When the current generation Nissan Navara made its world debut in 2013, it had a novel rear suspension arrangement. For its segment, at least, it was brave of the brand to put coil springs at the back instead of the traditional leaf springs.
While leaf springs could handle heavier loads without sagging, it gives pickup trucks a choppier ride when unladen. Nissan’s aim was to strike a balance between comfort and utility with the second-gen Navara. The result? It was one of the better riding models in its class.
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But despite the claimed 1,000kg (one-ton) payload. Some markets that had this pickup had some concerns about sagging. Because of that, it looks like the all-new model will go back to leaf springs. That was hinted by Francois Bailly, Senior Vice-President and Chief Planning Officer for the AMIEO (Africa, Middle East, India, Europe, and Oceania) region, Nissan Motor Corporation.
Bailly told Australian motoring publication Drive, “If you go back to the launch of the [current-generation] Navara [in 2014], there were a lot of sagging questions. You know, you would load the car, [and there would be a noticeable difference between] the front and the rear. Clearly, we will not repeat this mistake.”
Yes, Drive quoted the executive saying ‘mistake.’
But besides addressing the ‘sagging’ comments regarding the outgoing model, there’s another good reason why the redesigned Nissan Navara might revert to rear leaf springs.
It’s confirmed that the next model will share a chassis and key components with its Alliance stablemate, the Mitsubishi Triton. It’s likely that, to streamline costs, the next Narava will use the same rear suspension hardware as the Triton, although have its own tuning and calibration.
It’s worth pointing out that there are versions of the current gen Navara that does come equipped with rear leaf springs. Single and extended cab models of the pickup come with that, as well as the cab and chassis body style. As for the arrival of the all-new Navara, it could make its world premiere sometime in 2025.
