Nissan's four at a time

By Alastair Sloane

A few weeks ago Nissan unveiled three new cars - the 200SX sports car and station wagon variants of the Primera and Pulsar.

It also showed off a fourth vehicle, the updated two and four-wheel-drive Navara. But it placed an embargo on details of the facelift until it had familiarised its dealers with the changes.

This can be messy but it does save money. Why launch three vehicles one week and a fourth soon after?

Throwing the covers off all four models at once is at least cost-effective, a compound word cropping up more and more in conversations with Nissan executives since Renault bought about 35 per cent of the debt-ridden company a few months ago.

Changes to the Navara models include a more powerful 2.4-litre petrol engine, a bigger fuel tank, a standard chrome front bumper, upgraded interiors and tilt-adjustable steering wheel. But the significant change to the commercial range is in the towing capacity of the four-wheel-drive 2.7 and 3.2-litre diesel variants, up from 1500kg to 2000kg.

The 2.4-litre petrol engine is used in two-wheel-drive models only. It has been fitted with a double overhead camshaft and a 16-valve cylinder head, changes which have pushed up power from 93kW to 110kW at 5600 rpm and torque from 198Nm at 4000 rpm to 208Nm at 3600 rpm.

The new motor has pushed up the price of the double-cab wellside by $500 and the Venturer by $1000.