Talk about the potential for folding, bending and mutilating, as earth banks with rocks and jagged tree roots come within centimetres of the pristine bodywork.

But that’s what Nissan New Zealand did the other week and we know the execs were just a wee bit nervous, because NZ4WD had a couple riding in the back seat for a time – back where the bumps always seem bigger and the vehicle under rather less control than hopefully is really the case.

But hey, these new Pathfinders were doing really well. This is where the tough trucks running on the Coast-to-Coast 4WD events roar through; yet here we were, cosseted in luxury, enjoying a ride serene in its smoothness, compared to the rough-runners on their body lifts and 35-inch Centipedes. No wonder the execs were starting to relax. Well, just a bit.

Even the third-row occupants should be enjoying a good ride in this new rig – but oops, there’s no third row. Actually, there’s no Pathfinder at all past the C-pillar. Oh yeah, that’s right. The Pathfinder launch was earlier on, around Marlborough, and it’s not just a matter of the two blending together in a cluttered mind, they blend in real life, too.

For the ST-X D40 Navaras we’re driving are built on the same platform as the Pathfinder (albeit with a different wheelbase) and are remarkably similar inside and out, except the Navvy has a wellside tray and leaf-spring rear suspension istead of two more seats and a carpeted load area. The D40 we get is also very similar to the popular American Frontier pickup.

This Navara has been eagerly awaited, because it looked set to out-gun the new Hilux in both power and torque; the eagerness not so much to put Toyota in its place but because more power and torque can never be a bad thing. So here we are with a diesel ute producing more than 400Nm of torque and a four-litre V6 petrol with 198kW of power.

Toyota, however, still wins the model numbers race. For now, there are just six D40s, three of them two-wheel-drives and all of them double cabs. Both the 2WD and 4WD include a V6 with five-speed auto, or the diesel with either a six-speed manual or the auto. Navara is the first Japanese ute with a six-speed manual. A super-cab version is said to be somewhere in the pipeline but Nissan NZ does not seem to have a handle on when or if a single-cab will be offered. This all means that Nissan has to continue to offer the earlier D22 to fill out the 16-deep Navara range, pitching it as the "working" truck and the D40 as the luxury lifestyle number. Seeing the ST-X spec is more complete and more luxurious than the top D22 Venturer, it fills that role very well.

While Toyota salesmen may be pleased about the lack of D40 variants, several other features will wipe their smiles. For example, the rear seats split-fold and have a lovely fold-away centre armrest and three three-point belts. The squabs fold up and back against the back, providing a superb additional cargo area at floor level.

The trays have, as standard, the American-developed Utili-trak cargo securing system. These are rails along each side, at the head of the tray, and on the floor, in which are located four sliding and removable cargo tiedown points. Additional tiedowns can be bought over the parts counter. These are supplemented by a fixed tiedown point at each corner of the tray.

And how’s this for an interesting angle?: apart from wearing different-looking and different-sized rims, there’s almost no way to tell the 4WD D40s from the 2WDs. Most 2WD utes, Hilux included, look like California low-riders compared to their 4WD siblings. Now, only an expert can tell whether you’re in a 2WD or the real macho thing. (The D22 2WD has 180mm of ground clearance, the D40 shares 235mm with the 4WD.) Nor can you tell at a glance whether it’s the fire-breathing V6 under the bonnet or merely the detuned turbo-diesel of the 2WD.

A giveaway is the alloy wheels –16-inch five-spoke on the 2WDs and 17-inch six-spoke on the 4WDs, both shod with 255-series tyres. Buyers wanting to use the D40 off-road extensively may not thank Nissan for fitting 17s to the 4WD because of the limited range of more aggressive tyres (although the choice is improving). However, there’s no reason other than cost not to drop down to 16s.

Then there’s the matter of pricing. Nissan offers the sweetener of all the fruit for pricing that’s going to sour the Toyota folk: $52,400 for the diesel manual; $2000 more for the auto; and $54,400 for the petrol V6 automatic.

The 2.5-litre turbo diesel 128kW motor in the 4WDs was first introduced in Pathfinder, so has the same crankshaft balancer, water-cooled centre housing of the turbocharger and the same common-rail fuel injection system. An intercooler is mounted in front of the radiator for maximum cooling – and maximum exposure to possible damage.

Those ordering 2WD versions get a 106kW version of the same motor, without the balancers or the water-cooled turbo.

The four-litre V6 has also already been seen in the Pathfinder and delivers 198kW of power and 385Nm of torque. Different versions are used in the Maxima, Murano, and 350Z.

