1 Feb 1986
Nissan’s Navara replaced the capable but agricultural 720 light trucks in 1986.
It featured a all-new front-cab offering more car-like comfort and features than any previous Nissan/Datsun utility.
Initially the Navara came in single-cab pickup, dual-cab pickup and King Cab pickup, offering 4x2 or 4x4 drivetrains.
Petrol engines were a 66kW/147Nm 2.0-litre SOHC and 74kW/177Nm 2.4-litre SOHC four-cylinder units in five-speed manual or four-speed auto option from 1988.
A 57kW/162Nm 25-litre OHV diesel four-cylinder engine was also available until early ’88, when it was enlarged slightly with outputs of 55kW and 160Nm. At the same time a new 58kW/173Nm 2.7 diesel with a four-speed automatic arrived on some models.
Power steering was made standard on all 4x4 models from 1990.
From mid-’92 the D21 facelift brought a small raft of changes and a more rounded bonnet.
While the carburettor 74kW/177Nm version remained, the addition of fuel injection upped the upper-spec ST models’ 2.4-litre SOHC four-cylinder engine’s output to 91kW and 191Nm.
But the big news was the installation of a 113kW/248Nm 3.0-litre SOHC 12V V6 engine in various Navara models, in either four-speed automatic or five-speed manual guises.
