Just a few days after its official introduction to the South African market, the TopGear SA team, in a convoy 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.
“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.
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 greater ground clearance than the factory-built vehicle.
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 event on the 4th of 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 milestone.
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Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives.
Daniel Pink
For decades, buying a car has been as much about emotion as practicality. Shiny brochures, polished showroom floors and persuasive sales talk often overshadowed the cold, hard numbers of ownership. But today, where information is currency, consumers are no longer satisfied with glossy marketing – they want data, and they want it now.
According to a Reuters report, South Africa is engaged in discussions with Chinese automotive manufacturers to encourage local investment, with at least one company showing considerable interest in establishing production facilities in the country, a senior government official revealed on Wednesday.
Europe’s automotive sector, once a global leader, is facing what McKinsey describes as “the largest transformation in the industry’s history”.
