New Nissan Truck

[Clipped]

i find myself very attracted to the new nissan trucks....had a look inside one of them and was pleased to find that it was very nice indeed. The interior was nicer than i had assumed...do to seeing online pictures, but the real thing is very nice and plush.....anyone else considering this truck?

[chanchao]

Surely the interiors of all current trucks are similar when paying roughly the same?

As I can see it the only things where current models are different:

Nissan: 6 speed gearbox, cab 'doors' on the extended cab models.

Ford: Relatively a lot of models come with airbags, cab 'doors' on the extended cab models.

Mazda: cab 'doors' on the extended cab models. Weirdest rear lights in the business.

Isuzu: 4WD on 4Wd models is engaged with a button, rather than a separate stick. Xenon headlight option. Skyhigh resale value.

Toyota: nothing, really, but also high resale value. Kick-ass SUV based on it.

Mitsubishi: Electrical window option on the rear-cab window, 3.2 liter engine option, crashing it won't make it look smashed up and goofy because it already looks smashed up and goofy just leaving the showroom.

Chevrolet: Diff-lock option on some 2WD models. No recent minor-change updates where the related Isuzu model already went through two. Makes you wonder where Chevrolet is going with pick-ups and if there's a minor change coming up.

Can anyone add to this for the things I missed?

Edited March 30, 2007 by chanchao

[Clipped]

the nissan has a really nice interior, imo better than the isuzu/chevs....i was pretty surprised from what i saw in person....very nice...i really dont like the vigos, to me they look like swollen tadpoles, especially when the wheels are too small.

the tritons i think, only look good if you lower them or raise them with nice wheels.

fords and mazdas are kinda bland for my taste, with no real distinction of character.

[Gary A]

I happen to be an enthusiastic Nissan fan. I really didn't want to post because some of the members here get sick of hearing about my Nissan. It is the most under rated truck in Thailand and unfortunately the resale price proves that sad fact.

[stament]

I happen to be an enthusiastic Nissan fan. I really didn't want to post because some of the members here get sick of hearing about my Nissan. It is the most under rated truck in Thailand and unfortunately the resale price proves that sad fact.

Can I assume that the Isuzu holds it's value more then the Vigo then?

[chanchao]

No, Isuzu and Toyota are both valued highly. There might be slight regional differences.

[Clipped]

i remember a while back the dmax had a manufacturing defect, under heavy load the front tie-rods or something would become unloaded leaving you helpless and at the mercy of nature and physics.

i wonder if they ever solved this problem.

i think nissan had a bad reputaton before they turned there production practices around....things these days are much better.

the SR20de and GA16de are some of the most rock solid sleeper engines out there.

from what i noticed

toyota invest in body and engine (pre vigo)

isuzu invests in body and engine

mitsubishi invest in interior and body (pre triton)

nissan invest a little bit in all, always have, which probably leaves less room for higher quality parts for one certain aspect.

[Gary A]

I was all hyped up about the new Nissan Navara. I was quite disappointed when I went to see it and found out it is bigger than my Frontier. I was actually hoping for a smaller truck. They are all too big to suit me. The Mazda Familia is the right size but no way do I want a gasoline engine or for that matter a toy truck. I also wanted a four wheel drive. My only option right now is to find an old beater 4X4 Suzuki that I can play with.

[nikster]

The BKK post had many things to criticize on the new Nissan - mainly the interior. I like the exterior styling and the macho ads. And the engine at 2.5 liters with more torque than most 3.0s. Awesome.

What puts me off though is the quality problems and service attitude at Nissan. If you have no problems with your truck - great!

But if you do - too bad. I read some English Nissan discussion board full of the most horrific stories - not only do those break down frequently, the service is also downright bad. There are apparently some manufacturing defaults as well, the auto transmission on the Navarro is said to go out easily. Co-incidentally (?) my dad's last Nissan - a Maxima - had auto tranny problems that simply could not be resolved. He eventually cut a deal with the dealer and got one with manual tranny!

