Owning a Nissan Navara is a very good way of making friends. As soon as word got around that I had one for a week's testing, suggestions for uses to which it might be put started flooding in - which is how, for example, I ended up towing a trailer load of lobster creels across three miles of forest track to a fish farm.I very nearly had to tow a horsebox the following day, owing to a suspension collapse in someone's (old-model) Land Rover Discovery. As it turned out, my services were not required, and I must say I was quite pleased about that, since I have never had to transport any animal larger than a cat, but I have no doubt that the Navara would have managed the task with ease.In its press material for the current Navara, Nissan devotes a lot of space to pointing out how practical it is. The 172bhp output of the 2.5-litre turbo diesel engine is class-leading, there's an impressive 2.63 square metres of load area (2.9 if you choose the King Cab option), you can tow a 2600kg braked trailer, and if you go off-roading the approach and departure angles of 29 and 22 degrees respectively are going to prove useful.That applies to all Navaras, but in the case of the range-topping Aventura tested here Nissan is also making bold claims that it represents a credible alternative to an SUV. There's a slight irony here, in that Nissan already builds an SUV - the Pathfinder - which is mechanically almost identical to the Navara.Thanks to the workhorse requirement inherent in the design, which has led Nissan to use a ladderframe chassis, neither is especially refined on the road - the Navara still less so because it has leaf springs at the rear rather than the Pathfinder's coils.All the same, the Navara is unusually well-poised on tarmac compared with other pickups. And where the Aventura version in particular really scores, in on-road terms, is in its high level of standard equipment. This includes items which make up the Hitech and Premium Packs available as options on other Navaras, namely DVD satellite navigation, an MP3-compatible audio system, Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity, an electric sunroof, heated and electrically-adjustable front seats and leather upholstery.A Navara fitted with that lot probably isn't going to be asked to do the really tough work that might be expected of a cheaper model, so it makes sense that the Aventura is one of only two versions - along with the Outlaw - available with automatic transmission (though in fact the test car had the six-speed manual alternative). For the same reason, the Aventura trim level is supplied only with the Double Cab body style, which has enough extra space above what the King Cab offers to provide realistic seating for five people.In turn, this means that the Aventura has less load space than you get in a King Cab, but there's still a bed length of 1511mm, extending to 2066mm if you lower the tailgate. And in terms of load weight rather than load size, maximum payload on this model is 1097kg. If you still need more room, the three-person rear seat can be folded up either in its entirety or on a 60/40 basis to provide extra luggage space.The father of the bloke with the lobster creels (remember the lobster creels?) was particularly impressed by Nissan's C-Channel system, which is standard on the Aventura and Outlaw and part of a Utility Pack option for SE models. The basic principle here is that there are metal rails around the load bay which hold movable, self-locking cleats.These provide fixed points for securing ropes, and of course the point of them being movable is that you can put them where you want them, rather than having to work round what the manufacturer has given you.Details like this are impressive, but the overall picture is perhaps even more so. You could realistically use the Navara Aventura as the modern equivalent of a packhorse during the day and then, having thoroughly hosed it down, take a few friends out to dinner with it in the evening. Who would have imagined that as a possibility ten years ago? Nissan's proud claim that "the pickup has come a long way" is right on the button. Engine 2488cc, 4 cylinders Power 172bhp Transmission 6-speed manual Fuel/CO2 33.2mpg / 226g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 11.4 seconds Top speed 105mph Price £20,995 excluding VAT Details correct at publication date
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