NP300 First Impressions?

[boostin_7]

I dont suppose any of you lads could whip out the tape & measure:
*Ground to chasis rail &
*Ground to sill
On your stock NP's

 

[brebel]

Gday all, have about 3000km on mine now (STX 4wd) and have no real issues which is great especially for a new released vehicle.
When we were test driving the other utes, the Ranger was by far the best on paper but it has very little comparable qualities to the Navara (for what we were after) .
The Navara drove like an SUV albeit the steering is a bit slow. But it is extremely comfortable and the new rear suspension is very good under no/low loads.
Havent tested it under load yet with my caravan so this will be interesting as my first impressions might have it struggling up hills or with big head winds.

My gripes - why is there no external temp sensor??? The head unit even has the set up for it.
Soft steering,
Smallish tray but still very useable.
A little rattly when you give it a bit of a boot but hey, its a diesel ute.
Those stupid child restraints. Who was the moron who thought of those.
Next to no space in the engine bay for a second battery setup.
Installing a uhf set, no decent place to mount the mic.

These complaints arent big ones but the rest of it is very good hence we bought it.

I only have 360kms on my STX and I agree on your gripes especially the steering, if there is ever a fix for the crappy steering ratio I will be getting it, and I miss not having an external temp sensor.

 

[Tonba]

Well, I have offically owned my Nav for 4 days (today is the 5th day) and 600~km's.

I am LOVING the comfort, ride quality and the low down torque of the new engine. It is so easy to short shift with the torque band starting at 1,500rpm. Really nice to drive. At cruising speeds I really enjoy how quiet and relaxing the drive is.. especially with the low down torque.

Overall the vehicle does not feel like a truck. Very impressed. I have many comments about the styling and the ride comfort.

Now, the negatives..

The steering... Wow. This is a pain in the backside. I really hope nissan release something or someone looks at an aftermarket steering ratio ratio adjustment. Ratio is much too slow and requires big input for little result.

Steering Wheel... Overall it is okay. But with so much wheel twirling (due to horrid steering ratio), I find that I am always beeping the horn while reverse parking. Gets a little annoying. Im thinking of getting it re-trimmed or something so it has a bit more 'meat' to hang on to.

Auto up/down windows... Well this is annoying that only the drivers window is 'auto down'. I miss the auto windows up and down from the missus car. Surely it isn't that hard to put these switches into the drivers door for every window. Makes putting windows up and down a pain.

External Temp Sensor... I never realized how much I enjoy this in the missus car, and now coming to my brand new one, and it is missing, feels odd. Not a major issue, but deffo an oversight.

Storage... Umm, I think storage in cabin is a little underdone. Nissan went crazy with cup holders, but light on with storage space. Not a massive issue, but is slightly annoying.

 

[Vigilante]

I dont suppose any of you lads could whip out the tape & measure:
*Ground to chasis rail &
*Ground to sill
On your stock NP's

I would also like to know this information. Stock D40 is sooooo lowww !

 

[Tonba]

I would also like to know this information. Stock D40 is sooooo lowww !

I dont suppose any of you lads could whip out the tape & measure:
*Ground to chasis rail &
*Ground to sill
On your stock NP's

When its not pissing down rain here Ill get under the truck and measure some of these things for you.

 

[boostin_7]

That'd be great thanks!

 

[mike1303]

Isn't this sexy

 

[boostin_7]

Still raining mate

 

[Tonba]

Sorry mate, Will try again on the weekend. Work has been crazy.

 

[Cessa]

I dont suppose any of you lads could whip out the tape & measure:
*Ground to chasis rail &
*Ground to sill
On your stock NP's

Gday, finally got to your question on my STX. Stock

Ground to chasis rail = 270mm, a touch less if you go ground to diff.

Ground to sill = 500mm

The STX has 18inch wheels so if you stock in an ST etc it will be slightly closer to the ground unless the 17inch wheels have higher side wall tyres???

Cheers

 

[boostin_7]

Holy cow the chassis rails sit near 5 inches lower than the sills!
The sill height though is heaps more than the d40's though.
I'd imagine the 18's would have a lower profile tyre to keep the same rolling diameter.

