Nissan Navara D23 RX 4x2 (2015-2021)

A very good 4X2 Dual Cab Utility – My 2016 Nissan Navara NP300 RX D23 dual cab utility has been so far, a very reliable and frugal vehicle to operate. I bought it in January of 2020 from East Coast Commercials for around $27,000 which included a three year warranty. It had 63,000 km on the odometer. I get around 10 km/L around town and much better fuel economy on the highway. The… Read more

ride is excellent because of the long wheelbase and because the rear suspension has coils. I use it mainly for driving around Brisbane and more recently, the Gold Coast. If you want to carry heavy loads then look perhaps to a utility with a leaf-sprung rear suspension. I had no intention of going off-road so a 4X2 for my purposes was perfect. Vehicle weight and servicing costs are reduced (4X2 compared to 4X4) and the possibility of purchasing a vehicle that had been on the beach or abused off-road is nullified. If storage space is important to you, then you get far more storage space with a dual cab ute when compared to an SUV. A light truck is built to a tougher standard than the car-like SUVs. I purchased an aluminium hard lid from EGR Group, Salisbury, Qld for $1,200, and had TJR install it for me. I can lock things up in the tray and rearward visibility is not impacted as it would be with a full size canopy. The hard lid decreases road noise and vibration in the cab and reduces fuel consumption because of the improvement in wind flow over the vehicle (less turbulence in the tray). The vehicle has a seven speed automatic that works seamlessly and flawlessly and was designed for a much larger displacement engine. You will never break it. I installed a Mongoose car alarm and the Engine Watchdog ($200 to purchase, $450 to install - see South Side Cylinder Heads, MacGregor, Brisbane) which monitors engine temp, transmission temp and oil pressure. If any of the parameters are exceeded, you will get an audible warning. The installer of the Engine Watchdog told me that it costs $10,000 - $15,000 to rebuild a diesel if it blows up due to overheating. So pay attention to your servicing! The D23 diesel engine was developed by Renault and it is a motor that powers half the vehicles on French roads. It is an excellent diesel engine with low emissions. It smells like fresh-baked bread when you walk around the back! The Nissan comes with cruise, up and down steering wheel adjustment and adjustable mirrors (remote). Steering is a little agricultural but you get used to it if you're a bloke. I also installed a Kenwood head unit and a reverse camera so I get a view of where I'm reversing (safety - it is a long vehicle!) and the Kenwood enables Google Android Auto app to operate when I plug my phone into the USB port. The Nissan Navara NP300 D23 RX is an excellent vehicle that gives you the driver (and occupants) a lot of protection and a lot of reliable motoring pleasure.

Great value for money – RX Single cab chassis with alloy tray 2x4, manual single turbo diesel, electricians vehicle so approx 400kg tools and ladders on roof owned for 2 months 5000km traveled. Pros: good fuel economy- 8.64 l/100km ( actual not computer readout) Lots of torque comfortable seating Low road noise Good looking interior Well built and designed alloy… Read more

tray ( factory Nissan)

Cons:

Sluggish acceleration but you get use to it

Self acceleration between 1 st and 2nd gear sometimes

Could use more room in the cab for tall people although it’s not bad it could be better.

Steering wheel needs to be able to move up and Down, in and out more. I.e it can be a bit cramped

Computer is wildly inaccurate with fuel economy reading.( it reads 7.1l/ 100km LOL!)

no auto option for the poverty pack model.

All in all very happy with the car. You get more bang for your buck with this than the Toyota lower level.

New Car Rust - Denial – This is what you get when you buy a new Nissan Navara RX (4x2) SC - Rust in an area where no one looks. A week after I bought the Navara on 12/01/18 I saw some adverse reports on rust issues with Nissan and decided to take a closer look only to find rust inside both front wheel arches. I booked it in for a check at Aspley Nissan and was told… Read more

that all new cars have rust. I immediately notified Nissan Gladstone where I bought it from and asked for a new vehicle without the rust or a refund. I then sent Nissan Aust. the photos and was asked if I had been driving on the beach. They then organised North Lakes Nissan to inspect the vehicle whereby I was handed a written report stating that it was not rust - no action required.

