Nissan’s Hardbody has just turned sixteen. Not sixteen years old mind, this instantly-recognised bakkie name has been around much longer than that, no as in sixteen generations. Toyota’s Corolla lineup has just reached its tenth generation...

So, how do you improve on a legend, then? That’s the tough task Nissan faced with the launch of this newest model, and it’s started with the name. Meet the new Nissan NP300 Hardbody.

In fact, NP300 is how this vehicle is known on the global market already. The N stands for Nissan, the P for Pickup, and the 300 is the Hardbody series number in the commercial lineup. It’s all rather businesslike, and we’re rather glad they kept the Hardbody name tagged on as well, since we tend to get a bit emotional about our bakkies down here.

The NP300 remains primarily a workhorse, of course, although the Hardbody faithful can still have the Hi Rider 4X4 DoubleCab. These are the bakkies we hop into first on the launch, and they ferry us comfortably along the back roads of Jo’Burg North to our fleet collection point, where a string of heavily-laden workhorses await.

Refining appearance

The enhancements made to this new generation are primarily aimed at refining the experience without wrecking the iconic lugging qualities. In the more leisure-oriented Hi Rider spec for instance, there’s a 6-CD audio system in the range-topper, as well as airbags on both sides for added safety. And then there’s the new 2.4-litre petrol mill our test unit was equipped with, which feels on the road as if it produces more torque than the spec-sheet suggests (205Nm) and lower down in the rev range too, but is also rather cultured for such an agricultural machine, really.

We’re headed out to deliver a few hundred kilos worth of Nissan’s corporate-social responsibility effort, the winter warmer campaign, to Pecanwood Educational Trust (PET) in the Hartebeespoort Dam area. From the dropoff location, the supplies (food, blankets, and general winter necessities), the PET will distribute these 15 tons to in the region of 700 learners in the area a day. It’s a noteworthy project, and a pleasure to be a part of.

Lifting a load

Despite being pretty laden down, the new little 2.0-litre petrol mill in our basic workhorse didn’t have much trouble. The NP300 felt a touch nose-heavy and occasionally wandered slightly on these rough roads, but we were kept cool by the aircon, thankfully now a part of the workhorse spec-sheet for the most part. The Hardbody after all features one of the best load capacities in the one-ton segment at just over 1200kgs, and it was clear that our bakkie could’ve handled more and still been safe.

As the students offloaded the vehicles on the lovely fields of Pecanwood College, you could see the rear-end lifting skywards, evidence of the weight of the load behind us. Yet the new, 84kW and 169Nm 2.0-litre petrol feels perfect for the job, and a lot lighter on its feet returning to the luncheon venue as well. Where we were reunited with the Double Cab Hi-Riders, of which I finally snag a taste of the third new engine hitting the lineup, a 2.5-litre turbodiesel developing 98kW and a muscular 304Nm.

It’s good, not only strong, but comparatively unobtrusive too. This launch missed out only a 4X4 section to show the new Hardbody from all its various angles, What we can tell you, is that the NP300 Hardbody appears to have sacrificed none of its strengths, instead focussing on delivering value in the one-ton commercial vehicle segment with a host of new comfort and safety features, as well as improved refinement from the latest engine and NVH technology, and now offers these to the market at aggressive pricing — the entry-level 2.0-litre workhorse model (albeit without the service plan which comes standard with all other models) comes in at under R110 000.

Pricing

PETROL-NP300
2000i 16V SWB S/Cab: R109 950
2000i 16V LWB S/Cab: R129 950
2000i 16V LWB S/Cab S: R135 950
2000i 16V LWB S/Cab SE: R149 950
2400i 16V Hi-Rider LWB S/Cab: R177 950

DIESEL-NP300
2.5TDi LWB S/Cab2.5: R149 950

DOUBLE CAB-NP300
2400i 16V Hi-Rider D/Cab: R230 950