Nissan Navara
Nissan is working on a Nissan
Navara-based SUV that would be something like what the Toyota Fortuner is for
the Toyota HiLux or what the Ford Everest is for the Ford Ranger. While the production model is
still around two years away from making its official appearance, a speculative
rendering from Theophilus Chin shows what the Navara-based SUV may look like.
While the rendering nearly matches with
the test mule up front, naturally, the rear-end is where things change. The
rendering shows a Nissan Terrano-inspired rear-end, but the test mule seen in
spyshots has a rear-end very similar to the third generation Nissan Pathfinder.
The profile too has quite some notable resemblance to the Pathfinder.
The Nissan Navara-based SUV could either
be a successor to the Nissan X-Terra or an extension to the Nissan Navara range
as the SUV version. If the latter be the case, the design may be kept very
similar to the pickup version, a strategy successfully followed by close
competitors like Ford and Toyota.
The SUV version could be offered with the
YD25DDTi 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine from the pickup
version, and made available with 6-speed manual and 7-speed automatic
transmission choices in 2WD and 4WD drivetrain configurations. In Australia, it
could serve as the Nissan Patrol replacement.
