Nissan has extended the breadth of its D40 Navara range with the introduction of eight value for money RX badged models to cater to tradesmen, the agricultural and forestry sectors.
“These are working utes intended for people who have heavy, dirty gear they need to get to job sites and the wide variety of places our primary industries operate in,” said John Manley the Managing Director of Nissan New Zealand.
“And we have reintroduced a King Cab Well-side model to the Navara RX range for those people who need cab storage space, but prefer the longer tray.”
The Navara RX is available as a King Cab chassis, allowing buyers to personalise the rear of the Ute to their needs, as well as a King Cab well-side and Double Cab.
The Navara RX models have gone on sale from $39,900 for the two wheel drive double cab and from $46,490 for the four wheel drive King Cab chassis.
In total there are eight RX models available, as all four variants come with either a six speed manual gearbox or a 5 speed automatic transmission.
The two rear wheel drive models have the 106 kWs and 356 Nm of torque version of Nissan’s 2.5 litre four cylinder turbo diesel motor, while the six 4WD models get 126 kWs and 403 Nm.
And while the RX is easy to keep clean with its vinyl floor covering and heavy duty upholstery it has not totally scrimped on features. There is air conditioning, cruise control, power windows, keyless entry and a four speaker sound system.
For utes that are expected to earn their keep, there is a rear limited slip differential, anti lock brakes and an electronic safety programme also known as vehicle dynamics control.
The RX models can be distinguished by their steel wheels – all other Navara D40s have alloys – no rear bumper and manually operated door mirrors.
“We’ve obviously had to leave out some equipment to make the RX more attractive to farmers, rural and forestry contractors,” said Mr Manley. “But all the important technical features are still there that a working Ute needs to perform to expectations.”
The 2WD RX models have a towing capacity of 2000 kgs and the 4WDs, three tonne.
Above the RX models, Nissan offers four different mid range ST double cab models with two and four wheel drive. They add carpeted cabins, 16 inch alloy wheels, side steps and a chromed rear bumper among other features and have the same engine and transmission options as the RX.
The higher specification STX models – again all double cabs – have 120 kWs 2WD and 140 kWs 4WD power trains, with 17 inch alloys, an active brake limited slip differential, dual zone climate control, Nissan’s unique tie down system at the rear and a leather covered steering wheel which incorporates controls for the 6 speaker audio, cruise control, blue tooth and trip computer.
The top of the range STX 550, which was introduced earlier this year has even more features with the 170 kWs turbo diesel V6 under the bonnet.
Nissan is still retaining its core D22 Navara Ute, for those buyers wanting a physically smaller vehicle. The D22 is available as either a single cab chassis or double cab with a choice of 2WD and 4WD – all with a manual gearbox – ranging from $30,200 to $44,500.
Strong lines are what characterize the VW CC’s external appearance, the strongest of which starts at the top of the front wheel arch and makes an arrow-straight crease right to the top of the rear light where it flicks up to join the integrated boot spoiler. Two other lines help create a three part harmony that draws your eyes down the car. They are formed by the door trim and sill line following through to the rear bumper. On the bonnet, the lines from the grille sweep upwards towards the A-pillars.
Viewing the CC from the side you realize that it could easily wear a larger wheel size – perhaps the optional 18- or 19-inch wheels rather than the 17-inch alloys that come as standard. These are shod in 235/45 self-sealing tyres. The width of these tyres helps the in-corner handling feel confident. There are two suspension modes – sport and comfort. There’s not a lot of difference between the two; sport didn’t feel uncomfortable or crashy like it can in, for example, an HSV, so it stayed in sport mode for almost all my driving time.
When the roads get twisty you’ll find this motorway cruiser starts feeling a little heavy at the front, but still supremely easy to place on the apex. Even with the suspension in sport mode the CC was comfortable over rougher back roads. Power is readily available from the two-litre turbodiesel – 125kW at 4200rpm and 350Nm between 1750-2500rpm. This is mated to VW’s excellent six-speed DSG gearbox which gives near-seamless, lightning quick gear changes.
Fuel economy is quoted at 5.5l/100km. This is helped by the CC’s Bluemotion technology: a start-stop system that shuts off the engine when the car is stationary, and a regenerative braking system that recycles braking energy.
There’s some extra soundproofing in the CC so the diesel doesn’t sound like a diesel. There’s still a little of the growly bassline, but none of the clattering rhythm section that characterizes oil burners. Take advantage of this by firing up the eight-speaker multimedia system. It supports iPod/MP3 players, 6 CDs and WMA files. It’s controlled using the large touchscreen.
The flat boot floor conceals a drawer and cubby hole into which you can place items that might normally roll around in the boot; it also allows you to conceal items out of view. On the right of the boot there’s another small receptacle with a lid, too.
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