The salary you need to afford the new Nissan Navara in South Africa

Bakkie enthusiasts will need to earn at least R74,000 per month to afford the new Nissan Navara Stealth on a finance plan in South Africa.

The Stealth is special mid-range version of the carmaker’s popular double cab, which is available in both rear-wheel and four-wheel-drive formats with prices ranging from R695,200 to R779,200.

As you might assume from its name, the Stealth favours a dark colour scheme with a deep black finish on several exterior components, such as the roof rails, grille, mirror caps, door handles, side steps, doors, and tailgate.

Nissan has also added a new nudge bar, sports bar, and a unique set of 17-inch alloy wheels to give the pickup a more intimidating aura.

As for the interior, the seats, door panels, and armrests are all decked out in black leather.

It also comes with an infotainment screen that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and front and rear USB ports for occupants to charge their devices.

Other features include automatic LED headlights and daytime running lights, rain-sensing wipers, auto-folding side mirrors, keyless entry and start, a leather multifunction steering wheel, automatic climate control, six speakers, cruise control, rear parking sensors, a reverse camera, and six airbags.

The Navara is powered by a 2.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine with an output of 140kW and 450Nm.

It also has a seven-speed automatic gearbox, which sends power to either the rear or all four wheels, depending on the model.

Fuel consumption clocks in at 8.1l/100km, giving the Nissan a range of 988km on its 80-litre tank.

It can also tow up to 3,500kg, and haul 1,086kg in the load bed.

What you need to earn

We can use the following formula to work out the monthly payments on the new Nissan:

• Car price – R695,200/R779,200
• Payment term – 60 terms (5 years)
• Interest – 10.75%
• Deposit – 0%
• Balloon – No balloon payment
• Extras – No optional extras

According to this, you’ll need to pay at least R14,780 per month for the 4×2, and up to R16,555 per month for the 4×4 .

Financial experts then recommend that you do not spend more than 20% of your gross monthly salary on vehicle payments.

This means you’ll need to earn anywhere from R73,900 per month to R82,775 per month to afford the Navara Stealth on a finance plan.

Note that this figure does not account for insurance, fuel, and maintenance, which must all be factored into your budget.