NP300 Double Cab 2.4 Petrol vs. 3.5Tdi (2x4 or 4x4)

[bernarddt]

Like so many others in the past I'm new to Nissan bakkies. I've recently learned that they are well priced and it seems like the market is full of second hand options. I've got a business that requires us to drive 50% of the time on gravel roads to mines and farms.

So far we have been using a NP200 for these trips, but I've recently gotten the idea that a larger bakkie would do better on the heavy "sinkplaat" gravel roads. I've been reading up on the older posts on 4x4 Community all morning and it seems like over the years from 2009 to 2019 there was lots of talk about the NP300 with various good advice. So I'm asking to see if anything has changed in the recent 3-4 years.

I'm looking for any advice on what would suit us better:

1. I need to look at fuel economy, so deciding between the Diesel 2.5 vs the Petrol 2.4 and 2x4 vs 4x4, I would have to take this into account. I accept the NP300 will be heavier on fuel than the NP200, so no need to point that out, I'm not looking comparing oranges to apples here. I read somewhere that comparing km/l, the 2.4 is the heaviest with about 8km/l. Then the 2.5Tdi seems to be able to deliver up to 12km/l?
2. I also don't need anything fast, the slower it is the better (basically use as a work vehicle it should not be able to race with the vehicle).
3. I also enjoy the fact that the NP300 is an underspec engine of the Navara, since it ensures reliability is high and speed/torque is low (again for business purposes, that is good).
4. I've always driven petrol, but I expect that Diesel will give me more pull on bad roads with load, vs the petrol, but using less fuel liters?
5. Also because the 2.5Tdi is such an old engine, I also expect it to be very reliable and lots of spare parts available (to cost of ownership is better).
6. I like fixing vehicles myself, so the more basic the engine the easier the "DIY" fixes.

It seems in the recent years, you basically one have the 2.4 Petrol and 2.5 Diesel, and they both come in 4x4 and 2x4.

Since I'll be buying second hand, I see that I also have the option of getting 4x4 for decent prices. If I can easily choose between 2x4 and 4x4, would I be wasting a lot on fuel economy if I drive the 4x4 in 2x4 most of the time? I'll be looking at a 2014+ model, but I heard that after a certain model (was that 2015?) the vehicles got ABS and airbags. I would rather try to get ABS and airbags, if this means looking at 2015+ models. Please let me know. Also my budget is R200k, I see that I can get DC vehicles below 100k on the clock for under R200k.

I've also not sure, but are the NP300 discontinued? Or did I read that on a oversees site, not applicable to SA? This doesn't bother me, but I believe second hand prices will then drop more.

The only reason why I like the idea of going for a 4x4 is that it may handle load (trailers or 400Kg loads on the back) on gravel roads better, if needed, driving slow is fine. Also thinking of driving in rain on wet roads, I may one day find myself using the 4x4 to ensure I don't get stuck in pools of water on the gravel roads.

I will never do off-road with the bakkie, it's strictly for driving to and from sites for work. I will also not be modding the vehicle at all. I want the vehicle to be as stock as possible.

I do want to go for Double Cab since it can carry 4 people, or sensitive equipment on the back seat, out of water and dust. It also seems to me that the double cab has the "most" cabin features. But I also don't want fancy electronic features. For a work vehicle the harder it is for something to break the better. So especially the manual cabin slides are a big plus to me. I saw that most DC's do come with electric windows, but if I have a choice I would prefer manual windows. Again, since they have less that can break.

So back to my question,
if you feel I'm making a mistake, please say so.
Also I need to decide between Diesel vs. Petrol and 2x4 or 4x4.

[Dungbeetle]

NP300s are basic workhorses of note. But be aware the double cab is very cramped in the rear

[swakop_toe]

Taking everything you said into consideration, the 2.4 D/C would be my choice. Choosing between the 4x4 or 2x4, that will be up to you to justify, but I am confident the 2.4, that has rear diff lock, will be fine.

[Ratelrooi]

Taking everything you said into consideration, the 2.4 D/C would be my choice. Choosing between the 4x4 or 2x4, that will be up to you to justify, but I am confident the 2.4, that has rear diff lock, will be fine.

I would also choose the 2.4. These bakkies are donkeys but Africa proof. Less chances of dirty/wrong fuel damaging the engine, filters getting clogged etc. How does the saying go? With less power comes more reliability!

[bernarddt]

NP300s are basic workhorses of note. But be aware the double cab is very cramped in the rear

Good to know, but since we will not use the back seats that often, I believe it will be ok, for the few times someone need to sit there.

Taking everything you said into consideration, the 2.4 D/C would be my choice. Choosing between the 4x4 or 2x4, that will be up to you to justify, but I am confident the 2.4, that has rear diff lock, will be fine.

I would also choose the 2.4. These bakkies are donkeys but Africa proof. Less chances of dirty/wrong fuel damaging the engine, filters getting clogged etc. How does the saying go? With less power comes more reliability!

Is the reason for recommending the 2.4 Petrol only because of the simplicity of the petrol engine? I've leaned towards the Diesels because of better fuel economy, with the same level of "power" than the 2.4 Petrol.

(I did read that people have had problems with using diesel filters that are not original Nissan filters, so I'll have to keep to using Nissan filters.)

I'm also thinking that looking at the fuel economy, I may want to reconsider only having a NP300 and maybe look at getting a NP200 for the trips that don't need the grunt of the NP300. I hear the NP200 give about 18-20km/liter. Which means normal trips would cost half te cost with the NP200 vs. the NP300. But ok, I may need to look at budgets again to see when this would be possible in the future.

