Navara newbie advice

[ozimax]

G'day all in Navara land. I've never had a Nissan before, just a few Mitsubishi Pajeros. Local dealer has a pretty insane deal for the D22 STR 4x4 at the moment for 28K @ 0.9% finance. That's pretty good. (Not as good as 0%, but pretty close!)

Any late model D22 owners recommend the vehicle. I won't be doing any seriously heavy towing, but lot of interstate driving for work. The ute back would be very handy for toting stuff (as opposed to stuffing it in my 98 Fairlane). I also imagine fuel economy would be seriously better than the Fairlane.

Any comments/advice very much appreciated!

Ozi.

 

[nathand22]

First off welcome to the forum,
The D22's are IMO with out a doubt the best value for money 4X4 Dual cab ute on the market, proven reliability, a pretty capable 4x4, not bad resale value & plenty of after market stuff so you can do mods with off the shelf items.
As far as economy You will quite comfortably get 10lph out of them.

For the money i say go for it, just watch the fine print on any finance deal you enter into.

 

[LLadnar]

I loved my D22, like Nath said their tough, reliable, great value for money and good looking ute.
Love my D40 more, but the D22's good stuff.

 

[Ben54b]

My 2010 22 is my work truck play truck and family hauler. The. Cab is a bit of a tight fit but at the price you can't go wrong. Mine is just about out of warranty and I have had no problems at all. They are no rocket ship but once up and rolling it get along really well. A few silly things like the interior light only works on the drivers door, no keyless entry ( fixed that for $65 at jay car and 2 hrs work) . I'm really happy with it. And any answer you need to any question about it is on this site. Good luck. Ben

 

[sparra04]

Best bang for your buck on the market
Mines 3 yr old,no real issues or complaints

 

[ozimax]

Many thanks for response. Funnily enough, and after looking at the avatars etc, earlier this month I was in Kurri, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, but not Southern Highlands.

Just took the car for a test ride. Sure is different to my Fairlane Ghia. I have had a turbo Pajero in the past, but not a smallish 2.5 ltr engine.

At the price point, it's seems unbeatable, but yes, I will definitely check out the fine print with Nissan finance.

Again, many thanks for the kind responses to my question.

Ozi.

 

[180degrees]

bet you they sting you elsewhere for it, or it will be like a 12 month term with heaps of fees.

 

[Old.Tony]

Welcome to the forum.

The D22 is a good vehicle. There's just a couple of things to bear in mind.

First - it uses torsion bars up front, not coils. She won't react to bumps as smoothly as you might expect.

Second - the seats are made from a mix of timber, concrete and hardened steel. They put a thin layer of vinyl over the top to make it look swish, but the standard seats are pretty rough on a long haul. Consider either D40 seats, or (may the Gods forgive me) some Hilux SR5 seats as replacements.

Otherwise, the D22 is a very capable truck. Can go anywhere the D40 can go and when clambering over stuff, is a little better - 100mm of shorter wheelbase gives it a slight advantage on ramp-over.

 

[Ben54b]

Welcome to the forum.

The D22 is a good vehicle. There's just a couple of things to bear in mind.

First - it uses torsion bars up front, not coils. She won't react to bumps as smoothly as you might expect.

Second - the seats are made from a mix of timber, concrete and hardened steel. They put a thin layer of vinyl over the top to make it look swish, but the standard seats are pretty rough on a long haul. Consider either D40 seats, or (may the Gods forgive me) some Hilux SR5 seats as replacements.

Otherwise, the D22 is a very capable truck. Can go anywhere the D40 can go and when clambering over stuff, is a little better - 100mm of shorter wheelbase gives it a slight advantage on ramp-over.

I usually agree with most stuff you write old tony but on this one it's very subjective. I've done all 70000 of the Km that mine has done and I really quite like the seats. I did come out of a Mazda bravo Provo pack but I also have a kluger now and had a forester and would prefer to drive the ute. I am only 172 cm and 75 kg so that may be a contributing factor. Ben

 

[nathand22]

I usually agree with most stuff you write old tony but on this one it's very subjective. I've done all 70000 of the Km that mine has done and I really quite like the seats. I did come out of a Mazda bravo Provo pack but I also have a kluger now and had a forester and would prefer to drive the ute. I am only 172 cm and 75 kg so that may be a contributing factor. Ben

I agree with Ben, i do a lot of trips for work, some days over 5hrs, and not in 370,000km in 5 yrs with the D22 did i ever have a problem with the seats.
i actually quite liked them.

