8,000km later, Nissan’s SA-built Navara enters Egypt in style
The symbolic connection between the Nissan Rosslyn plant and the second African Plant in Egypt came to a fitting end as the Daring Africa 2024 expedition entered Cairo.
It also marked the introduction of the South African built Nissan Navara to the land of Pharaohs.
The expedition covered seven countries before the eighth and final leg commenced in Egypt.
Starting from the plant in Rosslyn two fully kitted Navaras and one X-Trail as a support vehicle drove 8,000 kilometres through Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya.
Because of geopolitical reasons they were then shipped to Egypt where we joined the Egyptian delegation in the ancient city of Luxor on the banks of the Nile.
To get a right hand drive GP registered Navara and X-Trail approved to drive in Egypt meant having to jump through hoops and getting permission from the highest authorities which took a while but was eventually given the go-ahead..
Part of the trip was also to introduce the Navara to various dealers along the way and rolling out the red carpet for the Nissan dignitaries including Nissan Africa President, Jordi Vila.
The Navaras were kitted with an extra spare wheel on a roof rack, a solid load bay cover with jerry cans, sand tracks, and water container and inside the loadbay, a fridge and various other overlanding necessities.
As an aside, throughout the journey they didn’t have one mechanical issue or a puncture on the standard road biassed tyres, the organisers wanting to keep it as close to original spec as possible.
For most Egyptians this was their first encounter with the Navara and it was clear from the amount of selfies, group pictures and videos taken that it struck a chord.
Throughout our stay we were accompanied by a security escort leading the convoy with flashing lights and wailing sirens which aided our drive significantly on the highways which are littered with road blocks and armed guards as the country grapples with the numerous threats in the region.
A drive through the Valley of Kings where the mountain is filled with royal tombs and archaeological digs and a look at the ancient Colossi of Memmon statues that stand 18 metres tall, is a good introduction to ancient Egyption culture and history.
But it’s when the convoy stopped at the Luxor Temple that you really try to get your head around how they managed to construct such enormous structures and fine sculptures with hieroglyphics everywhere. I mean, it’s 3 500 years old and we can’t build an RDP house that lasts one rainy season.
From there we headed towards El Gouna, a resort town bordering Hurghada on the Red Sea.
I was lucky enough to spend time driving the expedition Navara and was again reminded of how good the bakkie is.
It’s also the only double cab on the local market with rear coils as opposed to leaf springs which makes the ride superbly comfortable.
The 2.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine with 140kW and 450Nm coupled to a seven-speed automatic transmission provides more than adequate power whether cruising on the highway or in low range climbing rocky passes.
It may not have swathes of glass covering the dash but analogue speed and rev readouts do the job perfectly while the 8-inch infotainment system with NissanConnect is easy to use and is all you need.
With four USB ports and three 12V outlets there’s no need to run out of powering your devices or keeping camping equipment like fridges and compressors running and there’s enough safety features and technology to satisfy most users.
Oh, and with temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s the air conditioning works a treat.
I’ve always said that I can’t understand why the Navara doesn’t do better in our market and having spent many hours on the road with it, I still shake my head at some of our buying choices.
An obligatory swim in the Red Sea by the South African contingent despite the protestations of the lifeguard because of an oil spill, preceded the final leg to Cairo.
We drove the Qashqai which has unfortunately been withdrawn from the local market and my driving partner and I again lamented South Africans’ penchant for alternative “bargains” rather than spending more money on a quality Japanese built vehicle.
It was the same Qashqai that we had available in our market with a 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a Xtronic CVT transmission.
We had to make up time to get to one of the Cairo dealers and even at speed, the engine copes remarkably well and the drive and handling is top notch.
Heading to the hotel and seeing the pyramids literally in town was also a reminder that the city is old, very old.
However, the country is building “New Cairo” on the outskirts of the old city and the amount of construction taking place including 12-lane highways, hundreds of blocks of apartments and kilometres of railway lines beggars belief.
But the whole show was to introduce the Navara to the market in Egypt which culminated in a glittering affair at the Nissan plant that’s responsible for building the Nissan Sunny or as we know it, the Almera, Egypts best selling car.
The left hand drive Navara being exported to Africa has a few adjustments compared to the ones we have become accustomed to locally.
Instead of rear coils it will be fitted with leaf springs and there’s no touchscreen.
That means it is able to carry more weight because the bakkies will essentially be used as workhorses because the concept of a leisure bakkie has not yet reached the extent it has in other markets.
It’s also easier to repair should it break and anyone who has seen loaded trucks and bakkies in Africa can appreciate that.
But there’s a more important reason for the Navara’s launch in Egypt.
Built in South Africa it provides increased employment opportunities as the demand increases and also gives Nissan export credits which could allow them to subsidise other models which will hopefully see them bringing in their ePower and e-4orce (all wheel drive) versions of the X-Trail and Qashqai.
And there’s much to celebrate for those two reasons alone.