International pickup truck market is all about mid-size class and there is no place for huge models you would find in North America. Therefore, the segment is mostly about Japanese trucks, though Ford and Chevy are present as well in certain parts of the world. In any case, the competition is pretty tough and it’s getting even tougher these days. Therefore, the 2020 Nissan Navara comes with some quite notable updates. The current generation of the popular truck has been around since 2014, so this seems like a perfect time for updates. Interestingly, the company has decided not to bring us too many aesthetical changes, so this isn’t actually a facelift.
More importantly, there are some pretty significant changes under the skin. There is a completely new transmission in the offer, while a familiar diesel engine has been revised as well. Also, there is a completely new suspension setup. All in all, we have no doubt that Nissan did the right thing with this update, focusing on mechanics instead of adding new flashy visual details. The new version had a premiere already and will hit the market sometime in the second half of the year.
2020 Nissan Navara Redesign
This update brings a lot of interesting changes. Still, the core of the truck has remained the same. The 2020 Nissan Navara will continue to ride on a good old Alpha platform, which has been around since the early ‘00s. Of course, it received several significant updates and upgrades.
This update also brings important novelties. Without any doubt, the biggest novelty is a completely new suspension setup. Traditionally, Navara has been recognized as one of the most driveable trucks on the market, but the new suspension should improve already good work capabilities as well. Some of the benefits are higher payload capacity, but we have no doubt that the driving experience will be improved as well.
Styling
Constant visual updates became a common thing in today’s automotive industry. From that perspective, the new 2020 Nissan Navara seems a little bit uncommon. The new model doesn’t feature too many notable changes. Moreover, you probably won’t notice a bigger difference between this and the previous year model. Only after a much closer looks, you will notice revisions on headlights. Other than that, things are largely the same. On the other side, you can easily notice new wheels designs. The 2020 Nissan Navara comes with a couple of new sets, with 17 and 18 inches in diameter, reserved for different trim levels.
Other than that, the new model looks pretty much the same. There is a familiar layout, which comes in a couple of variants, with different cab designs and bed sizes in the offer.
Interior
Interior changes are also pretty modest. Practically, the only notable novelty is a new 8-inch touchscreen. It is bigger, faster and more transparent. Of course, it also comes with new software, which brings more options and more intuitive menu. The rest of the cabin continues in the same way. The dashboard, as well as the instrument cluster, look exactly the same. Nissan doesn’t put too much focus on aesthetics in this truck, which is much more about functionality and durability. Not only that you won’t find too fancy dashboard design, but interior materials are also mostly about hard plastics and similar materials that are designed to last for ages.
Like previous year models, the new one will also continue in two body styles in the offer. Base models come with a two-door King Cab layout, while the bigger Double Cab models are more comfort-oriented and come with four doors.
2020 Nissan Navara Engines
Big novelties are coming under the hood for the 2020 Nissan Navara. As we already mentioned, there is a new 6-speed manual transmission in the offer, which is smoother and also provides longer ratios and shorter shift patterns. Besides the new manual gearbox, count on a familiar 7-speed automatic gearbox in the offer.
When it comes to engines, a 2.3-liter turbodiesel has been updated as well. It now comes with twin turbocharges, which provide more torque, while the horsepower remains the same (163). This is the most popular engine choice for Navara, but there is also a more powerful diesel option with around 190 horsepower. Finally, you can also get a gasoline version on certain markets. This engine comes equipped with a 2.5-liter gasoline unit, which is good for about 160 horses.
2020 Nissan Navara Release Date and Price
The new version already had a premiere but we don’t expect to see it on the market that soon. We will have to wait for a couple of months. The exact schedule will largely depend on the part of the world. When it comes to the price, bigger changes shouldn’t come. Base models should go around 27.000 dollars, with slight deviations, depending on the market.
The competition in the segment is extremely tough. Of course, the first ones that come to mind are models like Toyota Hilux, Isuzu D-Max, Chevy Colorado, Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi L200, as well as corporate sibling, Renault Alaskan.
