When there's work to be done it's the power to weight ratio that matters, and the Nissan Hardbody two-wheel drive 3,0 litre turbodiesel easily outpunches all of its single cab rivals in this regard thanks to a class-leading 105 kW output. In addition, the model boasts a generously-proportioned load box and an unbeatable 1 056 kilogram load carrying capacity. As a result, no similar bakkie can carry more, more easily.
Feature for feature and Rand for Rand, this high-specced vehicle is the best-equipped single cab out there, and it's just what you need if your bakkie is your office. Sure, there'll be days when you'll have to work hard: watch the sun come up, and watch it go down, but using a bakkie as your workplace never brought with it so much luxury. And as the boss, why should you rough it, when you can enjoy the fruits of your labour from the cab of South Africa's toughest and most technologically advanced pick-up?
Its 105 kW of power at 3 400 revs/min and a gargantuan 314 Nm of torque at just 2 000 revs/min (with a large percentage of that available from just off idle), is proof that the acclaimed ZD30DDT 16-valver ushers in a new era for diesel bakkies.
So too does the styling. While the tough double skinned load box remains structurally unchanged from that fitted to the workhorses in the one-tonner line-up, it is from the cab forward – or rather from the windscreen forward – that the Hardbody makes such a visual impression.
The sculptured nose with its in-your-face styling is one of the real talking points of the light commercial market, and while it gives the vehicle style and purpose never before associated with the genre, it also contributes to excellent wind-cheating properties. The large, distinctive halogen headlights with their clear polycarbonate lenses and integrated turn signals/parklights provide the kind of illumination you need when hurrying down a narrow dirt road on a moonless night. And when early morning mist lies in the valleys, you'll realise that the foglights in the front bumper aren't just for show.
With the same boldly flared wheelarches as the 4x4 double cabs, filled with the same 245/70 radial tyres on 16-inch alloy wheels, the Hardbody 3,0 litre turbodiesel Hi-Rider's 220 mm of ground clearance is enough to outdistance virtually any middelmannetjie. A differential lock is also fitted, and come rain or shine, there will be very few situations with which the vehicle can't cope.
And Nissan has thought of everything that you'll need to cope. The seats are individual buckets, designed for day-long comfort and upholstered in durable cloth. Air conditioning, power steering, electric windows, cupholders, frontloader CD player, reading lights, a sliding rear window, tinted glass and a fully carpeted interior all contribute to a environment which is user-friendly, and make it a genuine office on wheels. Still not convinced? Add in a cigarette lighter, digital clock, central locking with keyless entry, low fuel warning light, "headlights on" warning buzzer and a driver's footrest . . . there's very little that Nissan's engineers haven't thought of.
Nissan's finance division also offers tailored packages that allow farmers and business users to structure their vehicle finance in the most cost-effective manner. Through Nissan Finance, those in the agricultural sector have a wide variety of options; namely hire purchase, lease, maintenance lease, and long-term lease transactions.
Flexibility is the name of the game, and farmers can opt for a repayment period as short as 12 months, or as long as 60. VAT-registered concerns can also reclaim the value-added tax on a vehicle purchase in a number of ways, and of course the natural devaluation of a vehicle over time may also be written off as a business expense.
There's never been a better time to buy this Hardbody turbodiesel. With performance that'll shame many cars, loads of comfort and an appetite for work that more than lives up to the Hardbody name, there's no better bakkie right now.
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