[swakop_toe]

The savings in maintenance on the 2.4 you will use in fuel, in my opinion. And with diesel practically as expensive as petrol, stick to the motor with much less moving parts?
The NP200 is a car with a bucket.
It will disappoint you where you describe you want to drive and use it for.

[bernarddt]

The savings in maintenance on the 2.4 you will use in fuel, in my opinion. And with diesel practically as expensive as petrol, stick to the motor with much less moving parts?
The NP200 is a car with a bucket.
It will disappoint you where you describe you want to drive and use it for.

I've now spoken to a mechanic as well, and it seems like going 4x4 is worth it if it does not cost that much more. Since you have it when you need it and when you don't need it it's just like a 2x4 anyways. Also the 2.4 petrol still wins for maintenance, but I've realised that I "want" diesel anyways.

So I'm going for the 2.5TDi 4x4.

The NP200s are like a car with a bucket

But I've actually driven one, and yes they are not built for anything extreme. But my suggestion for NP200 was just for city driving and highway trips. The NP300 will do the rural trips.

---

If anyone can help me with this, I've looked on AutoTrader and found that there are some NP300's that are priced way lower than the average. I'm wondering why, since they are not old or have high km's compared to the other ones that are about 100k more. The only difference are that thay are silver and not white.

https://www.autotrader.co.za/cars-fo...on=RetailPrice

Can the silver color be the only reason they are so cheap? Also they have been listed since last year, so it's not like they are going quickly, so what could perhapse be the reason no one wants them (and even the sellers know that and have priced them accordingly)?

[Andrew V9X]

I've now spoken to a mechanic as well, and it seems like going 4x4 is worth it if it does not cost that much more. Since you have it when you need it and when you don't need it it's just like a 2x4 anyways. Also the 2.4 petrol still wins for maintenance, but I've realised that I "want" diesel anyways.

So I'm going for the 2.5TDi 4x4.

The NP200s are like a car with a bucket

But I've actually driven one, and yes they are not built for anything extreme. But my suggestion for NP200 was just for city driving and highway trips. The NP300 will do the rural trips.

---

If anyone can help me with this, I've looked on AutoTrader and found that there are some NP300's that are priced way lower than the average. I'm wondering why, since they are not old or have high km's compared to the other ones that are about 100k more. The only difference are that thay are silver and not white.

https://www.autotrader.co.za/cars-fo...on=RetailPrice

Can the silver color be the only reason they are so cheap? Also they have been listed since last year, so it's not like they are going quickly, so what could perhapse be the reason no one wants them (and even the sellers know that and have priced them accordingly)?

Silver and white are the most easy to sell colours. Sometimes whatever you see advertised cheap is because it’s been dragged through barbed wire by the previous owner and you don’t really see it on pics.

[Martinj]

All those silver ones at the end of your search is from the dodgy dealers in Jhb-CBD - not the type of people you want to deal or buy a car from - old saying, if it is too good to be true.....

I've now spoken to a mechanic as well, and it seems like going 4x4 is worth it if it does not cost that much more. Since you have it when you need it and when you don't need it it's just like a 2x4 anyways. Also the 2.4 petrol still wins for maintenance, but I've realised that I "want" diesel anyways.

So I'm going for the 2.5TDi 4x4.

The NP200s are like a car with a bucket

But I've actually driven one, and yes they are not built for anything extreme. But my suggestion for NP200 was just for city driving and highway trips. The NP300 will do the rural trips.

---

If anyone can help me with this, I've looked on AutoTrader and found that there are some NP300's that are priced way lower than the average. I'm wondering why, since they are not old or have high km's compared to the other ones that are about 100k more. The only difference are that thay are silver and not white.

https://www.autotrader.co.za/cars-fo...on=RetailPrice

Can the silver color be the only reason they are so cheap? Also they have been listed since last year, so it's not like they are going quickly, so what could perhapse be the reason no one wants them (and even the sellers know that and have priced them accordingly)?

[Viertrek]

Be warned. The 2.4 petrol is very thirsty.

The 2.5 TDI has much more power than the 2.4 petrol and is actually not to bad to drive.

I currently drives a model 2018 2.5 TDI D/C 2x4. Previously had a 16VTD in D/C 2x4 for working purposes.

Don't be fooled by manual window winders being more reliable.

My experience with many vehicles shows that electric windows are just as reliable, if not more so.

[bernarddt]

Silver and white are the most easy to sell colours. Sometimes whatever you see advertised cheap is because it’s been dragged through barbed wire by the previous owner and you don’t really see it on pics.

All those silver ones at the end of your search is from the dodgy dealers in Jhb-CBD - not the type of people you want to deal or buy a car from - old saying, if it is too good to be true.....

Thanks for the advice! So basically you can only really consider them if you can view the vehicle in person and the business looks trustworthy.

Be warned. The 2.4 petrol is very thirsty.

The 2.5 TDI has much more power than the 2.4 petrol and is actually not to bad to drive.

I currently drives a model 2018 2.5 TDI D/C 2x4. Previously had a 16VTD in D/C 2x4 for working purposes.

Don't be fooled by manual window winders being more reliable.

My experience with many vehicles shows that electric windows are just as reliable, if not more so.

Awesome advice! Thanks, I'm also pro the 2.5 TDI D/C 👍 Cool to know the electric windows is not really a factor.