TEST NISSAN NAVARA OUTLAW 3.0 V6 dCi DOUBLE CAB It’s surprising what you pick up when trying out towcars. Clive White stumbled Meet the across this one at the garden centre Outlaws Load-carrying is an obvious Navara strongpoint Well-appointed and neat-looking fascia Pick-ups: many will “have no truck with them at all... but there are lots of them about RATINGS CABIN COMFORT ” DRIVING DYNAMICS PULLING PERFORMANCE VERDICT 012345678910 RRP £35,511 OTR Engine 2,991cc, V6-cyl, common-rail, turbodiesel. Longitudinal Power 228bhp (170kW) @ 3,750rpm Torque 406lb ft (550Nm) @ 1,750rpm CO2 246g/km With thanks to Transmission 7-speed automatic with sequential Chichester manual and low ratio transfer box, Caravans, Redhill, R/AWD Surrey for the loan Fuel/tank/econ Diesel/17.6gal (80 litre)/28.8mpg of Towcar Test EFORE YOU say anything, But why would you want one? Well, in a well-equipped SUV, rather than a a prominent centre stack containing the acceptable amount of room for up to three solo/23.5mpg towing 1,600kg (plus caravans (call I know a pick-up isn’t going to the obvious answer is combining business, truck. There’s Nissan’s Connect Premium ‘infotainment’ screen and attractively- adults to sit in comfort. The rear seat has a 220kg in-vehicle ballast) 01737 768266 or Bbe everyone’s cup of tea. In fact, family and leisure driving into one vehicle, HDD sat-nav, 9GB music server, USB arranged audio and climate control 60:40 split/fold with some storage space Kerbweight 2,150kg (85% = 1,827.5kg) see chichester- many people will have no truck with especially if your work involves shifting iPod input, BOSE-speakered audio system switches. Driving-position adjustments beneath (where the wheel-changing tools Gross vehicle weight 3,240kg caravans.co.uk) them at all… bulky loads, when a nicely-appointed, with steering-wheel controls, dual-zone only lack the facility for altering the and the trailer number plate I didn’t know and to Gross train weight 6,240kg Nick Sills of East But you do see a lot of double-cab family-sized cabin with a large load-bed climate control, leather upholstery and steering-wheel reach, which some might I had were stowed!). Noseweight limit 120kg Horticulture Ltd at pick-ups on the road and, judging by many behind makes much sense. Less obvious trimmings, heated/powered front seats, find imposes a bit of a compromise on While there are the expected useful Towing equipment Thule/Nissan fixed towbar £260, 13-pin The Landscape owners’ expenditure on after-market answers may be that you think a pick-up is cruise control with speed limiter, pedal distance or seat recline, depending storage areas around the cabin, rather electrics £238 inc VAT plus fitting Centre, Swanley, embellishments and the time taken in cool, fun or that you just want one for the auto-dimming rear-view mirror, electric on the individual’s needs. perversely with all this available load Spare wheel Full-size alloy Kent for the keeping them gleaming, a good number hell of it – and why the hell not? sunroof, Bluetooth phone integration, It might at first look and feel a little space, it might be a problem to Insurance Group 11E photographic are obviously cherished conveyances. footwell illumination, reversing camera – cramped in the rear of the cabin, this accommodate the daily/weekly/monthly location (call Navara model-range £21,033 (Acenta 2.5 dCi Manual King 01322 662130 In addition, quite a fair proportion are CABIN COMFORT the list goes on to out-do many a perception prompted by the tall, relatively shopping. You’re unlikely to want your Cab) to £35,511 (Outlaw 3.0 V6 dCi or see east- frequently spotted with caravans in tow, Navara has a surprisingly well-appointed well-equipped family car. narrow rear doors together with the grocery bags sliding around the vast open Automatic Double Cab) horticulture.co.uk) and there’s often a pick-up or two entered interior. Front occupants in particular The fascia itself is well laid out, upright rear screen and its close proximity load bed (the test vehicle had the smart Club insurance: 0800 028 4809 • Info: nissan.co.uk in the Towcar of the Year competition. could be forgiven for feeling cossetted comprising clear analogue gauges and to the rear seat. In reality, there’s an but slippery £332 plastic liner option >> 38 The Caravan Club Magazine May 2011 The Caravan Club Magazine 39 TEST NISSAN NAVARA OUTLAW 3.0 V6 dCi DOUBLE CAB ...on the move, Navara hardly “felt any less wieldy than an SUV this unit its free-revving character and (well… straight backward, I suppose). flexible power band, which combines Another bonus, Navara’s noseweight with the 7-speed automatic to provide exceeds that of many caravan couplings.” surprisingly lively performance. With those earlier, wheezy diesel Trust the gear changes to Nissan’s good pick-ups achieving 60mph in under Nissan’s double-cab fitted), but with all seats occupied there’s judgement, or flick the lever across to 20 seconds would have been remarkable. Navara might look little interior space for your provisions. manual and have a shift yourself – handy In the Navara, sub-16sec times were more workhorse, but There’s also the question of weather when holding a gear for downhill routine, with equally impressive 30-50 is accomplished in protection and security, both of which retardation or other special circumstances, and 40-60mph times of 5.5 and 7.2sec terms of offering a are nil with an open load bed; as well though a degree of automation (such as (in ‘D’), respectively. Trunk routes and mix of business, family and leisure as the possibility of collecting other kickdown) prevails. Rear-wheel drive is motorways were favoured Navara driving capabilities people’s rubbish. I did check each time the norm for road driving but all-wheel territory, providing relaxed cruising up before I drove the Navara that it hadn’t drive in normal and low ratio can be to 60mph, equal to 1,600rpm in 7th gear been used as a skip during my absence. electronically dialled in for trickier or 1,750rpm in the more frequently Of course, to address all the above, on- and off-road conditions. engaged 6th. There were some noticeable various cargo restraints, covers and Double-cab pick-ups tend to be quite aerodynamic effects from crosswinds and enclosed tops are available, though it does long and the Navara could demand a bit HGVs, but nothing alarming. mean forking out more cash over the of shunting into tight spots, but once Greater driver input was needed on Outlaw’s not insignificant purchase price. on the move it hardy felt any less wieldy winding roads, with frequent steering than an SUV. Only the stiffer rear correction and wheel twirling needed to DRIVING DYNAMICS suspension gave the game away, but give the large outfit proper guidance, but it Many vehicles I’ve tried in the past of this considering it’s designed to offer an seemed less of a chore with familiarity. ilk have possessed diesel engines of a acceptable ride empty, yet support up to Uneven roads upset the Navara, its robust rather ‘commercial’ nature – you know, 1,090kg of payload, it does a fair job. rear springing seemingly magnifying the the gruff, grunty, gravelly oil burners that twin-axle caravan’s ‘double-pivot’ effect, will drag a caravan up a cliff face, but PULLING PERFORMANCE but if that’s the only minus point, this produce all their power below 2,000rpm Big, squared door mirrors may provide vehicle’s not doing badly at all as a towcar. then run out of puff. an adequate rear view past narrower Navara’s 3.0-litre V6, you’ll be pleased caravans. In any event most towing VERDICT to learn, is not of this type (though may mirrors should fit securely, and, with If a versatile, fun, workmanlike, even cool still haul the caravan up a cliff). Its the easily-accessible fixed towbar and vehicle is on your ‘Wanted’ poster, perhaps common-rail direct injection helps give electrics, setting up was straightforward the time’s right to pick up an Outlaw. n 40 The Caravan Club Magazine.