Nissan Navara AT32 2018 Review

Nissan is adding some extra momentum to its Navara range in Europe with the recent addition of the Nissan Navara AT32 – and the off-road-enhanced model, in one form or another, could well make its way to our shores.

As a model makes its way through the product life cycle, one way to catch prospective buyers' interest between generational updates is to release related concept models and special editions.

Nissan has been doing exactly that since the D23 Navara launched in mid 2015, with iterations like the Navara N-Guard concept, Navara Dark Sky concept in Europe and the Frontier Sentinel in the US, along with local variants like the Navara N-SPORT Black Edition and, more recently, the Navara ST Black Edition.

The Navara N-Guard then went from concept to a production model in Europe, where it went on sale in August, giving Euro markets a sportier-looking alternative to the flagship Tekna trim grade, with numerous blacked-out components compared to the Tekna's more extensive chrome treatment.

What's more, that production Navara N-Guard is now available with 'AT32' off-road conversion kit courtesy of European 4x4 specialist, Artic Trucks. Founded in Iceland in 1990, the firm has kitted out countless vehicles for hardcore off-road duty in the years since, and now has a major presence in and numerous facilities throughout Europe.

carsales.com.au recently sampled the Nissan Navara AT32 at an off-road drive event in Morocco, where we had to chance to pit the dual-cab ute against the rigours of the Sahara Desert alongside the Navara-based Terra SUV, Patrol four-wheel drive and the American-made Titan full-size pick-up.

While the V8-petrol-engined Y62 Patrol is sold in Australia in fairly limited numbers, the Terra still needs to overcome some technical hurdles in order to head Down Under and it's a similar story for the Titan, which at present is only produced in left-hand drive.

The AT32, however – or at least an off-road-enhanced Navara variant – would be a great fit for the Australian market, and so Nissan Oz is currently investigating how it might add such a vehicle to its local line-up.

"We are actively working on securing the AT32 for Australia; we believe it would be a popular addition to the Navara line-up for Australian customers," says Karla Leach, Nissan Australia's General Manager – Corporate Communications.

So, what exactly do we have here? In Europe the N-Guard essentially shares flagship status in the Navara range with the Tekna, but the N-Guard receives a heap of black components: 18-inch alloys, side steps, roof rails, external mirror housings, door handle, front grille and rear bumper.

Add to that LED headlights, leather-accented seating with yellow contrast stitching, reversing radar and a sunroof.

Bear in mind this is the European, left-hand drive Navara that's produced on Nissan's LCV production line in Barcelona, and they're produced with an array of minor modifications in preparation for the Arctic Trucks conversion.

Once built, they're transported to a nearby Arctic Trucks production facility, also in Spain, where the conversion is carried out, before being returned to Nissan for sale through Nissan's European dealer network.

While the 2.3-litre twin-turbo-diesel remains unchanged and produces the same 140kW/450Nm outputs, fed to the rear or all four wheels via the same six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission, the AT32 sports a range of upgrades to enhance its off-road potential.

That list includes unique Arctic Trucks-designed 17-inch alloys shod with 32-inch (hence the 'AT32') all-terrain tyres, plus comprehensive underbody protection and wheel arch flares.

The tyres effectively deliver a 20mm increase in ride height, while the dual-cab ute's suspension has received a further 20mm lift – boosting ground clearance from 223mm to 243mm, and increasing the vehicle's approach angle from 30 degrees to 35 degrees, and the rampover angle from 22 degrees to 24 degrees.

The Arctic Trucks package has two options, too: the addition of a Safari-brand snorkel, increasing the wading depth from 600mm to 800mm, and a front differential lock, to complement the Navara's standard rear diff lock.

Adding to the arsenal are standard N-Guard features like hill descent control, 360-degree 'Intelligent Around View Monitor' camera set-up, hill start assist and autonomous emergency braking, along with unique AT32 badging.

Yes, AEB is available on the European Navara but not as yet on the Australian-spec Navara, which is produced in Nissan's Thai facility.

In a similar vein, the AT32 reviewed here features the Nissan Navara's second iteration of the five-link, multi-coil suspension that is a centerpiece of the latest D23 platform, and not the locally tuned version with dual-rate springs found in our Aussie-spec, D23 Series 3.

The Aussie Navara's Series 3 and Series 2 monikers simply don't exist in Europe – they were responses from Nissan addressing Australian concerns that the original set-up was too soft for heavy loads or heavy towing duties.

