Nissan Navara NP300 Tekna Double Cab, car review: New one-tonner aims to be the most SUV-like pick-up yet

This is a good truck with a level of build quality that really moves the game forward

It’s been a long time since pick-up manufacturers first picked up (boom boom) on the whole ‘lifestyle’ vibe.

Nissan wasn’t the first. But since getting the idea, it’s picked up the pace (not funny anymore) with the zeal of the converted.

Hence the new Navara. Nissan expects about 90 per cent of sales to go to double-cab models, which to all intents and purposes means trucks that will get used as everyday cars. So the company set about making it comfortable, especially for rear-seat passengers.

Hence the appearance of something pretty revolutionary in this market – a coil-sprung back axle.

Those springs still have to hold up a 1000kg payload, else the tax man will pounce. And in addition, the new Navara can tow the legal maximum of 3500kg.

That sounds like a recipe for a truck-like ride. But what you get is anything but. It’s impressively smooth on the road, with dynamics that resemble those of a sport-ute rather than a load lugger.

Nissan Navara NP300 Tekna Double Cab

On sale: Now
Price: £35,049
Engine: 4cyl in line, 2298cc, twin-turbo, diesel
Power: 187bhp at 3750rpm
Torque: 332lb ft at 1500-2500rpm
Gearbox: 7spd automatic
Kerbweight: 1958kg; 0-62mph 10.8sec
Top speed: 112mph
Economy: 40.3mpg (combined)
CO2/BIK: 183g/km, 34 per cent

The seats are really comfortable, too, which is one of the many good things about being in the cabin. A strong array of toys is another – cruise, air-con and city braking even on entry-level models, with nav, leather and so on coming in higher up.

What you don’t get is the hush of a premium SUV, because the 2.3-litre diesel engine raises its voice when you lean on it. It’s bolted to a 6-speed manual box whose long, slightly wafty stick is more truck than track, and the shifts from the optional 7-speed auto don’t exactly put you in mind of a gunfighter either, but in its own rugged way it’s up for the job.

That’s especially true of the 187bhp version, whose twin turbos also dish up a hefty load of torque. The entry-level single-turbo engine is still adequate at 158bhp, but the bigger one definitely has more going on.

Either way, this is a good truck with a level of build quality that really moves the game forward. It enters the market at a time when all its main rivals are being either refreshed or replaced, so it has a battle on its hands – but for now, it’s probably the closest thing the one-tonne market has come to creating a truly SUV-like truck.