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| Peugeot
407 Coupe |
Broadcast
date : 28th May 2006 |
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The Toyota RAV4 recently entered
its third incarnation as everyone’s idea of an iconic sports
utility vehicle. The RAV4 can justifiably claim to have
invented the recreational semi-off-road vehicle market, where
the accent is more on lifestyle than rock-climbing.
Nissan’s Navara is cut from a different sheet of metal and
represents a different evolutionary line on the weekend fun
market.
Based on a commercial pick-up platform, it’s
conceptually far removed from the RAV4, but both types of cars
have a degree of off-road ability.
To put the vehicles to a test we thought would be typical of
what owners would demand of these two Recreational Vehicles,
or RVs, we took them to the Zwartkops Raceway complex near
Pretoria, where the off-road track has recently been re-opened
by the Protea Eco-Adventures group.
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The Navara is one good-looking hunk of a rugged recreational
vehicle. Nissan has certainly emerged from its styling
doldrums in a big way, and yes, this big double cab does meet
the visual expectations of the company’s new perceptual
paradigm.
The interior matches the sheet-metal visuals with plenty of
rear-seat space, and a classy spec level that includes remote
steering-wheel controls.
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The RAV4 has always dished up sophistication since its early
1990’s debut, and Toyota’s latest rendition is no
different.
The new model is now only offered as a five-door, which means
it has lost a little of its cuteness appeal. But it’s an
evolution of a highly sophisticated design, still offering
classy hatchback attributes with a degree of real off-road
ability.
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Our Navara test model came with the potent four-litre V6
engine, while the RAV4’s bonnet revealed yet another
refinement of Toyota’s two-litre transverse four.
The Nissan is a rear-wheel-drive only vehicle, while the RAV4
has four-wheel-drive and a new electromagnetic diff lock, but
no low-ratio option. How would they shape up at the Zwartkops
playground?
The Nissan Navara has initially been introduced as a
rear-wheel-drive-only range of double cabs with two engine
options, a 2,5 litre turbodiesel, and "our" four-litre
V6 petrol model.
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This 4x2 offering makes sense from a marketing point
of view, as some seventy per cent of double cabs sold are
4x2's.
However, a strange omission in the Navara V6’s specification
is that of a diff lock, a device that stops one of the
rear-wheels from spinning away all its power when it loses
traction.
Even the weekender configuration of the Protea Zwartkops venue
made the Navara a handful at times.
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The lack of low-range and relatively little torque puts the
RAV4 at a disadvantage when it comes to climbing over rocks or
other obstacles at very low speed.
On the other hand, its torque-sensing four-wheel-drive and
good ground-clearance with a clean underbody, give it an
off-road capability that’s surprising for a mere "soft-roader".
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The 4x2 Navara is not configured as an off-roader
despite its looks. 4x2's are more popular than 4x4’s because they are cheaper to buy and run.
Switching to the RAV4, Hendrik missed the torque of the big
Nissan. The Toyota needed a different approach.
The lack of low-range means you have to approach obstacles
faster than you would in a hard-core off-road situation.
But the four-wheel-drive system, with a diff lock, quickly
sorts out traction problems. SUVs without low range are
limited in other ways. Steep down-hill running means having to
rely on the brakes rather than engine torque to maintain
control.
We really have lots of respect for the Navara, but in this
situation its wonderful, torquey V6 was actually a liability
with only a limited-slip rear-axle, and no diff-lock.
This isn’t a criticism of the engine or drive-train, but we
can’t understand the oversight, as diff-locks are relatively
cheap to fit and so effective they can rival a 4x4’s
capabilities in the right hands.
Even in less challenging situations, such as a typical farm
track, this 198 kilowatt Nissan is
going to spin too much of that power away.
Attempting the same slope in the little RAV4 once again
underlined its impressive off-road abilities, as long as
momentum can be maintained with the relatively low-on-torque,
high-revving four-cylinder motor. The RAV doesn’t lack for
traction.
There’s no getting away from the fact that vehicles like
these will spend most of their working lives on tar. And as a
weekend get-away vehicle, especially if it’s to be used for
towing, the Nissan Navara four-litre V6 is wonderful for
carrying five people and slurping up the kilometers.
The RAV4 is going to be used as a runabout, and this latest
model will once again be especially popular with well-heeled
housewives. It’s perhaps not quite as striking as before,
but that may be due to the fact that there’s now so much
competition in the niche the RAV4 created.
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