The six-speed manual gearbox comes from the 350Z but with different ratios. The five-speed automatic is an option on the diesel and standard on the V6. It has been used in the Patrol and 350Z, with different ratios to suit the characteristics of the diesel and petrol motors. The Navara’s version misses out on sequential shifting.

Its 4WD transfer case is based on the Pathfinder’s, but has a simpler 50:50 torque split between the front and rear axles. The front final drive has a light alloy casing to reduce weight. A limited slip rear differential is standard on the 4WD models and optional for the 2WDs. Off-road, the LSD is very eager to help out; it’s one of the best the magazine has encountered in quite some time.

As on Pathfinder, the front suspension comprises double wishbones and coil springs while the back soldiers on with leaf springs to give the best payload levels. Different spring and damper rates are used for the 2WD and 4WD models. Nissan is famous, or infamous, for the harshness of its Navara rear suspension when the truck is running light and has made numerous attempts to sort it out. The arrangement on D40 convincingly proves that Nissan engineers can do the job. It’s noticeably better than even the most-recently tweaked D22. And when it does bump its occupants around, it’s a gentler, more controlled discomfort than D22.

Meanwhile, coil-sprung double wishbones and the rack and pinion steering up front combine to provide – to use the old cliché – car-like levels of handling.

Braking is provided by ventilated front discs and rear drums with an anti lock system enhanced with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist.

A braked towing rating of 3000kg puts it at the top of the heap among Japanese utes. Unbraked rating is 750kg.

The D40 is bigger in all major areas than the D22. The double-wall cargo bed is wider and longer, with less intrusion from the rear wheel inner mudguards. Nissan describes the D40 and Hilux as "half a size larger" than other players in the sector and while that’s a reasonable description, they’re still lithe and lean compared to a typical American pickup.

Normally, NZ4WD covers the introduction of a vehicle and then later follows up with a full evaluation. However, due to timing issues over Christmas/New Year and the early availability of test vehicles, we’re combining the two into this one longer report, which concentrates on the V6, with comments on the diesel.

Pathfinder had given us a good taste of what to expect from D40 Navara, perhaps damping some of the effect such a well-fitted and refined ute might otherwise have. The ST-X is Nissan’s top spec for a ute, even making the D22 Venturer look a bit plain. This opulence will be welcomed by lifestylers, but it’s way over the top for a working truck. Rival Toyota has somewhere else in the Hilux range for buyers to go who don’t want all the gear of the top SR5 – although it could be argued that even its base model is too flash.

Unfortunately, with the D40 it’s a case of take it or leave it, at least until the range broadens. That’s frustrating, given the marvelous engine/transmission combo and some of its other superb features. We may never see a D40 with vinyl seats and rubber mats, but remember Nissan … there are a lot of people out there to whom less really is more.

The spacious D40 interior mirrors the Pathfinder’s with cloth upholstery and carpet, although the test vehicle had optional rubber floormats front and back – an accessory well worth having. There are plenty of storage spaces including twin glove boxes, a centre console, door pockets and both bottle and cup holders.

Other goodies include a leather covered steering wheel and gear lever, air conditioning, power windows and mirrors, a six speaker CD sound system, cruise control, a tilt adjustable steering column, height adjustable driver’s seat and a footrest. The sculpted steering wheel is the sportiest and nicest to use of any Japanese ute.

Like Toyota, Nissan has addressed the rear-seat situation with more generous legroom (Nissan boasts of 177mm more knee room), a more comfortable back and generally more sumptuous surroundings. Access to the back is easier thanks to doors that now open to almost 90deg.

There are some nice touches out back. Like that 60/40 split folding mechanism and ability to fold away – a better arrangement for many purposes than simply having the seat back fold onto the squabs to provide the flat or semi-flat surface on some other utes.

In addition to the fold-away rear seat, the front passenger seat can be folded flat to provide a working surface or room for even more cargo.

In the safety department, the D40s come with front airbags, pre-tensioned seat belts with load limiters and front and rear crumple zones, and the doors have anti-intrusion beams.

Remote control central locking incorporates an engine immobiliser that can only be deactivated by the use of the ignition key registered to a specific vehicle. The engine management system will not recognise other keys not coded to that particular vehicle’s computer.

Getting in and out is aided by tubular side steps and, at night, door mounted courtesy lights. The side steps look macho and seem reasonably strong, but we found them a nuisance off-road and, on the launch programme, some took some heavy hits.

The V6 in particular offers a quiet cabin at any speed. The diesel, too, is relatively quiet when cruising but gets a bit noisy under load although, oddly, seems less intrusive than in Pathfinder, possibly only because utes are "expected" to be noisier.

