(Wed 09 Jul 08)

Nissan has added a new and surprisingly sleek-looking model to the top of the Navara pickup range. The Aventura X-BACK comes with 17" alloy wheels, side bars, a chrome rear bumper, heated electric door mirrors, front foglights, automatic headlights and wipers, roof rails, an audio system with MP3 compatibility and 6-CD autochanger, DVD satellite navigation, dual-zone climate control air-conditioning, leather trim, heated front seats, rear parking sensors, a loadbed, a tailgate liner and a hardtop.

Quite a lot of equipment, then, but the hardtop is the really interesting bit. It has been designed by London-based Nissan Design Europe and it's really quite graceful, with privacy glass, dark pillars and a rakish slant to the rear window. Despite the shape, which clearly isn't optimised for space, the hardtop still covers a volume of more than 1.8 cubic metres.

The X-BACK uses the familiar 169bhp 2.5-litre turbo diesel engine and costs £23,795 plus VAT with manual transmission. There's also an automatic version costing £24,895 plus VAT.

Nissan Gallery
Nissan Road Tests

Previous: Peugeot 308 For Business Drivers             Next: Coast To Coast In An Oldsmobile