Nissan Navara ST Black Edition 2018 Review

Nissan has upped the ante with its new Navara ST Black Edition. It sold all 500 examples of its Navara ST-X N-SPORT last year, so now it's offering the blacked-out 'badness' – or goodness, if you prefer – on its mid-spec ST.

The move really shouldn't come as a surprise: the ST actually outsells the range-topping ST-X, although not by much. Together they account for two-thirds of Navara sales, which in turn is the brand's second-best selling Australian nameplate (4x4 and 4x2 combined), second only to the X-TRAIL.

Adding a raft of black components is also an easy path to model differentiation, and arguably – in the dual-cab ute market in particular – makes for a tougher-looking truck.

"More tough image" is one of the key elements in ute design today, motoring.com.au was told at the local launch of the ST Black Edition, by Shinichi Kaneda – Nissan's General Manager of the Navara's exterior design.

Nissan Australia will surely appreciate the uptick in local Navara sales this ST Black Edition will invariably bring.

To the end of August 2018 it had sold 8359 4x4 Navaras (VFACTS data), which is 6.9 per cent down over the previous corresponding period and equates with a fifth-best market share of 7.3 per cent, just a hair behind Isuzu UTE's D-MAX.

That's a reflection of market concerns regarding the new-gen Navara's ability to handle heavy towing and payload duties.

The first of the D23 generation, launched in 2015, broke from tradition in dual-cab form by offering a five-link coil/shock rear suspension arrangement – an effort to better reflect the needs of the growing ranks of 'lifestyle' buyers.

A smoother, more compliant ride over traditional leaf springs was the aim, but those intent on hauling large caravans or boats – or major loads in the tub – found the softer set-up fell short.

Nissan reacted with recalibrated suspension in 2017, followed by – at the start of 2018 – the current D23, which sports a locally developed solution specifically tuned for Australian conditions and featuring new dual-rate rear springs.

The latest update has gone a long way to addressing those concerns, although Nissan also has its work cut out for it in a lucrative segment that seemingly has ever-more offerings year by year.

That, says Nissan Australia managing director Stephen Lester, is the bigger reason behind the 4x4 Navara's shrinking market share – one that has declined from a high of 24.3 per cent in 2007.

"The decline in market share is really reflective of the fact that the segments have gotten so much more competitive – the entrants into that segment over the last 10 years have increased dramatically," he said.

A time-honoured method for increasing sales is packaging a host of extras into a 'special edition', as Nissan recently did with its new X-TRAIL N-SPORT, Pathfinder N-SPORT, and 370Z N-SPORT.

Available only in a four-wheel drive pick-up format, the Navara ST Black Edition features a wide array of blacked-out components: nudge bar (with LED light bar), front grille, fog lamp surrounds, 18-inch alloy wheels, mirror caps, sports bar and 'Black Edition' decals.

To that add a smoked bonnet protector, soft tonneau cover and a protective tub liner, plus a mobile phone holder in the cabin as well as dealer-fitted all-terrain tyres.

Nissan says it adds up to around $10,000 in value at no extra cost – something that is sure to pique prospective buyers' ears and see the ST Black Edition rolling off showroom floors.

The Navara ST Black Edition will be offered in five colours. Standard hues span Polar White, Cosmic Black or Burning Red, while Brilliant Silver or Slate Grey are premium paint options (add $550).

The Navara Black Edition comes with a recommended retail drive-away price of $48,690 for manual models and $51,190 for automatic models.

For small business owners, which account for a third of all light commercial vehicle customers, it has a recommended ABN drive-away price of $46,990 (manual) and $49,490 (auto).

Actually, the Navara ST Black Edition is being released with another limited-edition sibling. The Navara SL Silverline is, like the ST Black Edition, available only in a four-wheel drive pick-up format, and will also have production limited to 900 units.

While not as extensive a makeover as the ST Black Edition, the SL Silverline swaps out its steel wheels for 16-inch alloys and adds a polished alloy sports bar, 'Silverline' tailgate badging and, in the cab, a mobile phone holder.

Despite it's 'mid-low-spec' trim grade, the SL Silverline still comes with a colour multimedia screen (a 5.0-inch item, as opposed to the ST Black Edition's 7.0-inch unit), Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, LED lighting and a reversing camera – but misses out on the ST's satellite-navigation and leather-accented steering wheel.

It's available in the same colour range as the ST Black Edition, minus Slate Grey.

The Navara SL Silverline is priced from $39,490 drive-away in manual guise, or – like the ST Black Edition – add $2500 for the auto. For ABN holders, the price are $37,990 drive-away (manual) and $40,490 drive-away (auto).

Both these limited-edition D23-based models remain mechanically unchanged, featuring the same chassis and suspension, the same Renault-Nissan-sourced 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo-diesel engine, and the same six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission.

Designed to appeal to lifestyle-oriented buyers, both are well equipped for life off-road – especially the ST Black Edition with its all-terrain rubber, which at the national press launch in Western Australia comprised General Grabber ATs.

Switching from rear-drive to high-range four-wheel drive is accomplished simply by twisting a dial at the base of the centre stack – twisting it a little further again, from a standstill and in neutral, sees the dual-range transfer case shift to low-range off-road gearing.

There's an electronic locking rear differential to lend a hand in particularly slippery going, and healthy approach (33.1 degrees), ramp breakover (24.5 degrees) and departure (28.1 degrees) angles.

Ground clearance is par for the course for this style of vehicle, at 226mm, while the wading depth is reasonable, if not spectacular, at 600mm.

