Navara NP300 VL – A real warrior – A view from owner after 10,000km of use

Talking about a strong pickup, you can hear familiar names like Hilux, if you talk about pickups to hangout with girlfriends, it might be the Ranger... but if you mention about a warrior, it is Navara VL.

Temporarily put aside the appearance, because beautiful or not will depend on each person's perspective, but Navara is relatively easy to identify with LED daytime running lights, and at night, Bi LED lights are enough. If you regularly cross the forest, you should upgrade the lighting system, while it is good for me if I drive in the city. In terms of lighting systems, horn lights ... during 4 years of use, there were no errors.
Interior space usability is also a point I am satisfied with. The space for the front two rows is very good. I especially like the two cupholders in front of the air-conditioning vent, which is very convenient as I can always drink cool water in hot weather. My oldest son also really likes that.

I often use the Navara for work, produce videos, photoshoot, etc. Inspire of the weather condition, the interior is still good after 4 years, which just need to be cleaned, and everything will be as beautiful as new.  Only the seat edges are wrinkled due to high frequency of using.

Over many journeys across Vietnam with family, I think that if the rear seats have more space and better recline, it will be great. However, to be honest, the spirit is sometimes more important than the technical characteristics, the two grandchildren and grandmothers have so many dozen-day journeys on the back seats but still very happy, simply it is sharing and joy.

One point I am absolutely satisfied with is the air conditioning system on the car. Navara is equipped with an independent dual-zone air conditioning system, capable of cooling quickly. In the summer, I only need to set the temperature to 24-25 degrees and the breeze 1 or 2. If the setting is lower, make sure you have to use the blanket. My experience is that for every 10,000km oil change, I check the air filter and periodically charge additional gas, quickly clean the system. If I am allowed to give score to the air conditioning system, I would like to give Navara a perfect 10.

I have read a lot of information about the Navara steering wheel like so ugly but in fact, my eyes look beautiful with an impressive teardrop shape, maybe because I am too romantic? ... While using the function keys, Cruise control was very convenient and easy to use. The sound system is enough to use, if you say it's good, it's too much, but with the pickup line, it's very good.
In terms of dashboard interface compared to products in the same segment as Ranger ... Navara is difficult to compare, but compared to Hilux, Triton ... it is not inferior.
In terms of performance, the car is provided with a 2.5L, in-line 4-cylinder DOHC engine generating 188 horsepower at 3,600 rpm and a maximum torque of 450 Nm at 2,000 rpm, with 4-wheel drive system. As can be seen, Navara has good acceleration, firm cornering, best of all on the highway, compact car and sturdy steering wheel. In particular, Navara's steering wheel is hydraulic, so it feels more solid and real than the Ranger's electric power steering. In addition, Navara is a 4WD vehicle, so traveling on bad roads or jungle roads, sandy roads is extremely good.

I remember once, with my family of 5 on the car going to Mui Dinh, we had to go through the sand desert, at that time many people stopped, but I was very confident, lowering the tire pressure and conquering the sand very easily. I even climbed straight up to the Mui Dinh lighthouse. The road was steep, but I used 4WD 4H so the car climbed gently.
Only when going downhill, I used 4L and turn on the Hill Descent Control so that the car automatically controls the brakes and the car went downhill very safely. We also used it when the slope was steep, slow speed, slippery because the system keeps the vehicle slipping sideways, hitting the tree trunk or fall in the trench. For more difficult terrain, I will use the Electronic Locking Differential. It can be said that Navara is a very good off-road vehicle. However, you just need to choose a little skill to do.

The disadvantage of Navara when driving on the street is that the engine is a bit lousy due to the slow shift and large turning radius. However, when going to the highway, at speed of 70 km/h or more and especially 90-100 km/h are very quiet. The Navara chassis is very good, stable at high speeds, especially on bad road condition. I used to drive Hanoi to Dong Van - Meo Vac, so I clearly see the value of the chassis and the ability of Navara.
The journey through Vietnam with my family left me the most emotions when the whole family blended into the rhythm of life with beautiful sea lanes North to South. In the afternoon, we admired the beautiful beauty of Vietnamese nature. Throughout the trip, there are laughs in the cool air and a feeling of reassurance because Navara is an imported car, extremely solid and stable.

Regarding the ability to wade, in 2019, I was flooded in the middle of Vinh city, when the water was the highest flooded on the edge of the capo, but I still could meet my brothers. Navara's quite smart to prevent water overflowing and causing water damage, so if you can see how the systems are designed, it is easy to maximize the vehicle's capabilities. However, wading a lot is also discouraged because after that incident, we had to change the curoa belt and check if the water was in. Thankfully, the car is unharmed.
Speaking of breaking levels, I am also the one who likes to break, sometimes on weekends I just want to run a rally and off-road on Dong Mo, you can see the video link to see. In general, push to the limit between slide and grip to see the toughness of the car and the Navara steering wheel gives you a very hands-on feel and a sturdy chassis. Can you see how beautiful it is to dye coffee brown like the picture below?

Saving for owners is a characteristic of Navara. In the city, every day we go in traffic jam at peak hours, alone, light load, average fuel consumption 10-11 liters/100km, while on the highway with full load is only 9- 10 liters/100km. I usually change the oil every 10,000km with regular maintenance and when replacing the filter, the total is just over 1 million VND. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with the cost of using Navara because it is too low compared to the value that the car brings.

Until now, I have also bought 1-2 other cars to serve my hobby, each car has good points but my oldest son still considers Navara as a friend. My childhood, the journey through the Northwest, the Northeast, ... through Vietnam was like carved into my mind. For my family, Navara was no longer a car, it was a true soulmate.
The point I want is that Navara will soon bring the new version using the new 2.3 engine to make the streets smoother, improve the user interface ... and if the car is even quieter, I believe Navara will still be the next choice if I change my pick-up.

In short, my point of view, the Nissan Navara is the right choice for users looking for a pickup that is strong enough to serve the business, transporting goods, eye-catching enough to walk around relatives. In addition, this model is also very flexible and versatile to do weekend picnics on challenging roads, and needs to transport bicycles or kayaks, canoes to serve outside sports.

Source: Autodaily