That said, if the AT32 does indeed head Down Under, Nissan will likely look at other, more efficient channels to bring it to our market.

"There is many possibilities," says Nissan Chief Product Specialist for frame-based SUVs and pick-ups, Pedro Deanda.

"Navara for Australia is coming from Thailand so you could have Arctic Trucks setting up and supporting operations from Thailand, or doing the conversion in Australia, or in Europe and shipping direct to Australia."

Of course, Nissan could potentially partner with a local off-road specialist to produce an equivalent model. That arguably makes more sense, given Arctic Truck's relatively low profile outside of Europe.

So what's it like? Writing purely from an off-road perspective – and after completing a loop of several hundred kilometres that saw us traverse everything from barren, stony plains to sloppy, muddy tracks and the towering dunes of the western Sahara Desert – it's a thoroughly capable and effective bit of gear.

This drive didn't involve any towing or payloads beyond two or sometimes three adults, plus a few small bags – certainly nothing to put this model's 3500kg braked towing limit or 1000-odd kilogram payload to the test.

Nor did it include any of the tighter, more technical climbs that are commonly found dissecting our own Great Dividing Range, but by the event's end we certainly felt we had a good feel for the AT32's general off-road ability, and in conditions not at all dissimilar to those found across much of the Aussie outback.

Uncharacteristic recent rainfall meant that several dry river beds had transformed into flowing rivers, but nothing that put our snorkel-equipped AT32's enhanced wading depth to the test, and even the muddy track we encountered on the second day wasn't so challenging that it required locking one or both diffs.

The boosted ground clearance would certainly be a big help over the typically rocky bush tracks that traverse so much of Australia, although whether potential local buyers would retain this set-up over that of an Australian off-road suspension specialist – as is often the case for our local off-road fraternity – remains to be seen.

The underbody protection, however, is extensive and sturdy, comprising a front skid plate (with laser-cut Arctic Trucks branding) and guards for the engine, transmission, driveshaft and fuel tank.

The addition of all-terrain rubber on the AT32 also spells one less thing Aussie off-roaders will need to address before hitting the trails. In Morocco, the AT32 we sampled was fitted with Nokian Rotiiva tyres in a 275/70R17 sizing. Nokian is a Finnish tyre maker, renowned in Europe for its off-road and winter tyres.

The output of the 2.3-litre, four-cylinder twin-turbo-diesel may look a little underdone in comparison with the latest brace of high-powered utes to reach Australia but, in reality, it delivers a handy amount of grunt that most won't find lacking for the vast majority of off-road driving.

Naturally, it lacked the power of the silky-smooth petrol V8s found in the Patrol and Titan also on test, but it overcame most scenarios by clawing its way through the landscape at engine speeds of between 1500-2500rpm, with only the steeper Saharan dunes requiring a bit more input from the accelerator.

The seven-speed auto shifts cleanly and quickly enough given the commercial underpinnings of the vehicle and at 100km/h in seventh gear it lopes along at a relaxed 1750rpm.

The trip computer gave average fuel economy readings of 10.5L/100km over a mixture of sealed and hard-pack unsealed roads, and 12.5L/100km after hitting the dunes.

It's a sure-footed thing too, although the steering box is reasonably slow at 3.75 turns lock to lock and it the steering wheel itself is only adjustable for tilt, not reach.

Life in the cabin is good. Sure, there's enough plastic to highlight the LCV origins but it's softened with the extensive use of leather and the contrast stitching on the upholstery and floor mats give things a lift, as does the electric driver's seat adjustment, the TFT instrument panel, the 7.0-inch colour touch-screen, the auto headlights, and the push-button start.

Nissan says the AT32 conversion adds Euro 7000 (approximately $A11,000) to the base-model Navara N-Guard's price, so it will be interesting to see what form and price it or any similar off-road upgrade might attract in Australia.

With its untouched drivetrain the AT32 arguably stops short of being the much-touted 'Raptor Fighter' or 'Navara NISMO' previously alluded to by global Nissan LCV chief Ashwani Gupta, but it does represent a thoroughly worthy upgrade for Navara buyers who rank off-road performance high on their priority list.

For remote and rugged country the AT32 is a good thing – let's hope we see it or something like it heading our way sooner rather than later.

How much is the 2018 Nissan Navara AT32?
Price: TBC (about $82,000 in Europe)
Engine: 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo-diesel
Output: 140kW/450Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.3-6.9L/100km (Europe, Combined)
CO2: 167-183g/km (Europe, Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star Euro NCAP