Nissan Navara is fast, comfortable and capable

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Because this Navara is quite capable of eating a hatch for breakfast, thanks to enough muscle under the bonnet to produce a fuel-injected 198kW and 385Nm.

And its not scared of revs either, so it will happily send the red line to deep in the 6,000's as you whip it through its six-speed box.

In a straight line shoot-out it accelerates rapidly and smoothly enough to test most hatches, so if you are whipping a hatch, bide your time and wait for the twisties because no bakkie can compete with a hatch when it comes to cornering.

Not that the big Navara is scared of corners. It just wasn't put on earth for that.

Nope, its main function is to provide the space and the power to haul a load weighing up to 971kg, plus four occupants in relaxed comfort.

And in this the Navara succeeds admirably. In fact, it does so with car-like grace and pace.

The living quarters are well insulated against outside noises, the seats are comfortable and there is space aplenty, even for five tall and broads.

Good aircon and a classy six-speaker sound system add to the pleasant ambience of the cabin and others you can tick off on the fancies lists are central locking, airbags and side-impact bars, fog lamps, rear step-up bumper, roof rail, cruise control, blue tooth hands-free system, flat-folding front seat and 60:40 split rear seat, arm rests at the back, child locks and ISOFIX child seat anchors, cupholders, plus power windows and mirrors.

What particularly impressed during our week-long stint in this Navara is its lovely smooth ride, nothing like the bumpetity-bump progress many vehicles in this class are renowned for.

Although it's certainly not scared of hauling heavy workloads, its ride quality and fancy equipment make it even more attractive to the leisure market.

Its generous and easily accessible load bay is ideal for the whole gambit of grown-up toys and with a toe-bar at the back and a powerful V6 up front, the 4.0-litre is also ideal for towing a big boat, trailer or caravan.

It may not be a 4x4 but it is quite capable of tackling most tough off-road challenges without breaking out in a wheel-spinning sweat.

“A double-cab with the classy fixtures and comfortable ride of a saloon” is a much-used (and at times, abused) phrase used by many vehicle manufacturers, but in this instance the description is spot on.

At R295,000 this big-engined petrol Navara must rate as a very sensible and competitive option in the double-cab market, particularly when you add in a price-inclusive three-year/100,000km service plan and a three-year/100,000km warranty.