Nissan Navara ST Black Edition 2019 Review

 

The Nissan Navara 2019 has recently received two new variants one of which is the ST Black Edition. While the SL Silverline initially builds upon the SL grade, the ST Black Edition is as you’d guess, based on the ST. In both cases, they have added value but don’t have any additional costs – each one of these is limited to merely 900 units.

The Black Edition builds on all of the stuff that’s already in the ST, like the 7.0-inch touch screen coupled with navigation, USB and Bluetooth, vinyl flooring, cloth trim and a fully leather covered steering wheel. Though with the Black Edition as you’d might have already guessed, there is a lot more black like large 18-inch black alloy wheels fitted with comparatively good all-terrain tires, black sports bar, a black nudge bar, soft tonneau cover, black grille, black fog light surroundings, black mirror caps, a tube liner especially across the tray, smoked bonnet protector, and wheel arch flares.

Also thrown in are some extra decals which ensure that everyone can tell that it is a special edition. You also get a cell phone holder smack in the middle of the dashboard. The ST Black Edition 2019 comes powered by a 2.3-liter 4-cylinder twin turbo diesel engine capable of producing a decent 140-kW and a whopping 450-Nm of torque. Also advertised but something we couldn’t test is its 750-kg towing capacity for an unbraked trailer and around 3500-kg (which is pretty decent) for a braked trailer.

While the specs are more than decent for the Nissan Navara 2019, the most important thing everyone wants to know is – how does it perform on the road? That’s what we’ll examine in this review.

What’s in the Black Edition isn’t in Others?

The Nissan Navara happens to be a rather unique vehicle introduced in the dual-cab segment mainly because it has coil springs that are more car-like as opposed to truck like. So, you don’t get the conventional leaf-spring configuration like with other trucks.

Those who remember the D23 generation of the Navara are probably familiar with the issues that particular model suffered from when it came to the steering and suspension. However, since then Nissan’s engineering team has been working hard to iron out those issues and has improved things considerably across the board.

The ST Black Edition 2019 performs both as an excellent everyday machine thanks to the smooth gear shifting and quick steering rack response, and it can just as easily switch into a work-horse mode in which it can easily carry a full payload. Its stiffer suspension and greatly improved bump stops make it a noteworthy contender in this price bracket.

How Comfortable is the Navara ST Black Edition 2019?

On the whole, you won’t be compromising much comfort if you are the driver or occupy the front seat. Though those seated in the back seat may have to put up with the slightly higher hip point. Kids will need to deal with a flat bench type surface.

On the upside, the rear air vents are a welcome addition which isn’t too common in these types of vehicles, not to mention the addition of electrically sliding window in the rear which helps keep the air flowing.

People seated in the front have things better with comfortable seats, more headroom and easy adjustment of just about every aspect of their positioning. The steering wheel, on the other hand, is another story; it only moves either down or up so finding the sweet spot for most drivers will be frustrating.

The controls are laid out logically, are easy to use and pretty self-explanatory. The cabin, for the most part, has a modern appearance, with some premium feeling plastics. Addition of the infotainment system is good but not the best since it lacks features like smartphone mirroring and digital radio. Though most people would be able to live without it.

Driving Pleasure

The all-terrain tires offer very good traction and excellent protection when traveling on bad patches of tarmac or even going off road. It does so without compromising performance and is comparatively quiet. That said, the Black Edition has very little in the way of changes and everything else performs the same other than the tires.

The driving performance on the Series III is way better than the first generation Navara. It has less wheel twirling when putting the car through tight bends and it is a lot more stable at highway speeds. The slightly modified rear suspension makes it more than capable of carrying heavy loads. That said the Navara’s stiffer settings as you’d image does compromise ride comfort to some extent as the rear skips over most bumps and there is some jiggling when driving on rough patches. However, it is something to be expected and for many people including ourselves isn’t a major deal breaker.

Fuel Economy

The ST Black Edition 2019 is nearly identical to the mainstream version of the vehicle regarding fuel economy consuming 6.5 liters for every 100 kms for the standard transmission. The automatic transmission consumes 7 liters for every 100 kms.

Final Verdict

The 2.3-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel under the hood of the Nissan Navara ST Black Edition 2019, coupled with an all-black interior and exterior is without a doubt one of the most beautiful vehicles in its class. However, slight tweaks across the board may make driving and handling of the vehicle slightly different from the standard version. That said, if you’ve test driven the standard model, then you know exactly what to expect from the Black Edition. In our books, it is a must buy for anyone in the market for a Navara in 2019, but you’ll need to be quick as Nissan is only going to sell 900 of these.

Additional Details

Car Make: Nissan
Car Make: Navara
Make Year: 2019