[Clipped]

but really, who cares what the bkk post says, most reviews are pain under the table anyway....its there to influence, i think i should start a product review board here, just imagine how many crooked thai/chinese business men would be at my doorsteps to pay me off...bwahahahahahaha !!!!(sinister laugh)

i looked at a few discussion boards too, but i dont really agree with them, some of the post were talking in 'miles' when they shouldve been stated in 'kilometers' if the posters were coming out of england....

im sure there are complaints, but i believe these complaints are coming from first model year production runs.

what i read was the rear differential becomes unloaded, and the bell housings/clutch wears out quickly 15,000 miles...but i didnt read anything about auto trans failing.

i think nissan tested the first run of navaros out in england, but to screw up that bad in thailand, would be suicide for there trucks...besides, they are manufactured here, less tax, and more room for better quality local parts....

ehhh, with my luck i'll probably get one that was meant for england but sold here instead..

i love the interior, screw the bkk post

Edited April 4, 2007 by Clipped

[jasreeve17]

Clipped, if you like it, then go for it.

If your workload is average, or less so (as most truck use in Thailand is) then you should have very few problems with any of these trucks.

If you have a high or tough workload then you should seriously consider the Izuzu and Toyota ahead of anything else.

Good luck.

[chanchao]

I was all hyped up about the new Nissan Navara. I was quite disappointed when I went to see it and found out it is bigger than my Frontier.

In which dimension is it bigger? Are you SURE it's bigger and it doesn't just seem that way because the cargo bed perhaps has taller sides to it, and/or you were looking at a 4x4 model that's just TALLER, not really BIGGER in width and length? Or if it really is bigger, in what dimension(s) ?

If your workload is average, or less so (as most truck use in Thailand is) then you should have very few problems with any of these trucks.

If you have a high or tough workload then you should seriously consider the Izuzu and Toyota ahead of anything else.

So why do guys hauling the heaviest of loads (ice, water, gas) most often use Nissan trucks then? (Sometimes with modded extra heavy duty leaf springs in the back). If anything I think Nissan was always a favourite for the really heavy loads in urban environments?

[Plus]

It's difficult to quantify a truck with less than 5% market share as a favourite, in any particular subcategory. There are probably more Toyotas/Isuzus hauling heavy loads than all Nissans altogether.

As I remember from reviews, Navarra is indeed bigger than any other truck. It's definitely wider, maybe the wheel base is longer as well.

[Clipped]

ive seen alot of nissan trucks doing heavy loads, about on par with isuzus, ...but these were the frontiers

but if you try quantifying a single cab truck eg; no extra cab, non 4 door, you may see that nissan comes out rather well.

[Clipped]

ive seen alot of nissan trucks doing heavy loads, about on par with isuzus, ...but these were the frontiers

but if you try quantifying a single cab truck eg; no extra cab, non 4 door, you may see that nissan comes out rather well.

i just wish they would get rid of that black thing on the tailgate, looks pretty cheesy and out of place.

the ones in thailand have bluetooth?

[Gary A]

I don't have sizes or numbers because I don't care. I sat in one and it looked and felt bigger. The salesman quickly bragged that it is the biggest most powerful pickup in Thailand. That was just what I DIDN'T want.

Up here in the boonies serious working trucks are Isuzu and Nissan. The farmers ask how much can they overload them and how far can they go on a liter of diesel. They simply don't consider a Toyota a working truck although you do see four door Toyotas being used as the family car. You just don't see four door working trucks. Ford has been pretty successful in gaining market share up here although I haven't see huge overload springs added to Fords or Chevys like I see on Isuzu and Nissan.

[chanchao]

> They simply don't consider a Toyota a working truck

There's big regional variations. Like if you go to Chiang Rai especially into the hills, then it's very rare to see anything BUT Toyota. And they all haul cabbages up (well, down, rather), mountain dirt roads.

[Clipped]

yeah a 4 door working truck would be kinda pointless, not enough bed area.

wherever there are the most dealers there will be more of that brand.

Gary, just wondering, whats up with the small pickup thing? i know its better for offroading, but any other reason besides fuel consumption? as im wanting a bigger interior myself and feel cramped up in my little sentra.

the older isuzu 2.3 engines were known to last and fuel consumption was legendary....almost everyone had a problem with cracking windshields though.

[chanchao]

He could get a Nissan NV.

It's made by the beloved Nissan, and is small.

[Gary A]

yeah a 4 door working truck would be kinda pointless, not enough bed area.

wherever there are the most dealers there will be more of that brand.

Gary, just wondering, whats up with the small pickup thing? i know its better for offroading, but any other reason besides fuel consumption? as im wanting a bigger interior myself and feel cramped up in my little sentra.

the older isuzu 2.3 engines were known to last and fuel consumption was legendary....almost everyone had a problem with cracking windshields though.

