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Thursday / 13 February 2025
HomeNewsNew entry-level Nissan Navara double cab for South Africa – Specifications revealed

New entry-level Nissan Navara double cab for South Africa – Specifications revealed

Nissan will be expanding its Navara family with a new entry-level model before the end of the year badged the XE.

This move comes as the company tries to safeguard its market share and guarantee the future of its South African factory as the remaining stock of the NP200 near depletion.

Earlier this year, the Japanese marque confirmed that it had to let go around a quarter of its local workforce following the discontinuation of the NP200, its best-selling vehicle by a formidable margin.

In an attempt to minimise layoffs and retain a portion of the market share that the NP200 built up over the years, Nissan South Africa decided to create the new Navara XE double cab as well as expand its export markets to include African nations such as Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and Tunisia.

Now with a healthy portfolio of 14 Navara specifications and over 45 export markets, Nissan will ramp up production at its domestic factory with the intention of reaching the maximum output of 50,000 units per annum.

The new Navaras will be “compensating for a big part of that [NP200 production], but not fully,” said Nissan South Africa MD Maciej Klenkiewicz in March.

Navara XE double cab specs

The new Navara XE double cab will be equipped with the brand’s trusty 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine churning out 120kW and 403Nm – a slight decrease from the 140kW and 450Nm generated in the pricier trims.

The motor is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and buyers will have a choice between a 4×2 and 4×4 version, the latter offering 2H, 4H, and 4L settings.

Another notable distinction is that the XE features leaf-spring suspension as opposed to the coil-spring setups in the more luxurious Navara double cabs.

This allows the newcomer to support a maximum load capacity of 1,148 kg on the 4×2 model – the highest in the double cab range – and 1,067 kg on the 4×4.

“While our Navara Double Cab range with coil springs are tested for the severe road conditions that are found in rural areas and in our neighbouring countries, we have identified a need for a version with leaf springs that can also do duty in certain commercial applications,” said Klenkiewicz.

“So, we decided to offer the XE models with a more traditional leaf spring setup and tune its road holding and comfort levels to closely mimic those of our Navara models with coil springs.”

The Navara XE derivatives still boast the same ground clearance as well as approach, departure, and breakover angles as its siblings.

In the 4×2 entry, this is 213 mm, 31.7 degrees, 28.4 degrees, and 22.2 degrees, respectively.

In the 4×4 ground clearance remains unchanged, but the approach angle grows to 32.5 degrees, the departure angle to 29.1 degrees, and the breakover angle to 23.2 degrees.

Nissan Navara Single Cab XE

The XE double cabs will be delivered as standard with central locking with speed-sensing auto-locking, a multifunction steering wheel, a radio with Bluetooth, manual airconditioning, electric windows and side mirrors, and a sliding rear window for access to the load bin.

Safety features then encompass two airbags, Isofix child-seat restraints in the rear, an advanced vehicle dynamic control system, electronic brakeforce distribution, and trailer sway control.

Given that the Navara single cab is already available in XE guise, potential buyers can also expect fitments such as 16-inch steel wheels, black bumpers, and PVC seat upholstery.

The final addition, the upcoming entry-level Navara double cab will wear the brand’s new Nissan badge that is found on vehicles like the next-generation Patrol.

“Designed to offer a fresh look on the Nissan brand, the new badge mimics that found on models such as the new Nissan Patrol. It offers a more modern and slicker version of the well-known logo that features the Nissan brand in the heart of the Rising Sun of Japan,” said Klenkiewicz.

“Despite its new look, the Nissan logo has stayed true to a belief held by its founder Yoshisuke Aikawa, ‘Shisei tenjitsu o tsuranuku,’ which he interpreted to mean, ‘If you have a strong belief, it penetrates even the sun.'”

As with the other Navara models, the new XE will be sold with a 6-year/150,000km warranty and a 6-year/90,000km service plan.

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