 

[sparra04]

On the seat issue
I changed my drivers seat to a Toyota Sr5 seat
The Sr5 is a tall seat,ime 180cm and 100kg,and i only just fit under steering wheel
Its way more comfy on long hauls
You dont realise how terrible the std seat is till you sit in a good seat

 

[nathand22]

On the seat issue
I changed my drivers seat to a Toyota Sr5 seat
The Sr5 is a tall seat,ime 180cm and 100kg,and i only just fit under steering wheel
Its way more comfy on long hauls
You dont realise how terrible the std seat is till you sit in a good seat

Personally as i said i never had a problem with the D22 seats, BUT i have sat in my mates SR5's and those seats are terrible, they are leather so it may make a difference, i just found them to be too firm and flat, felt like i was sliding all over the shop.
Sorry Sparra, just my opinion.

 

[sparra04]

Personally as i said i never had a problem with the D22 seats, BUT i have sat in my mates SR5's and those seats are terrible, they are leather so it may make a difference, i just found them to be too firm and flat, felt like i was sliding all over the shop.
Sorry Sparra, just my opinion.

thats ok mate
i value your opinion
have a drive in the 22 at muster and see if you like my seat
i do

 

[180degrees]

D22 seats are better than the D40 seats, D40 seats are like sitting on a stone block.

 

[mad possum]

I'm 193cm and 90kg and on long trips the seats arent what I'd call comfortable, but i'm pretty sure thats cause of my size. you sit closer to the floor in a d22 than d40 from what i've seen. if you'r doing long trips a lot consider a 'in line' canopy, anything you add to the outside of the car will increase drag and thereby fuel consuption and noise. so unless you need a bullbar and racks I'd say avoid them. A lot can be done to a d22 to make them more livable tho, the wiring is there for speakers in the back, easy to fit a sub, it already has bluetooth and elec windows. Make sure you get the windows tinted, bit glarey inside otherwise. a bit of sound insulation should help (thats my summer project). The only other thing thats really shit on d22's is the lights, they're really crap! so if you're not fitting a bullbar get some hid's to upgrade and see where you're going at night. hope that my gibberish makes sense. MP

 

[BJ Navara]

I'm 193cm and 90kg and on long trips the seats arent what I'd call comfortable, but i'm pretty sure thats cause of my size. you sit closer to the floor in a d22 than d40 from what i've seen. if you'r doing long trips a lot consider a 'in line' canopy, anything you add to the outside of the car will increase drag and thereby fuel consuption and noise. so unless you need a bullbar and racks I'd say avoid them. A lot can be done to a d22 to make them more livable tho, the wiring is there for speakers in the back, easy to fit a sub, it already has bluetooth and elec windows. Make sure you get the windows tinted, bit glarey inside otherwise. a bit of sound insulation should help (thats my summer project). The only other thing thats really shit on d22's is the lights, they're really crap! so if you're not fitting a bullbar get some hid's to upgrade and see where you're going at night. hope that my gibberish makes sense. MP

Hijack question- where is the wiring for speakers in the back in a D22?

 

[fourocker]

D22 seats are better than the D40 seats, D40 seats are like sitting on a stone block.

Damn right 180.

 

[ozimax]

Thanks again. The advice is coming thick and fast, and is much appreciated. Compared to my old Magna, the D22 seats are sensational, but not in the class of my Fairlane Ghia, which is obvious.

As for finance, I have to sit down with the finance bloke next week and double check all the nasties, if any, in the contract.

 

[mad possum]

Hijack question- where is the wiring for speakers in the back in a D22?

right in the back doors, its all wired up, but typical tight ass nissan just didnt put the speakers in. super easy job, just cut out the holes out, mount them and wire them into the wiring in the door. job done

 

[BJ Navara]

right in the back doors, its all wired up, but typical tight ass nissan just didnt put the speakers in. super easy job, just cut out the holes out, mount them and wire them into the wiring in the door. job done

Thanks MP!