Finally, they have told me that it is cosmetic, has no impact on safety or operation, I have to expect surface rust and no action is necessary on my part, therefore, it is not covered under warranty and they will not be offering a gesture of goodwill. Put simply - “Nissan take no responsibility and really don’t care”.

My rights as a consumer have been denied as I would not have bought this vehicle had I known about the rust. They were aware of the rust and had a duty to inform me of the problem but deliberately chose not to. It has nothing to do whether the car is safe and operational. The facts are: be it surface rust or worse if it is left untreated rust can only get worse and dangerously worse in a beachside location. They also have an obligation to maintain the vehicle as it leaves the factory floor in the same condition until the point of sale which is a reasonable expectation.

Sales Driven + Integrity Missing = Failure

Has a lot of bad design "features", not recommended – RX twin Cab 7000km in Really basic interior Horn sticks out too much and is bumped with parking/turning lack of features like reversing camera etc, pretty basic stereo km to empty gauge stops giving you info when you are around 80km of fuel left 600-700km per tank of fuel - normally 600km stereo volume jumps are too wide its either too… Read more

loud or too quiet

AC under powered on hot days

Heater takes forever to heat up

Demister pretty much useless

(Regarding the heater/AC, thats just the nature of diesels apparently - though I didn't have that issue with my old Ford courier)

air vents too small

rear drinks holder takes up alot of space, even when folded up and doesnt hold drinks well

gearbox sloppy and clunky.

Should have gone for the Mitsubishi Triton

Engine has decent power (shame about the gearbox)

The electric rear cab window is the best thing about this vehicle

Would not recommend

Very disappointed with ute - Buyer Beware – Purchasing a ute with expected 30,000km per year in mind, fuel economy, service intervals and tank capacity were paramount in the selection criteria. So not only was the initial purchase cost important but the ongoing running cost. The Navara RX Single Cab Chassis ticked all the boxes on paper, but on the road it fulls well short and very much… Read more

a disappointment.

BUYERS BEWARE

The claimed 6.4l per 100km is not possible, I am currently seeing (at best) 7.2l per 100km. To qualify: I drive 130 each day between home and work 110km on motorway will little or no traffic, the other 20km are on surface street but again outside peak congestion, so there is no excuse for stop-start traffic/driving affecting the fuel economy. Because I log-book the ute, the economy is based on actual km driven against actual fuel bought, not based on read-out in ute.

The Nissan Navara has a claimed fuel tank of 80 litres, unfortunately the tank records empty at about 65 litres. The tank capacity is actually 80 litres however the sensor is poorly designed and gives a wrong warning, what this means is that you must drive for about 20-25% of the tank capacity "on empty" with no idea of when you will actually run out, or likewise you need to fuel more often. The intention to buy this ute was that based on tank size and economy it would be possible for me to only need to fill-up every 2 weeks. As it stands and for safety i am filling up more often that I desire. Since buying the car I have found numerous feeds about this matter that is known but Nissan appear to place no importance to rectify.

I am also constantly having issue with Bluetooth connectivity to the point whereby I have given up and considering buying separate device, my mobile is actually newer than the ute and it is listed as compatible device in the specifications, the device is Android and have tried a couple of other Android devices and get similar results. Surprisingly Bluetooth connect always works with my Ipad, obviously they are using Apple car play or similar product which is notoriously bad with Android device, but that means 50% of Nissan car buyers may not be able to use their phones, good choice Nissan.

Since purchasing I have also added reverse sensors as reversing visibility it not great and they are available standard or as an option from Nissan.

While the ute is still relatively new, I am starting in here seat creaks which I only thought happen in car older than 20 years.

The flooring is a very poor finish and when wet is very slippery so be wary when getting in with wet or muddy shoes.

Unfortunately I cannot replace the vehicle for another few years so I am stuck with it, but I would never buy another Nissan and I would never recommend to anybody, go buy a Ford Ranger.