New Nissan Navara in Laoag: Just dune it!

MANILA, Philippines–Facing a mountain of a sand dune more than four stories high, this driver heard her burly navigator Randolph Paz bark the two-word command that every offroad driver on the La Paz dunes must obey if he or she hopes to emerge at the top of a wall of shifting sand.

And so, she did, the entire  187.40 horsepower and 450-Newton-meter torque of the new Navara NP300 4WD with seven-speed A/T gearbox with manual mode springing to life, and attacking the nearly 45-degree slope.

In a few seconds, the Navara NP300 was on top. Its occupants surveyed the horizon. All the group could see were countless ridges of sand, and dunes the size of medium-rise condos.

Here and there were tire tracks criss-crossing the dunes, the only evidence of man’s effort to navigate, understand, and conquer one of nature’s most awe-inspiring handiwork.

The playful gods must have decided that this particular location on the northwestern tip of mainland Luzon would be their 88-hectare-large sandbox, the playpen for their mortal heirs, perhaps?

The sandy desert we were standing on is the only one of its kind in Southeast Asia. The National Historical Institute has declared the area as a National Geologic Monument, thus, no structures of any kind are permitted to be built there.

The environment is so surreal, it has captured many moviemakers’ imaginations. The late, great Fernando Poe Jr. fought many duels here in his immortal “Panday” movies. The depth of Nora Aunor’s thespian talents ran perfectly counter to this barren environment in “Himala.” The Tom Cruise starrer “Born on the Fourth of July” had scenes shot here as well.

The dunes of La Paz, extending all the way to Paoay and the coastal area surrounding Laoag City, also act as natural buffer zones protecting the environments beside them. According to the Laoag City government, the World Wide Fund for Nature determined Laoag City to be the least vulnerable of all the country’s urban centers to the effects of climate change, particularly sea surges during typhoons and sea level rise due to global warming.

Laoag City happens to be situated 6 kilometers inland, the dunes protecting it from the sea, and the meandering Padsan River on the other side serving as a natural outlet preventing flash foods.

So much has been said for the dunes being protectors and natural attractions. Right now, the writer regarded dune after dune as an adversary, her only weapons were her grit and the Navara NP300.

Now that she was on top, there was nowhere to go but down the other side of this dune, at the same nausea-inducing angle.  For this downhill approach, the NP300’s Hill Descent Control (HDC) was put to the test.

And it worked wonderfully. The HDC “forced” the vehicle to crawl down in a controlled manner, at speeds no more than 10 km per hour, without the driver ever stepping on the brakes. This feature reminded the writer of her experience with the Mercedes-Benz GLK 4×4 SUV down a similarly steep slope in the Swiss Alps a few years back.

Using the 4×4 features of the Navara NP300 wasn’t that difficult overall. The controls were idiot-proof, highlighted by an electric shift-on-the-fly 4×4 system. This was just as well, for the La Paz dunes took no prisoners. One miscalculation would have had the vehicle tire-deep and rendered immobile in fine-powdered, beach-quality loose sand. This driver needed to focus all her concentration on the task at hand, and not fumble over clunky gears, and hard-to-reach buttons and levers.

What the Navara NP300 did this sunny midafternoon of Feb. 24 was to show the power of the 2.5-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder Variable Geometry System diesel engine (which was claimed to have the highest power output per displacement in its segment), and the user-friendly features that all added up to confident off-roading even for the uninitiated.

At various stages of the off-road course, the Navara NP300 also demonstrated various other capabilities such as Vehicle Dynamic Control, Active Brake Limited Slip, Hill-Start Assist and Traction Control Systems.

Surprising fuel economy

Earlier in the day, teams of media participants competed in a 140-km fuel economy run on the highway from the Plaza del Norte Hotel and Convention Center in Paoay to the Bangui Windmills, and back.

This 12th generation Navara, though 1,946 kilograms heavy and slightly longer than the previous model (but with a reduced wheelbase to enhance agility and maneuverability), yielded fuel mileages of as much as 24 km per liter (on the manual tranny 4×2 variant). This writer’s team of three, using the 4×4 AT, yielded a respectable 17.4 km to a liter—with the air-conditioning on at all times.

