ute about once a year if that! I keep thinking it would be nice to own a good dual cab but to be honest, would be hard to accept all the other compromises just for the handful of occasions when a ute would be useful.

[autowaterman]

I bought a new stx petrol manual 18months ago and have done 78000 kms so far. Drove all the others and chose the stx for comfort and power. Had no problems due to mainly highway driving around northern vic. Recently drove the 550 and wanted to order it until they offered me $21500 as a trade in... Lucky I love the old so I will keep it for a while.