Possibly the car maker with the widest options of bakkies in South Africa is Nissan. A total five makes call the Nissan brand a home: the Navara, the NP200, the NP300 Hi-Rider, the NP300 Workhorse, and the Patrol Pickup (a favourite among the bush rangers in places like Kruger National Park).

The first three are the ones that are most important for Nissan. They're the Japanese car maker's volume sellers, and for the right reasons. As we detailed more rigorously on our list of most popular bakkies to buy in South Africa, the Nissan NP200 is a favourite and fairs pretty well compared to its closest rival, the Chevy Ute. The Navara, albeit Nissan's advertising claims that it is the most powerful bakkie in South Africa, has taken a knock in recent years over what seems to be better offerings from rivals Toyota, Ford, and General Motors' subsidiary, Isuzu; and most importantly pricing advantage of the other three. Furthermore, having the NP300 around has cannibalized on the Navara, but that's a story for another day.



The NP200 is a bakkie that the plumber, the electrician, and the small business owner expects to be extremely reliable and last forever. The NP200 took over from the Nissan 1400, which itself was a few generations after the original Datsun B140. That's a real blast from the past but let's focus on the current NP200. Whenever I read or hear reviews, I think people often forget the fact that the NP200's interior is quite simple by design. But simplicity is only relative, and which bakkie do we relate it to – the Chevrolet Utility, of course. So sure, Nissan has missed the point – everyone wants a bit of luxury but looking at what else is out there, the NP200 does a great job at staying ahead of would-be rival single cabs. But unless you're really dying to have something cool, the NP200 Sport is a better option. Spec-wise, a diesel version of the bakkie delivers a quarter more torque than the Utility, while it is not so great being revved, that thus makes for a more fluid ride. This, aids to the NP200's better fuel economy, or at least on paper because it's quite curious however, that reading all the forums online, there are varying views about the NP200 with regard to fuel economy. Being in the upper end of the single cab segment, drivers expect a lot out of the investment they make on a bakkie like this, but as mentioned, it's not uncommon to read about poor fuel economy – something that Nissan has been advertising a lot. But of course, that's the case with most motor vehicles, isn't it?



Furthermore, a little fact that most bakkie buyers often miss is what exactly is inside the vehicle. The Nissan NP200 is no doubt a great bakkie, that's pretty obvious from the massive sales it generates for Nissan. Aside from considering the name 'Nissan', many parts of the NP200 are sourced from Renault. You'll remember that Renault and Nissan are the same company. So, consider asking yourself if you would buy a Renault, and if yes, then certainly the Nissan NP200 shouldn't be a big deal.



The above factors helped Nissan deliver 16 007 of these bakkies in 2013. Six out of the 12 months that made up 2013 were better for the NP200 than the Utility. When we talk about a close win, we're talking about this. Last month (March), the NP200 had its first run of outselling the Ute, with a tally of 1654 units. Looking at trends, March is usually a solid month for bakkie sales. Last March, Nissan reported 1829 sales of the NP200, which is 9.5% higher than this year's. So, if Nissan wants to be that number, it needs to gain some momentum in the next three quarters of 2014.



Follow Updates on Twitter

Author: Pierre Theron