While this media launch involved neither towing nor carrying major payloads, it certainly did serve up an entertaining smorgasbord of off-road tracks in Western Australia's spectacular Margaret River region.

Our initial foray along the coast south of Perth involved a beach run, sadly cut short by an unexpected major case of erosion, while the sandy tracks through impressive jarrah forests were complemented by some rocky, undulating going around Cape Naturaliste.

We also had our fair share of bitumen, as we drove south from Perth to Margaret River, and then from Dunsborough to our drive's end at Busselton.

Only the Navara ST Black Edition was available on this drive, not the Navara SL Silverline, but with its all-terrain tyres it was well-equipped to handle the diverse range of terrain we threw at it. And, I have to say, in an off-road setting – and albeit unladen save for two adults and some luggage – the suspension really shines.

Of course, it still offers a little more compliance and a little less harshness than its leaf-sprung rivals. This is particularly noticeable over corrugations, but also in general off-roading over hits both large and small.

We decked the sidesteps on a couple of occasions – nothing exceptional there – but otherwise it was a fuss-free run up hill and down dale, and the suspension never bottomed out once.

On the bitumen the ride is the usual ute story, which is say it gets along through the bends just fine, just with a bit more wallow and body roll than your average passenger sedan.

It's an LCV after all, with a kerb weight of 1923kg, and built to fulfil what is perhaps a more diverse spectrum of roles than any other vehicle: it can be a city commuter, a workhorse, a tow tug, and an off-roader.

The twin-turbo dishes out a thoroughly dependable spread of low to midrange urge. Its 140kW/450Nm output delivers the grunt to get up, over or around most obstacles, and in an off-road setting there's plenty of oomph available from right down low – just off 1000rpm, in fact – to make light work of difficult going.

We only drove the seven-speed auto on this particular trip, but this transmission does its job with complete nonchalance. It's as smooth-shifting and fast as you'd expect in this vehicle category, which is to say it's no sports car but it's no disappointment, either.

The 12.4-metre (kerb-to-kerb) turning circle is typical ute stuff but the steering box is reasonably quick, at around 3.3 turns lock to lock. Either way, these things are a bit of a handful in shopping-centre carparks.

Of course, one of the best things about the ST Black Edition is that it has the same 3500kg braked towing limit as the flagship ST-X – in fact, it has many of the same features – along with a healthy 968kg payload.

Inside the cab the engine signals its commercial origins with a raucous note under hard acceleration, but on a steady throttle and cruising along the highway, the noise suppression is really pretty decent.

It’s not in the same league as its German cousin, the Mercedes-Benz X-Class, but it's quiet enough. Wind noise is perhaps a little more prevalent than engine noise when cruising, while the all-terrain tyres didn't seem any noisier than standard highway tyres.

Vibration is nicely suppressed too and, in general, the cab is a comfortable place to be. The cloth seating might only have manual six-way adjustment with no lumbar support and no heating, but this mid-spec model doesn't give too much away to its higher-priced ST-X brother.

It makes do with standard air-conditioning, as opposed to the ST-X's dual-zone climate control, and also misses out on hill descent control. And it's a traditional key ignition – no push-button starting here – and also skips the parking sensors.

Naturally, a tow kit is available as a genuine factory accessory.

Still, you do get a reversing camera, which is displayed on the multimedia screen, even if it's a step below Nissan's multi-cam AroundView display found in the ST-X.

The second-row seating is par for the course too, which is to say it's perfectly fine for younger kids but adults will find it a little cramped and the seat-backs quite upright on journeys of any reasonable length.

There's air-con venting located on the rear of the (compact) centre console bin but no power outlets to speak of.

Speaking of, there are three 12-volt outlets in the cab – one on the dashtop tray, one at the base of the centre stack, and one in the centre console bin – but just the one USB outlet.

Navigating the multimedia system is easy, as is pairing a mobile phone. Sound quality is good through the six-speaker stereo system and there's Bluetooth audio streaming and hands-free operation via the steering-wheel-mounted controls.

The Navara ST Black Edition achieved a five-star ANCAP safety rating when it was launched in 2015 and features stability control, switchable traction control, anti-lock brakes and seven airbags.

However, it misses out on most of the latest high-tech safety inclusions offered in a limited number of rivals, such as autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, lane keeping assist, rear cross traffic alert and adaptive cruise control.

Nissan quotes a Combined ADR fuel economy figure of 7.0L/100km for the Navara ST with automatic transmission, but on this trip – in which we covered more than 500km, probably half of it off-road – we achieved an average of 9.5L/100km, which is better than many utes.

The Navara ST Black Edition is covered by Nissan's now-below-average three-year/100,000km factory warranty and up to six years or 120,000km of capped-price servicing, the latter under Nissan's Service Certainty program.

Service intervals are pegged at every 12 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first. The cost of the first 12 services under that scheme totals $9330, or an average of $777.50 per service, plus brake fluid.

With the Navara ST Black Edition a hefty $6800 cheaper than a standard Navara ST-X, this special-edition is sure to grab plenty of interest.

This is one very solid bang-for-your-bucks proposition, and if the budget doesn't extend to the latest brace of mega-buck utes, the Navara ST Black Edition will surely impress.

Considering this variant's $10,000 worth of extras, its tough look and the Navara D23's broad spread of ability, we're sure Nissan Australia will have no problem finding homes for those 900 Navara ST Black Editions – and rapidly, too.

How much does the Nissan Navara ST Black Edition cost?
Price: From $46,990 drive-away
Available: October 1
Engine: 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel
Output: 140kW/450Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual and seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.5L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 186g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety: Five-star ANCAP