Nissan’s NP300 Navara is the 2016 International Pick-up of the Year

Just merely a month after the 4x2 variant of the all-new Nissan NP300 Navara won the Car Awards Group Inc. 2015 Truck of the Year - Philippines, this pick-up bags yet another accolade. This time it's on a bigger stage - the 2016 International Pick-up of the Year.

The Nissan NP300 Navara beats the Mitsubishi L200 and the Ford Ranger for the highly coveted 2016 International Pick-up Award (IPUA) during a ceremony held in Lyon, France. The participants went under a rigorous testing process based on engine performance, payload capacity, affordability, and on-road and off-road abilities.

A scoring system was then utilized to determine which pick-up model is worthy of the prestigious title. The NP300 Navara won first place with 80 points, Mitsubishi L200 wins second place with 47 points while the Ford Ranger landed at the third spot with 39 points.

Corporate Vice President Nissan LCV Bu Philippe Guerin-Boutaud received the award. In his speech, he exclaimed that getting the crown celebrates the manufacturer’s “…80 years of pick-up expertise.” He further expressed that it’s an honor as the panel is comprised of the most experienced commercial vehicle journalists.

Rigorous testing by IPUA illuminated the tough and innovative character of the all-new Navara," he added.

Judges praised the NP300 Navara for its redesigned exterior which is undeniably a refreshing look than its boxy predecessors. The new design commands attention with its heavily sculpted hood, luxurious chrome grille, and sleek lines. It even features an attractive and functional ducktail rear spoiler which improves aerodynamics.  The NP300 Navara’s new interior and tech features such as the Around View Monitor (AVM) and Forward Emergency Braking (FEB) were also commented by the panel.

In order to make the crossover-style driving experience possible, Nissan updated the leaf spring design and equipped the NP300 Navara with the all-new five-link rear suspension on the Double Cab model.  

The NP300 Navara is available in 3 variants – 4x4 EL 6MT, 4x4 VL 6MT and 4x4 VL 7AT. They are all powered by a 2.5L DCI engine with 163 hp and 403 NM of torque ratings. There are 2 transmission options – a 6-speed manual transmission and a 7-speed automatic transmission.