Two Decades of Thrills: Nissan SA and the Spirit of Africa Challenge

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It’s a rough and tough challenge alright. Imagine a day filled with no fewer than 8 daunting tasks in a Nissan Navara, a 4x4 that is more than equal to the rigorous demands I would put the bakkie through. When the bakkie was first launch, I was not surprised that it would claim ‘Bakkie of the Year’ in 2022. But back to the Spirit of Africa Challenge. It’s a taste of adrenaline and adventure like no other, and for the second consecutive year, Nissan South Africa is proud to be the mainline sponsor for the thrilling 20th edition of Spirit of Africa.

Nissan’s partnership with this prestigious event reaffirms its commitment to fostering a community of adventure-seeking off-road enthusiasts and serves as the perfect showcase for the all-terrain capabilities and advanced technologies in the Nissan Navara. The Nissan Spirit of Africa is about adrenaline, speed, and experiencing the great outdoors. “We are excited to have brought the challenge back this year with more power and gusto than ever before and were even more excited to see how our motoring associates did behind the wheel of the rugged and redefined Nissan Navara,” Maciej Kleinkiewicz, Managing Director for Nissan SA said.

“At last year’s inaugural Nissan Spirit of Africa challenge, we had a fantastic turnout of 300 teams who entered our gruelling and competitive race, with 400 teams expected to participate this year. We’ve strived for gold as this year’s challenge gets underway, with excitement building leading up to our female focused leg on 4-6 June. We encourage all female drivers to enter and tackle Africa’s toughest off-road course,” Kleinkiewicz added.

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Thrill Me

Renowned for its challenging terrain and thrilling atmosphere, the Spirit of Africa challenge was created by legendary local racing driver, Sarel van der Merwe. It has been described as the “toughest 4X4 challenge in Africa” and provides the “average” driver with an opportunity to test their off-road ability in a competitive environment.

If you are looking for an exciting three-day experience which includes camping under the African sky and traditional local food in between intense off-road driving, then Nissan Spirit of Africa is just the challenge for you.

Rugged African Roads

The Nissan Navara has been expertly crafted for African roads, offering a proudly South African bakkie that is not only market competitive by global standards, but is brimming with innovations that are tailored for Africa’s diverse landscape.

Known for being rugged and redefined, the brute power of the Nissan Navara also

delivers increased safety, control, and comfort for all on board. The Navara’s versatile, cutting-edge features and build provide sheer driving pleasure, while also enabling more connectivity to the world around you.

Several highly capable Nissan Navara’s were made available for the media leg of the event, each having been put to the test and pushed to the limit.

Through rough terrain marked by steep inclines, muddy crossings, and heart- stopping descents as expected from this year’s Spirit of Africa – the Nissan Navara pushed each boundary, defied each odd and ultimately came out on top.

Image: Supplied

Powered Up

The new Nissan Navara is powered by a tried and tested 2.5 litre turbocharged diesel engine, which allows Nissan to meet their customers’ requirements for low running costs, reliability and performance. The 2.5l power-train is available in two levels of output. The high output engine, available on higher grade models, delivers 140kW power and 450Nm torque, while the mid-output engine, delivering 120kW power and 403Nm, the most powerful engine in the entry and mid grades bakkie segment. In addition, the Navara engine line-up is includes a 2.5l petrol engine delivering 118kW and 233Nm available on the entry grade XE Single Cab.

 

Built to Perform

The Nissan Navara offers a unique 7 AT and 4-wheel drive with differential lock for easy off-road driving. For manual transmission models, a new low gear ratio improves acceleration response, ease of driving, and ease of starting up hill. The 6-gear manual transmission offers ergonomic shift operation with smoother and more precise gear selection and comfortable reverse gear engagement. The interior double-cab is comfortable and you are assured an easy smooth ride on all terrains.