vehicle review: Nissan navara SAFARI
| by Farzana Chaumoo
Nissan Navara goes on Safari
The common practice of launching “Limited Edition” variants of existing vehicles are basically attempts to extend
the shelf-life of ageing vehicles. Some succeed in becoming remarkably special cars in their own right, while
others simply don’t get off the ground because of lack of appeal to the general market.
T
he vehicles usually offer packaged
options and interior trims to
celebrate special events or cobranding and usually come up a few
months to a year before the vehicle may
get a more serious facelift. The Nissan
Navara range was expanded with the
special edition Nissan Navara Safari.
The Safari edition was specially altered
for the South African 4×4 enthusiast with
additions and modifications which best suit
a safari environment while making off-road
excursions easier for adventure seekers.
While the Nissan Navara 4x4 remains a
tough off-road vehicle, the Safari version
has been created and made wholly suitable
for overland trips.
The Navara Safari is based on the Navara
2.5 dCi Double Cab 4x4 LE and is available
in two transmissions being either a
six-speed manual or with a five-speed
automatic gearbox.
The special edition comprises some
special features such as all-terrain tyres
that allow for optimum grip off-road
without any compromise to the on-road
dynamics.
It also has a nudge bar mounted in the
front to provide protection from trees
and shrubs and it serves as a mounting
point for the standard spot lights.
The Safari package sees the interior
with custom hard-wearing seat covers
that have been crafted from cotton
canvas, along with Safari-branded
carpets and a rubberised load box with
a tonneau cover.
Underneath the vehicle protection
plates for the engine, gearbox and the
transfer case are both necessary and
useful in that it makes crossing over
rocky terrain less hazardous.
the side sills, while the removable tow bar
with recovery points that can withstand a
3 000 kg towing capacity adds a valuable
versatility to this vehicle.
The turbocharged 2.5-litre diesel unit has
a maximum power output of 140 kW that
can be reached at 4 000 r/min with torque
of 450 Nm reached at 2 000 r/min and
this goes with a fuel consumption of just
9 litres/100 km.
The Navara Safari 2.0 dCi
DC 4×4 LE MT is on sale for
R490 000, while the 2.0 dCi DC
4×4 LE Automatic wi ll be available
On the side of the Safari are custombuilt protective rock sliders to protect
| words in action
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november 2014
for R496 000. All vehicle prices
include a three-year/100 000 km
warranty and Nissan’s threeyear/90 000 km service plan.