SPRING INTO action
The latest-generation Navara, the D23, arrived in Australia with much fanfare in mid-2015. The D23 replaced the very successful, Hiluxchallenging D40 that debuted in 2004.
Before that, the D40 replaced the D22 of 1979, which in turn replaced the D21 of 1985.
Before that time, Nissan utes went under the names 720, 620, 520, etc, all the way back to the 120 of 1955. Going back even further, Nissan produced its first light truck in 1938, so it’s not new to this business.
Perhaps all would have been fine if Nissan hadn’t also decided to chase the heavy load and tow segment of the broader ute market.
Much of the fanfare with the D23 was that it had coil springs rather than leaf springs at the back of seven out of eight dual-cab models on offer. The coil springs were
