Stealth(y) Nissan Navara revisit shows stalwart still has appeal

The onset of May will mark the end of an era when Nissan wraps up South African assembly at its Rosslyn Plant outside Pretoria.

Local production ending soon

As is well-known by now, the brand announced in February that 60 years of local assembly of various Datsun, Nissan, Fiat and Renault vehicles would cease as part of its global restructuring process under the RE: NISSAN banner.

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The facility, its stamping plant and surroundings will become the property of Chery, whose first locally made product will emerge in 2027.

Nissan NOT leaving

Nissan’s departure, however, won’t result in it leaving South Africa. Instead, it will become an importer with at least two confirmed new products debuting this year.

The all-new Y63 Patrol will make its eagerly awaited debut on local soil later this year. Picture: Nissan

These are the Tekton based on the Indian-market Renault Duster and the long-awaited Y62 Patrol.

A third model, derived from the Renault Boreal, is also expected either towards the end of the year or in 2027. For 2026, it will thus have four SUVs, the pair remaining being the Magnite and X-Trail.

Navara’s future

The end of production will, of course, bring an end to five years of Navara assembly.

Produced at Rosslyn since 2021 as part of its first mid-life update, the D23 Navara has been the solitary product made ever since the end of the NP200 two years ago.

The heavily reworked D23 is expected to still be offered in South Africa, but as an import. Picture: Nissan

With an investigation into a second model to fully utilise capacity ultimately proving unsuccessful, the Navara will therefore depart Rosslyn as the final locally-made Nissan product ever made.

Unlike the Mazda BT-50, the Navara won’t disappear completely. Instead, the incoming facelifted D23 will again be imported from Thailand and will debut when it first goes on sale as the Nissan Frontier in South America.

The all-new D27 Navara, based on the Mitsubishi Triton, is a no-no as it has been devised solely for Australasia.

Unexpected reunion

With time ticking, one probable last opportunity to sample the made-in-South-Africa Navara arose unexpectedly with the arrival of the Stealth.

Introduced last year, the Stealth is based on the normal double-cab-only LE, with a choice of rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.

Buyers have a choice of four colours, the depicted Techno Grey from the Pro-4X being one option. Picture: Charl Bosch

Reviving the moniker last used on the pre-facelift Navara in 2019, the Stealth had already been subjected to a visit to Gerotek as part of the weeklong stay.

Having clocked a 0-100km/h time of 12.4 seconds with Road Test Editor Mark Jones at the wheel, its arrival was expected to last the usual seven days.

However, due to a variety of factors, it has been in the care of The Citizen for just over two months, with just over 1 500km put onto its odometer.

Stealth touches

Finished in Techno Grey, white and Infinite Black being the other colour options, the Stealth is essentially an appearance package, contrary to the Australian-developed Pro-4X Warrior being an off-road-focused version of the normal Pro-4X based on the LE as well.

One of the bespoke touches is the Stealth-branded black sports bar. Picture: Charl Bosch

As such, the Stealth add-ons include:

• Integrated nudge bar;
• Black grille and bumper;
• Side-steps;
• Stealth badges on the doors and tailgate;
• Stealth-badge sports bar

Its darkened or Stealth touches are rounded off by black mirror caps and roof rails, black door handles and finally, black 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Dunlop Grandtrek all-terrain tyres.

Standard on the Stealth are 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in all-terrain tyres. Picture: Charl Bosch

Inside, Nissan has only expanded the use of leather from the seats to the doors and armrests.

Gone is the orange stitchwork from the original Stealth, which, as with the exterior, isn’t as flamboyant but is more discreet and slightly more rugged-looking.

Age prominent inside

Arguably still one of the best-looking bakkies after its facial uplift five years ago, the Navara’s 12-year-old age is felt inside.

Interior has not been changed from the LE apart from expanded leather trim. Picture: Charl Bosch

Besides the dated dashboard, the eight-inch infotainment display is tiny, the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity laggy, and the quality of the surround-view camera system is poor, especially at night.

The interior’s ergonomics are at least still easy to understand, as physical switchgear is still prominent.

However, seat comfort is spoiled by the lack of sufficient height adjustability. As such, one feels seated on top of the steering wheel instead of behind it – this despite the steering column being rake and reach adjustable.

Driver’s seat doesn’t drop low enough despite being electric. Picture: Charl Bosch

Nissan has, however, indicated that major changes will be applied on the connectivity front once the facelift model debuts.

Coil springs still

Key to the Navara’s appeal has always been its ride. Using a five-link coil rear suspension setup, which has been further refined for local conditions, the ride is comfortable and without “hitting through” on less ideal surfaces.

The biggest issue, though, is the very heavy steering, which tends to feel almost unassisted at times.

As with the rest of the double cab Navara range, the Stealth still has a tow rating of 3 500kg, ground clearance of 221 mm and payload of 1 003kg.

On the move

As part of the production move from Thailand to South Africa, the newer twin-turbo 2.3-litre YS23DDTI engine made way for the older YD25DDTI 2.5-litre single turbo used in the previous D40 Navara, Pathfinder and the NP300 Hardbody.

A deliberate move to appease export markets where diesel quality is lower, the unit is a tried-and-tested formula that makes 140kW/450Nm.

Not the most refined or quiet, it is unstressed and once out of the initial turbo-lag zone, responsive enough and with a more linear than explosive power delivery.

Stealth can be specified with rear-wheel drive or, in the case of our “long-termer”, with selectable four-wheel drive. Picture: Charl Bosch

In fact, and despite the cheeky wastegate flutter, liveliness could have been improved had it not been for the lethargic seven-speed automatic gearbox.

The only option for the Stealth, the ‘box’s tall ratios mean it takes its time going up, yet becomes flustered when shifting down – often skipping two gears at once.

Fortunately, a manual override is provided, which addresses the issue without asking.

Our test unit, being the 4×4, means the standard fitting of the low-range transfer case, a locking rear differential and Hill Descent Control.

Consumption

During its stay, the Stealth was used for the daily commute, weekend trips, heading to and from O.R. Tambo International Airport, and as a workhorse moving chairs for Motoring Head Jaco van der Merwe’s recent birthday bash.

As such, fuel consumption has been on the heavy side, with an average of 10.2 L/100km displayed on the instrument cluster.

Conclusion

Priced at R775 200, a R35 000 premium over the LE, the Stealth remains a good looker and a solid choice considering a lot more capital outlay is needed to obtain one of its other rivals.

However, all those rivals are of a newer design, better equipped and in some instances, more powerful.

Along with the ever-growing list of Chinese bakkies, some between R150 000 and R200 000 cheaper, the Navara is still in for a tough ride, with the lingering prospect of being imported once again, and pricier, not helping.

Its reputation and reliability are attributes that cannot be ignored, though, and considering South Africans’ willingness to pay more for aesthetic differences to “stand out”, the Stealth is still a worthy but aged offering to consider should a legacy brand product be top of mind.

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