PICK UP SALES - PICKING UP
22 November 2005 - Nissan

Even though the UK new car market is in decline, pick up sales driven by the popularity of the versatile Double Cabs and King Cabs continue to grow.

Whilst new car sales for the first ten months of this year are down by 5 per cent, pick up sales are up by 5 per cent with 29,711 vehicles sold.

The models on offer from Ford, Mazda, Isuzu, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Nissan generally include two and four wheel drive, single, double and cab-and-a-half type models. However it is the double cab variety that appeals most to customers because they can be used for work or recreation and seat five passengers in comfort. Because of the VAT exemption on these essentially commercial vehicles for companies, and the lower personal taxation for drivers of pick ups as company cars, the sales of these vehicles have risen rapidly over the last four or five years. The Navara now adds improved driveability, handling and a really high level of car-type specification to this sector.

Leading the way for sales in this sector is still the aging Mitsubishi L200 range but with a decreasing share of the market. They still the account for 35 per cent of the UK’s pick up market though. Next in the league table are Nissan with the outgoing Navara and all-new Navara having a combined 27 per cent market share. In third position is Ford with their Ranger models with 20 per cent of the market.

The current talking point is whether Nissan can overall Mitsubishi’s long dominance of this market sector with their new and very powerful Navara range before Mitsubishi launches their all-new L200 range on the 1 March 2006. Toyota too have launched their new Hi Lux range so they should be able to improve on their 7 per cent share of pick up sales.

Nissan expect to sell 9,000 Navara pick ups in the UK this year of which half will be the new five seat Double Cab and four seat King Cab. Next year Nissan expect Navara UK sales to reach 10,000 units.

The new Navara is built in Spain alongside Nissan’s recently launched Pathfinder, a Land Rover Discovery class SUV. As the Navara and Pathfinder share much of the mechanical layout and adopt many of the technical features it is not surprising the new Navara brings for the first time SUV qualities and characteristics to the pick up sector.

Even though the Navara still has a ladder frame chassis and leaf springs for maximum load carrying and workhorse durability the improvement in the handling and comfort of ride normally experienced in a pick up is remarkable. It also looks like an SUV now at the front rather than a rather upright commercial vehicle.

Just as remarkable is the new and powerful direct injection diesel engine which has an impressive 174PS of power and 403Nm of torque, the best by a long way out of all its competitors. The new Navara is better to where it matters most - load carrying. The King Cab version has the longest, widest and deepest load bed in its class. The Navara Double Cab has the widest and deepest load bed in the sector giving it the largest load area for a double cab.

The all-important width between the wheel arches for both models has been increased to 1130mm. The bed length of the King Cab is 1861mm and the Double Cab 1511mm. The payload is 1070kg and the maximum braked towing weight is a massive 1600kg. The new Navara may look trendy and cool but it is a real workhorse. Worthy of special mention is a very strong tailgate, this one will not bend or buckle during heavy loading and unloading.

Also the fact that the load bay comes equipped with a C-Channel load securing system of rails and cleats is worthy of praise and of course there are a whole host of bespoke accessories to tailor the new Navara to the owners exact load carrying requirements whether they be workhorse or recreational. It’s all very impressive attention to detail. However I personally didn’t like the very chunky and prominent roof bars which detract from the overall neat styling or the side-sill steps which can be restrictive driving in deep muddy tracks - but they do protect the body sills from damage.

The new Navara range is priced from £17,466.10 and rises to a hefty £26,014.23 but bear in mind these are on the road prices including VAT. Other manufacturers, because pick-ups are commercial vehicles, do not generally quote on the road prices with the VAT element included. As companies buy many of these vehicles the VAT is reclaimable and of course the company car tax element, although it is due to increase, will be lower than a passenger car.

My test model was the near top of the range Navara Double Cab Aventura priced, including VAT, at £24,868.60. This has a 6-speed manual transmission. The top model in the range is the Aventura with a 5-speed automatic transmission. All models have selectable two or four wheel drive and four wheel low ratio transmission very easily operated by a facia mounted dial type switch. A rear differential lock for use in severe off road conditions is also fitted and anti-lock braking is standard fit.

The interior specification of the Aventura models really does bring pick ups into the same league for specification as up-market 4x4 SUVs. There is nothing in the way of specification left to add to these vehicles. Everything is included from full front and curtain airbags to leather upholstery, heated and electrically adjustable front seats, 60/40 split folding rear seats, electric windows, electrically operated and heated door mirrors, climate control, premium sound system, Bluetooth mobile phone connection, DVD satellite navigation system, automatic headlights, rain sensor wipers, cruise control and much more.

The specification is fantastic for a pick-up and so are the new purposeful looks. This is an imposing vehicle without being brash, it looks a quality product, not a tarted up workhorse. However there is a rather enthusiastic use of chrome for the large grille and rear bumper that cheapens the overall image. But where it matters, the driveability and performance is way ahead of anything in its class. It drives like a very good SUV and it has real power from a very responsive modern engine.

By far and a way it is the best pick up on the market today for overall looks, specification, performance, load carrying and towing.

MILESTONES: Nissan Navara 2.5 dCi Double Cab Aventura 6-speed manual. Price: £24,868.60 on the road, without VAT £20,992. Engine: 4-cylinder, direct injection diesel with turbocharger and intercooler. Power output 174PS (171bhp), 403Nm of torque at 2000rpm. Transmission: 6-speed manual with 2WD, 4WD, 4WD Low and rear differential lock.
Performance; 105mph, 0-62mph 11.5 seconds. Fuel economy 30.7mpg on road, CO2 245 g/km. For: It now sets the standard for work and recreational pick-ups because of its power, fine on-road handling, specification and equipment levels. Against: Could be considered expensive on the face of it until your look at what you get for your money. Roof bars are ugly, sill bars can restrictive off road in deep mud and a black rear bumper instead of bright chrome would be nice.

From: Miles Better News Agency

www.nissan.co.uk

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