Although somewhat rubbery in feel, the six-speed is a fine gearbox, with a good set of ratios that start off with a nice 4.692 stump puller and end up with a cruisy .827 sixth sending to a 3.538 final drive. Because neither sixth nor the final drive is particularly high, the manual could almost do with a seventh ratio for highway cruising. But on the other hand, flexibility in the higher gears is outstanding, thanks to that 403Nm winding off the crankshaft. For many overtaking manoeuvres, there’s no need to even change down from sixth; quite remarkable, really.

The six-speed provides a great range of ratios to work with off-road. Although first, second and third will be most used, even sixth will be useful when there’s a bit of low-range cruising or catching up to do!

Buyers can approach the automatic gearbox without fear, for it gives away little to the manual. It responds reasonably quickly to the driver’s selections when taken out of Drive. Fifth is a.839 ratio (.834 on the diesel) overdrive ratio and can be shut out by pushing a button on the shift lever. It’s a bit odd that first has to be selected by moving the lever to the end of its gate and then pushing to the left. And like so many auto gearboxes there’s nothing to stop the driver slipping it from D into neutral when using it manually.

The D40 departs from its Pathfinder roots off-road. While the wagon has electronic traction control, the ute makes do with a traditional part-time 4WD arrangement with a limited-slip differential in the rear. Adapting the Pathfinder’s traction control would have seemed a heaven-sent opportunity to get a major leap over its rivals, but that didn’t happen.

A rotary switch on the dash engages 4WD high and 4WD low. The transfer case is a new design, based on Pathfinder’s, but lacking the automatic torque split that allows the wagon to be driven on-road in 4WD. Another opportunity missed, or is it simply a pricing issue?

For off-roading, the diesel would seem to be very much the motor of choice. First, it has the strong engine-braking characteristics of an engine with an 18:1 compression ratio; second, it has the diesel’s advantages of working around water and dampness (unless some water should find its way into a cylinder!); and third, its overall low gearing of 45.47:1 is outstanding – right up there in Hilux and Defender territory.

If you choose the automatic, overall low gearing drops to 35.54 but that’s still pretty reasonable and is the price paid for those seamless shifts and having one less thing to do.

The V6 petrol’s overall low drops to 33.856:1 and loses the engine braking advantage of the diesel. Not only are you often on the brakes downhill, but it’s harder to make those gentle adjustments to the accelerator that are sometimes crucial. That is until you discover the secret to getting the most out of the V6 off-road – left-foot braking. The use of the left foot on the pedal has an extra advantage on the Navara. The computer picks up on what you’re doing and re-maps the throttle, stopping the engine from revving beyond 2000rpm and providing an extra bit of restraint.

After a bit of practice (the test driver on this occasion is not normally a left-foot braker), it was possible to wheel the V6 around the most rutted tracks in the magazine’s test inventory with the controlled precision of the diesel manual – praise indeed.

Navara’s overall dimensions are still compact enough for it to be able to cope with most of our narrower tracks, but the 30deg approach angle and 22deg departure angle may cause problems on some tracks. However, more likely to cause problems are the tubular sidesteps. Although fairly robust, they grounded out time after time during the magazine’s off-road excursions.

Possibly the worst aspect of Navara’s off-road performance is a 13.3m turning circle. The latest Hilux needs almost 1m less, at 12.4; and the Pathfinder, whose wheelbase is 350mm shorter than Navara, needs only 11.9m. We found it was often necessary to take more than one bite at a tight corner.

Fortunately, outward vision is fairly good and the height-adjustable seat allows the driver to get a reasonable though not outstanding view over the bonnet to accurately place the vehicle.

With 235mm of ground clearance at the rear diff (confirmed by our tape measure), the Navara is not lacking in that department as the figure is one of the best for a Japanese ute and one of the best for any new 4WD, period.

Meanwhile, a Ramp Travel Index of 395 is only average (and five points better than the Pathfinder’s with its independent rear suspension). Its arch-rival the new Hilux scored 390.

Navara D40 is a seriously good ute, on the road or off. People will be able to argue late into the night about whether it’s better than the new Hilux or the soon-to-be-announced Triton; what this magazine really likes (other than the pricing) is its versatility, thanks to the seating arrangements and the cargo securing system. Its styling is less over the top than the Hilux’s or the next Triton, which will appeal to some. And what a pleasant surprise the V6 turned out to be off-road, which is kind-of a pity because it makes the choice that much more difficult! .