 

[d22dave]

My first impression is that if I was in the market for a new ute, that it wouldn't even get a look in. Would still get a d40 as a replacement of the d22. Otherwise in a couple of years it will be a serious look at a ranger

 

[boostin_7]

I personally like what ive seen of them. The twins are supposed to have zero lag and bring on the 450nm @ 1500rpm.
I do wish the chassis want so low though.
Do keep in mind that i haven't driven one, jst peaked at one in a car park.
Ive jst bought 3yrs ext warranty on my d40, so I'll be hanging onto her for a while anyways to get my money's worth.

 

[Cessa]

I personally like what ive seen of them. The twins are supposed to have zero lag and bring on the 450nm @ 1500rpm.
I do wish the chassis want so low though.
Do keep in mind that i haven't driven one, jst peaked at one in a car park.
Ive jst bought 3yrs ext warranty on my d40, so I'll be hanging onto her for a while anyways to get my money's worth.

I find with mine, the vehicle has good power at around 1900rpm, the gears sit well around this. Any lower say 1500rpm, and its looking at dropping down gears to keep speed.

I think the idea of keeping the vehicle low is to be more fuel efficient and less body roll.

If you want ground clearance, then after market is the way to go.

 

[Tonba]

Gday, finally got to your question on my STX. Stock

Ground to chasis rail = 270mm, a touch less if you go ground to diff.

Ground to sill = 500mm

The STX has 18inch wheels so if you stock in an ST etc it will be slightly closer to the ground unless the 17inch wheels have higher side wall tyres???

Cheers

The ST has 16" wheels. Same rolling diameter as the 18's.

I personally like what ive seen of them. The twins are supposed to have zero lag and bring on the 450nm @ 1500rpm.
I do wish the chassis want so low though.
Do keep in mind that i haven't driven one, jst peaked at one in a car park.
Ive jst bought 3yrs ext warranty on my d40, so I'll be hanging onto her for a while anyways to get my money's worth.

The car has no lag, seriously. The powerband is huge compared to other Utes on the market (im not talking about max torque). I have now put 1250km's on it, and it is feeling great!

I find with mine, the vehicle has good power at around 1900rpm, the gears sit well around this. Any lower say 1500rpm, and its looking at dropping down gears to keep speed.

I think the idea of keeping the vehicle low is to be more fuel efficient and less body roll.

If you want ground clearance, then after market is the way to go.

Hmmm, I find at 1500rpm mine sits just fine. On my last few trips I have been averaging 6.4~6.6L/100kms when taking it easy and shifting at 1800~2000rpm. Plenty of torque to go around. My mate who drove it on Saturday night, was super impressed with it.

 

[brebel]

After following my new STX the other day I noticed that it was "crabbing", the rear was a little to the left, has anyone else seen this? I will see what the dealer has to say, I want it sorted.

 

[Tonba]

After following my new STX the other day I noticed that it was "crabbing", the rear was a little to the left, has anyone else seen this? I will see what the dealer has to say, I want it sorted.

Haven't noticed anything.

Possibly wheel alignment related? Hope you get it sorted.

 

[Vigilante]

Gday, finally got to your question on my STX. Stock

Ground to chasis rail = 270mm, a touch less if you go ground to diff.

Ground to sill = 500mm

The STX has 18inch wheels so if you stock in an ST etc it will be slightly closer to the ground unless the 17inch wheels have higher side wall tyres???

Cheers

Whoa. That is about the same as a stock D40. Thanks for that - probably too low for me... won't be making the same mistake twice ehe

 

[NP300TT]

G'day all

I've had my NP300 STX auto for about 3 months and clocked up about 7500k's after a holiday from Bris to western NSW and Kosciusko National park. Did some reasonably serious off roading west of Bathurst where I got the suspension twisted up, bit of mud driving and rock hopping. Performed really well - coils at the back make a massive difference and traction control system is pretty good.
Tested the hill decent function but got a bit frustrated as it was too slow... maybe slope wasn't steep enough. Highway economy was 6.9lt/100 when feathering but went to 7.8 when doing 110k + Varies heaps around town obviously depending how hard you drive it.
Only mods so far are a set of 17x9 KMC alloys and 265/70 R17 Pirelli Scorpion ATR's. Tyres don't scrub at full lock/flex with standard suspension....
Overall really happy with it, and towing is also really good - Had 3t behind it lugging Railway sleepers around.
Cheers

 

[Lugnuts]

Am thinking about getting the ST but a bit disappointed that it doesn't have hill descent control.

I'd get an ST-X but the roof rails mean it wouldn't fit in my garage with a lift. I can have rails or a lift, but not both together.