2012 Nissan Navara

Nissan Navara

Nissan’s Navara sits right in the crosshairs of South Africa’s one-ton bakkie fight, squaring up against the Hilux, Ranger, and D-Max with a 2.5-litre turbodiesel—no matter which badge or cab you’re after. Sure, you’ll see a petrol option in the brochures, but on local roads it’s the diesel that actually trades hands. Not a single new Navara is up for grabs through dealers, just 53 used ones, which tells you Nissan’s retreated from the segment. Pricing? Wildly scattered. R149,900 nabs you an older, well-travelled workhorse, while R769,900 gets dangerously close to Ranger XLT money. The sweet spot for most buyers seems to land around R439,900, but there’s plenty of variety if you’re picky about mileage or spec. You’ll find everything from 2010 models to fresh-off-the-lot 2026s, with average mileage sitting at 83,573 km—so there’s no shortage of choice for different budgets. Most of the premium listings hover around the Pro-2X Auto at R529,950 to R679,900, while the SE double-cab lives in the R429,900 lane. Single-cab SEs dip lower, between R339,900 and R444,900, which actually makes sense if you’re buying a bakkie to haul stuff, not just for school runs and mall parking. Those old 2.5DDTi XE D/Cs at R169,900–R199,990 are proper grafting machines. What really keeps the Navara in the mix is ride comfort—thanks to its coil-spring rear, not the traditional leaf setup. On a battered Joburg commute, that makes a difference. And that’s the point: most buyers want comfort, not just payload bragging rights.