It's no coincidence that multiple SA champion Hannes Grobler has excelled in the National Off-Road championship in a works Nissan Navara; he recently won the Production Vehicle Class in the Nissan Dealer 400 in the Western Cape.
It's also no coincidence that Nissan bagged the top spots in the annual Synovate survey that measures customer satisfaction in South Africa each year. Nissan was rated best in Buying and Servicing indices for bakkies in 2005, making it the most improved brand over the past five years, rising from 10th place to first.
So we had understandably high expectations of the four-litre V6 Navara that arrived for review - and we weren't disappointed.
This cut-price alternative to upmarket SUVs has presence with a capital P, bags of power, good ride quality and a level of luxury normally associated with entry-level executive cars.
"Nice bakkie," said a well-meaning Nissan 1400 Champ driver at the petrol station. I was momentarily taken aback - "bakkie" really doesn't do justice to this brute in which you tower over your surroundings and in which intimidated traffic clears before you like the Red Sea opening before Moses.
But hey, we Nissan drivers stick together - even if I was just a temporary one - so I just turned the grimace into a smile.
The Navara double cab certainly stands out from the crowd with acres of bonnet, roof rack, chrome grille, high wheel arches and tubular running boards.
It stands 1.8m high on its 17" alloys and has excellent ground clearance with 235mm of air between the axles and the ground.
Factor in the short front and rear overhangs for improved approach and departure angles and you'll realise that it can clamber over and through almost anything, using its muscular 385Nm to just "phut, phut" up steep inclines.
We were wary of putting it though the hairy 4x4 stuff - this was after all the two-wheel-drive version - but we were able to take it for an extended drive over some of the worst dirt road corrugations we could find. The kind that aren't just ripples, but wave after wave that would have scared the hell out of the most intrepid surfer.
And the Navara - fully laden with family and gear for a weekend in the nature reserve - sailed smoothly over them. Its ride quality was really remarkable, absorbing the jarring and wheel-swallowing cavities of dirt roads while not being too mushy and soft on the tar.
That said, we would still shy away from crediting it with car-like handling, which most manufacturers love to claim for their SUVs and bakkies. The Navara's fairly agile but still has almost two tons to propel around corners, which the wise driver would bear in mind.
But the Nissan copes well with everyday cornering even if it's not meant for scything through the hairpins on the Long Tom pass in Mpumalanga, although we found the steering wheel was a bit lifeless.
Pulling power
The Navara is powered by a four-litre V6 and has good pulling power through all its gears; the six-speed box is slick and precise. It can cruise at low revs with the motor just purring thanks to its 385Nm of torque, although the purr becomes a growl when you mash the accelerator to the floor.
The double cab used 10.2 litres/100km at the legal speed limit with some town driving thrown in, which is exceptional for such a large vehicle.
The double cab seats five but we found that while there was ample head and legroom in front the rear seats were more suited to children and smaller adults. The rear backrest folds in a 60/40 split for extra packing space when doing an extended trip with quads or offroad bikes.
Speaking of quads, the Utili-track cargo system is a nifty innovation with racks, dividers, and trays to secure quads, bikes or other loads, while fixed hooks and sliding cleats allow cargo to be tied down with ropes or ratchet straps.
The tailgate has a barrier bar that extends the load when lowered and the Navara's maximum payload of 971kg can cope with most demands placed on it by the recreational user.
It does, however have the usual double cab drawback: lack of space for personal luggage if the family's aboard and the load bay is full of bikes or camping gear. This is partially solved by a streamlined, tubular roof rack that carries a load of up to 100kg.
Home from home
Inside, the cab feels like a home from home, with air-conditioning, tilt-adjustable steering wheel, heated and electric door mirrors, and a radio and six-CD sound system with six speakers.
It has a big double-decker glove compartment, an oddments tray in the fascia and another in the centre console - and cup holders front and rear.
Service intervals are 15 000km, but an intermediate oil change is required at 7500km, which is a pity as the inconvenience of visiting the garage at such short intervals might deter prospective buyers.
SUMMARY
So, is it a workhorse or a recreational vehicle? It's not a Nissan Hardbody and we don't envisage some farmer with Popeye-like forearms loading bags of grain onto it.
But neither is it just a pretty face for looking good in the parking bay at the Sandton Mall or doing the daily rat-on-the-treadmill drive to work and back - it's dirt road ability is too impressive for that.
It combines some of the popular characteristics of the Hardbody with the best of the soft-roaders to create a tough, no-nonsense recreational vehicle.
Price:
R273 450.
- Test car from Nissan SA.