Nissan Navara storms the Sahara Desert
Since its launch in 2015, the Nissan Navara has overwhelmed the local and regional markets, offering a great combination of refined comfort and conveniences usually found in upscale SUVs (but have quickly become the norm in the segment), while delivering unparalleled performance both on and off-road.
After Nissan Philippines gave local media the chance to sample the Navara’s off-road prowess in the sand dunes of Ilocos, Nissan Motors Limited took its turn in proving that the Navara wasn’t just smart (in terms of safety features and electronic driving aids) but also tough, like a proper 4x4 pickup truck with impressive offroad ability.
A little backgrounder: the Nissan Navara takes its name from the Navarre Region in Spain, and European-spec Navaras are made in the Nissan facility in Barcelona, our first port of call for the trip.
From Barcelona, we took a chartered flight to Errachidia, literally located in the middle of the desert, far from the coastal areas but nonetheless a sight to behold.
Our Navara test drive units were European-spec models: though they produce the same 190 hp and 450 Newton meters of torque as ours, the engine is quite different.
In place of the YD25DTTI 2.5liter 4-cylinder diesel engine the Asean markets get, Europeanspec models come with a smaller YS23DDTTI displacing 2.3 liters, and crucially, a twin-sequential turbo system which, upon reflection, delivers an even broader and fatter torque curve.
It sends power to the same 7speed automatic four-wheel drive transmission. In place also of the Toyo Open Country Tires we get in the Asean region, the Euro-spec models get Continental Cross Contact tires but sized in the same 255/60R18 diameter.
Inside, the Euro-spec Navaras get leather seats, navigation system, and a tilt/slide moon roof, but everything else is the same: dual airbags, limited slip rear differential, traction/stability control, and hill-start assist/hill-descent control, among other key smart safety features.
Nissan Europe was tasked to organize the event, and our drive started slowly but surely.
From our hotel, we drove 40 kilometers on broken tarmac, slowly working our way to more difficult terrain.
From the broken tarmac, we switched to hard, compacted clay, followed by a tough rockstrewn trail atop an abandoned fort in the middle of the desert, overlooking the wide expanse of the Sahara desert.
There was a short section on the rocky trail where we were instructed to sample the hill descent control.
Being a series of steps, the Navara skillfully brought us down safely, literally one step at a time, highlighting the pickup’s sure-footedness despite the tricky terrain and running on mild all-terrain tires inflated to highway pressure.
From there, we went back to the tarmac, and soon switched off-road again, this time to a mixed surface of sand, crushed rocks, and loose pebbles, and finally, to a very firm clay surface that was covered by a slight loose dusty surface.
Off-road, wewere in noman’s land and quickly found ourselves driving at over 120 km/h when conditions allowed, as sand from the trail master ahead would limit visibility at times.
On the high-speed surface, the Navara quickly proved its superiority: the independent rear and double wishbone front suspension was perfect for these conditions.
The chassis felt tight, responsive and seemed at times to float through the rough highspeed terrain.
Nissan has a long heritage with the legendary Paris-Dakar long-distance rally, and Nissan Europe made sure wewould pass through some of the challenging terrains that the rally cars passed through many years prior.
The electronic driving aids made the surface easier to tame, and at times the Navara would drift in the sand or we had to brake hard to avoid huge obstacles covered by the sand storm that the other vehicles were kicking up.
No drama, just loads of fun and control measured out perfectly to make us feel like driving heroes!
And despite the multi-link rear, the Navara still maintained its one-ton payload capacity in the pickup bed, as demonstrated by a test-unit with a huge one-ton solid piece of rock in the bed.
But the biggest test was left for after lunch: the legendary sand dunes of the Sahara.
Measuring as much as 180 meters tall, the dunes were handbuilt by nature as strong winds constantly swept sand to form the dunes.
Our tires were deflated to just around 1.2 bar, or roughly 21 psi from the usual 2.2 bar or 34 psi.
No specialized off-road sand tires, no winch, no lifted suspension, no aftermarket locking differentials. Just the Navara, its smart driving aids, and good technique.
The sand dune was broken up into two sessions: a short 3kilometer loop which we did twice around the base camp, and a longer 20-kilometer loop which literally brought us into the middle of the desert.
At this point, I’d like to underscore that contrary to what you might think about the Sahara, it was in fact very cold.
At night, temperatures were well into the single digits, at times hovering close to 0 degrees Celsius.
Midday, the hottest it ever got was 22 degrees Celsius, and only from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. It was mostly 14 to 18 degrees Celsius.
Winters are just as harsh as summers in the Sahara: my face is now smarting after being burnt in the desert.
Our instructors, led by veteran Paris-Dakar competitor Javier Herrador, gave us three basic tips: brake and accelerate gently but resolutely, particularly on soft, powdery dunes.
When going uphill, keep a safe distance from the car ahead, and do not stop unless you are told to, unless you want to get stuck in the very soft sand.
The shorter 3 kilometer loop was fun, but the longer 20 kilometer loop was a real challenge.
We were the last wave of journalists to come, and the sand had degraded badly, making it extra difficult, according to the instructors.
Immediately after setting off, a Navara got stuck. And this was the case for the entire 20 kilometers. It was a real challenge, but everyone thankfully made it back to base camp in one piece, some more worse for wear than others.
On a personal note, this was the most fun in driving I’ve had all year, as it allowed me to experience the Navara’s behavior in a variety of surfaces, and allowed me to drift/slide/power out of slippery surfaces in great drama, but also in a relatively slow and very safe environment.
I did get stuck three times, but the Navara’s electronic safety aids were able to power me out twice.
Alas, on the third, I really got stuck since the crest of sand had degraded badly. To my defense, three other Navaras got stuck right after me in the same spot.
On a side-note, these Nissan Navara test units had been doing this drive for numerous waves of international journalists from Europe, South America, Asia and Oceania in the last three weeks, plus another two weeks of testing prior to the start of the event.
All of them were well and truly alive and kicking after a combined five weeks of intense desert driving.
Not only has Nissan conquered the Sahara Desert, it has also proven one thing: it’s just as tough as it is smart.