Nissan fire fresh shot in growing ute war
Two utes dominate the new car sales market, and one competitor has devised a new dual-cab weapons to help conquer the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.
Nissan’s latest dual-cab ute looks ready to rumble.
The Japanese brand has debuted its latest Navara special edition, known as the N-Trek, as it aims to bolster the badge and sales in the face of fresh, flashy competitors.
Nissan’s styling department has taken to the range topping ST-X version to beef up its on-road image.
The N-Trek is priced from $56,450 (before on-road costs) when hooked up to a six-speed manual transmission (CVT adds $2500).
The N-Trek commands a premium of about $4000 over the ST-X but still undercuts designer rivals the Ford Ranger Wildtrak ($60,790), Toyota HiLux Rogue ($61,690) and the glam HSV SportsCat ($62,490).
Nissan Australia boss Stephen Lester reckons local ute buyers have a healthy appetite for workhorses that look the part and stand out from the crowd.
“A majority of ute buyers are prepared to invest in the look of their vehicle, to get the vehicle they really want,” says Lester.
“Our black editions have always been popular with buyers. The Navara N-Trek includes a wide variety of Nissan-approved parts and accessories that will set it apart (from) everything else in the range.”
Nissan has splashed black cosmetic touches all over the ute, most conspicuously the 18-inch alloy wheels, fender flares, alloy sports bar, side steps, mirror caps, bumpers, grille, roof rails and door handles.
Large black decals festoon the lower edges of the doors and tub and the tailgate wears N-Trek badging.
The N-Trek cabin gets heated leather trimmed front seats with contrast orange fabric inserts plus orange stitching on the seats, steering wheel, centre console and front door trim.
The N-Trek also gets an eight-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.
The N-Trek shares its 2.3-litre turbo diesel (140kW/450Nm) with the rest of the range. It has a braked towing limit of 3500kg.
All Nissans are covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.
Why sales of new Toyota have skyrocketed
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first Toyota-bred performance car in 20 years, but there is a catch.
New way kids can learn to drive
Aussie teenagers no longer have to have their parents or an instructor beside them while learning how to drive. It can start at home.
Fast and Furious car up for auction
Aussies have a chance to own a piece of Hollywood history when the original car from a Fast and Furious movie heads to auction this week.