Life lessons on the dunes

Driving on loose, constantly shifting sand can prove to be a profound experience—the lessons learned here can be applied to life, in general. For example, Randolph explained to the group that the trick to mobility on sand was to maintain and even gain forward momentum.

“You stay on top if you maintain movement,” he stressed. “Therefore, do not lose momentum when you’re driving on sand. Otherwise, the downward force of gravity will take over and your tires will dig in, and you’ll get stuck.”

In life, stagnation does get you nowhere.

Before taking on the course, Randolph’s team let much of the air out of the tires, until the tire pressure gauge registered 15 psi (pounds per square inch). Offroaders.com explains that lowering tire pressures provides better flotation by increasing the size of the vehicle’s “footprint,” dramatically improving the traction.

It would also reduce the amount of strain on one’s vehicle and minimize wear and tear on the tracks.

Again, in life, it would always be wise to let go of some air up our heads and keep our feet squarely to the ground whenever we need to achieve something.

But when the tires do get stuck in sand, there’s always the reverse gear to allow the driver to get off that sand trap by slowly backtracking, and then subsequently allowing the driver to approach the same obstacle, this time on a different tack.

The same with life, if you get stuck in a predicament, go back to where you came from, and approach the problem from another angle.

This driver, with the able assistance of Randolph, was able to hurdle all the challenges of the course in just under 10 minutes. After a while, she wanted another go at the course. Now, in life, could this be called reincarnation?

A pickup playground?

Perhaps, the image of the Navara NP300 so boldly playing on the Ilocos Norte dunes signals a new era in the pickup segment in the country. Once the sand settles, can we read the tire tracks leading to the conclusion that this market is the “new Thailand”?

If the motoring industry were to read between the lines of Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI) president and managing director Antonio Zara’s bold declaration of “Let the pickup wars begin!” in a previous interview with the motoring media, the Philippines could be well on its way to becoming the next top pickup country in Asia.

In a way, this major ride-and-drive event organized by NPI involving 70 motoring scribes on a nearly three-day familiarization drive with the Navara NP300, could be the initial salvo of that  pickup war this 2015.

The ball is now in Navara’s competitors’ court, the likes of Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Isuzu D-Max, and Mitsubishi Strada now hard pressed to “return fire.”

Dressed for ‘battle’

From the look and feel of it, the Navara NP300 is ready, inside and out, to go head-to-head with its peers. Aside from the sportier external styling (featuring a more pronounced belt line and a first-in-class boomerang-shaped LED daytime running headlamps that complement the “V motion” motif flowing from the grille to the hood), gone is the old-school pickup look and feel, what with its multilink suspension and coil-spring shock absorbers.

The designers of Navara were also able to reduce its drag coefficient to 0.37 cd, an achievement for a vehicle of this type and size. Navara designers explained that the dynamic convex and concave surfaces found on the doors, along with the rear spoiler, all contribute to its enhanced aerodynamics.

Adding to the ride comfort are seats finished with premium fabric (nonleather, perfect for dissipation of the summer heat), which also come with what Nissan terms as “Nasa-inspired Zero Gravity Seats technology that reduces fatigue by evenly distributing body pressure on the seating surface.”

For easy reading at any time of day, the instrument cluster panel has been equipped with Fine Vision technology. Other creature comforts include: six-speaker infotainment system that doubles as the monitor for the backup camera; CD, MP3, iPod compatibility along with Bluetooth connectivity for smart phones; and a cruise control with easy-to-use buttons on the steering wheel. A segment-first would be the push-button ignition.

Functionality is also enhanced within the cabin. There are cupholders on the doors (and another for two set in the middle for back passengers), trays, and storage spaces for electronic devices.

Zara stressed that the 80-year heritage of the Navara is well-represented in its newest pickup. “Nissan is not just about vehicles. It is the lifeblood of communities. We keep that in mind as we enhance our much-loved pickup.”