My wife has a small farm on a narrow dirt road. In some places brush will scratch both sides of a regular sized pickup and if someone happens to be coming from the opposite direction it gets really interesting. If I had a new 4X4 regular size pickup, I'd hate to see it get all scratched up. Many of the farm roads up here are used only by mechanical buffalo Kubotas and motorcycles. I have been looking for an old mechanically sound Suzuki jeep.

[Clipped]

ahhh, thats exactly what i was thinking...those suzukis are great but i wouldnt recommend them for going up mountains, i almost rolled one at samui, coudve been due to the bald tires though... they can go where some 4x4's cant...how about a Subaru Brat?..(good luck finding one in good condition).

Edited April 6, 2007 by Clipped

[chanchao]

If you dive them keeping in mind they're not rally cars you're really not likely to roll it.

[Gary A]

I think Subarus are few and far between thus making it difficult to find parts. I don't think they have changed the Suzuki drive line for over fifteen years so parts are easy to find. Years ago I had a Carribian and I had a lot of fun with it. I used to drive it from Bangkok to Roiet but it was a punishing drive. They DO ride hard and are not very good for highway travel. For little excursions around farm country they are perfect. And YES, they do turn over pretty easy. That's what seat belts are for. A friend of mine up here rolled over his Mitsubishi jeep and he was lucky he had his seat belt on. The roll cage was bent up pretty bad and without the seat belt he would no doubt have been thrown out.

[Clipped]

i was going up a narrow mountain trail with bald tires....just couldnt bite, next thing i knew i was sliding backwards...not a fun situation...a group of farmers were walking by and helped me keep it on all 4 .

lucky

those suzukis are some of the most unergonomic rides around, had a backache after renting it for 2 days.

[jasreeve17]

> They simply don't consider a Toyota a working truck

There's big regional variations. Like if you go to Chiang Rai especially into the hills, then it's very rare to see anything BUT Toyota. And they all haul cabbages up (well, down, rather), mountain dirt roads.

Toyota are the toughest, full stop.

I used to live in Darwin, the terain is very tough - everyone had a Toyota.

I also used to live in Outer Mongolia. I don't know of a tougher environment. Toyotas were number one, but if you didn't have enough money then an Izuzu was OK. I did go into the reasons why with some long termers that really pushed their trucks hard, but I can't be bothered to get technical as I've only got an hour to get to Justco and back before the football starts.

Toyota are the best trucks. If you want to buy something different, then that's your choice.

Clipped, goodluck, and go for the one that you like best because I doubt that you'll be stressing any of the main manufacturers products too hard.

[F1 Visa Runner]

Today I just had my first real close up on the new navara. It looks really great and also come in a good big size I think.

What I really liked though was that the widebody version comes with the body all widened in one piece of a metal fender. Not the crappy piece of plastic like all other 4x4 pickup models got on the outside of all 4 fenders.

When making the fenders this way the body of the car IS really wider and you dont get the 4-5 cm edge on the under side of the plastic widener and to where it meets the real metal fender.

This makes it possible to fit the navara with big wide 20" or 22" wheels and lower it to the wheels almost meet the fenders. This will look so nice on this model and will also be safe as you do not need to worry about your big wheels banging up into the fenders if carrying heavy loads or on a very bumpy road.

In my opininon, excellent body work and just what i have been missing on the pickup scene.

The cab back doors are also great and should really be on all manufacturers cab models. I think nissan will gain sales with this model.

[Wellyoudidask]

> They simply don't consider a Toyota a working truck

There's big regional variations. Like if you go to Chiang Rai especially into the hills, then it's very rare to see anything BUT Toyota. And they all haul cabbages up (well, down, rather), mountain dirt roads.

THIS ONES FOR SALE !

[LoveDaBlues]

> They simply don't consider a Toyota a working truck

There's big regional variations. Like if you go to Chiang Rai especially into the hills, then it's very rare to see anything BUT Toyota. And they all haul cabbages up (well, down, rather), mountain dirt roads.

THIS ONES FOR SALE !

I'll give 3K baht; but only if the tank is full.

[Plus]

I thought this was funny:

"Navara cannot be named as a true 4x4 as it has one serious and dangerous drawback.

Although the fuel tank shows 1/4 full at the horizontal, when descending a steep trail, the fuel cuts off, the tank gauge showing empty and the engine cuts off leaving the vehicle in a dangerous situation with no steering or brakes."

How could Nissan designers overlook that????

What else have they forgotten?

It's from the letters to BP Motoring.

[chanchao]

> This makes it possible to fit the navara with big wide 20" or 22" wheels and lower it

> to the wheels almost meet the fenders.

Lower it?!