Just a few days after its official introduction to the South African market, the TopGear SA team in a troop of Nissan Navara Warriors has embarked on a record-breaking expedition into South Africa’s most extreme hinterland. The record? The Longest Off-Road Journey Ever. That is, to conquer over 1 000km or more of off-road driving. That means, no roads at all, but just a 1 000km of the brutal, harsh but magnificent landscape of the Northern Cape’s Namakwaland. The record is an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORD, fully approved and adjudicated by the UK-based organisation.
Based on the 600km Namaqualand Eco route, the intrepid team in their Warriors will spend the next week trundling through desolate desert conditions, barren mountains and rocky valleys, while hugging the raging Gariep river, Mzansi’s longest waterway, and back out into the desolate expanse as they make their way to the river’s end, the Atlantic Ocean at Alexander Bay.
These two brands, Nissan Navara and TopGear are synonymous with the word DARING. This challenge has been internally billed as DARING Africa 2.0 – a sequel to the 2024 DARING Africa challenge in which Nissan drove a fleet of Navaras from South Africa to Cairo.
“It would not be a TopGear SA challenge if it weren’t daring, so when Nissan SA approached us to help it make a statement with its latest and most capable Nissan Navara Warrior, we knew that we had to push the boundaries,” says TopGear SA Publisher, Avon Middleton.
“What better way to put a vehicle through its paces than take it to one of the hottest and toughest provinces in our country? This undertaking will push both the vehicles and the crew to the extreme,” adds Lerato Matebese, TopGear SA Publishing Editor.
Selected media and friends of the brands flew out to Upington in the Northern Cape this week to be met by the TopGear SA team and taken to a few of the iconic sites. This media experience was to showcase a small glimpse of the rugged and harsh conditions in this area – and yet also the contrast of that harshness with the beauty that lies within a very wild and untouched landscape. Part of the drive experience included a lunch stop at the magnificent Augrabies Falls for lunch.
The Warrior, which is a Nissan-approved conversion of the Nissan Pro4X conceived and perfected by Australian after-market specialists Premcar, has created a version of the Navara that is taller, wider, and with a greater ground clearance than the factory-built vehicle. It’s a fitting vehicle to conquer the forthcoming landscape without issue. Shod with LT 275/65/R17 MAXXIS RAZR AT tyres instead of the factory-specced 255/65 R17 AT, the Navara Warrior has improved approach and ramp breakover angles and increased front and rear tracks, which are ideal for the conditions they’ll be subjected to through the Namaqualand Eco route. Other additions include the distinctive Warrior styling externally and internally, and the installation of a sports bar at the back. Off-road capabilities are further boosted by off-road-focused shock absorbers and a 40mm higher ground clearance.
The record will culminate with an occasion on the 4th April 2025 in Tshwane, where the Nissan Navara Warrior record-breaking vehicles together with the TopGear SA crew, will be joined by media and other stakeholders to mark and celebrate this incredible milestone.
