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Long term tests

Nissan Navara: New Arrival: Nissan Navara

A less-than-rapid pick-up isn't the obvious Fast Fleet vehicle, but Roger Green makes a case for the Navara

Nissan Navara

At first glance a Nissan Navara pick-up truck isn’t an obvious choice for a new addition to the Fast Fleet. For a start it’s not exactly fast: the 2.5-litre diesel engine takes a tortoise-like 11.8sec to haul the Navara’s massive bulk to 62mph. And when you get anywhere near a corner you’re suddenly very aware of the antiquated leaf-spring suspension at the rear…

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However, put your prejudices aside for a moment and you’ll soon realise that this will be one of the most important vehicles in the evo car park. Once we’ve got it stickered-up it’ll be used to tow a variety of vehicles to our evoactive trackdays, and you can bet Bovingdon will have his M3 hitched up behind it as soon as the ice has melted at the Nürburgring. It’ll become an invaluable group test support vehicle too.

On top of all that, though, it’s a surprisingly fun thing to drive. Motorway cruising is comfortable, while a B-road dash can get very exciting in the wet, particularly around bumpy bends. The Navara and I are going to get along beautifully.

Running Costs

Date acquiredDecember 2006
Total mileage1299
Costs this month£0
Mileage this month1058
MPG this month24.3mpg
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