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Is a new petrol engine enough to reverse the Rodeo’s recent slide in popularity amongst a sea of fresh-faced, hard-hitting opponents?
Words by Glenn Wright
Photography by Robb Cox
One minute you’re soaring with the eagles, the next you’re a feather duster. I guess that saying sums up Holden’s brains trust after poker-faced, Japanese rivals launched impressive new dual-cab models to knock Rodeo off its perch early this year.
Wind the clock back to March 2005, and the Rodeo was everybody’s favourite dual-cab ute, selling 1048 units in that month alone. Its closest rival then was the HiLux with 797 sales ahead of the older D22 Navara with 735 (source Vfacts).
Snap back to the reality of 2006 and March’s figures showed a marked change in popularity for the ageing Rodeo. It now sits third in the sales race, way behind the HiLux and just worse off than the Navara (Navara’s sales figure is comprised of D22 plus D40 sales) with the Triton, about to be superseded, snapping at its heels.
The stakes have been raised if you want to be dealt into the petrol, dual-cab game. The minimum bet is now 4000, by that I mean a 4000cc donk, with Toyota, Nissan and now Mazda all in. Holden have just shown their hand, a new Aussie built 3.6L HFV6, Alloytech engine. When the chips are down, how will this volumetrically challenged player stack-up against its high-output opponents?
To gauge the effect the new motor has on the dated Rodeo, we put it up against the newest and most powerful player in the field, the 4.0L VQ40 powered Navara.
Before we get down to the nitty gritty, let’s see what separates the two on paper.
INSIDE AND OUT
You feel lonely inside the Rodeo due to thelack of accessories. Your only companions are a basic old stereo and oodles of dull plastic trim. It feels very much like a base model that Holden only expected to carry tradesmen to and from the job and is just one step above the old hose out interiors. The lesser room in all directions makes it more claustrophobic than the Navara and you sit on the front seats rather than in them. On long trips, the lack of comfort and interior distractions, combined with the extra effort required to drive the Rodeo zap your concentration more quickly minimising its appeal as a touring rig.
The Navara borrows heavily from the Pathfinder and as a result feels more wagon-like from inside. Its dials and controls appear more modern and everything is laid out nicely making it easier to access things without deviating from your normal driving duties too much. The copious amounts of head and leg-room give a sense of freedom to tired body-parts which appreciate the extra comfort the front seats offer.
Your ears are ambushed inside the Rodeo by a combination of engine and road noise largely due to a lack of sound insulation. Neither the underbonnet nor front firewall are shielded by any sound deadener!
The rear seats in both vehicles will accommodate three kids, but again the Navara is the better alternative. Its clever split folding rear seat, (the base folds up to allow secure, dry interior storage for valuables), is larger, wider and more comfortable.
SMOOTH SURFACES
Modern dual-cabs will behave themselves on most surfaces. Their independent front suspensions make for respectable ride and handling qualities and their original highway-biased rubber adds to this. With 300kg on board, both utes were pleasant to drive around town. As daily drivers, they perform more like wagons than their leaf sprung rear-ends and utility design should allow. Hopping from one to the other highlights the Navara’s superiority in suburbia. Its brake pedal feel, ease of throttle movement and nice clutch operation, make it easier to drive in any situation.
The 4.0L Navara engine was never out of its comfort zone and got happier as the revs rose. If you asked the Nissan engine to jump it asked how high, whereas the Holden Alloytech, which was on par with the Nissan at low revs, was at its best around 2000rpm but felt doughy from 2500 to 3500rpm. It needed encouragement to rev and wasn’t in the same league as the Nissan.
The Navara’s 6-speed manual is an example for others as to how to make gearboxes. It shifts quickly and sweetly and offers a great spread of ratios that keeps the grunty engine on the boil at any road speed. The extra gear makes a big difference when compared to the slightly notchy 5-speed Rodeo box. In a drag from 0 to 80km/h, the Navara triumphs by over two car lengths.
While both 4WDs utilise power-assisted rack and pinion steering, the Navara makes better use of this technology. It turns in more sharply in response to steering wheel movements and offers better steering feel, which adds to the superior communication between vehicle and driver.
Occasionally I forgot we were pulling 300kg of blue metal in the Navara courtesy of the torquey motor and well tuned suspension. Both vehicles will benefit from decent shock absorbers. The Navara’s work well but the tiny rears-I’ve seen thicker on a Lada-won’t last in rough conditions, while the Rodeo’s don’t control the ride when new. Perhaps that’s where the Rodeo got its name … Whooa Boy!
The Navara rides and handles more like a wagon while the Rodeo keeps giving you hints that you’re driving a ute even if it is refined by yesterday’s standards.
LOW AND SLOW
Both utes are too compromised in their suspension settings to be off-road weapons without spending plenty of aftermarket dollars on them. While LSDs are standard on both, I don’t understand why Nissan, who have built a top ute in the D40, haven’t gone for the knockout punch. Why haven’t they been the first to offer traction control and stability control in a family ute? In the U.S., Nissan offer the Pathfinder’s electronic traction aids on the Frontier ute which is pretty much a Navara. The U.S Traction package option includes stability control, Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control and electronic traction control for a measly $US 700! If you just want electronic traction control it will cost $US 300. With affordable options like these the Navara would be the most versatile 4WD available and still cheaper than HiLux.
The Rodeo’s superior approach and departure angles combine with abundant Newton metres above idle to claw back some ground off-road. It is well protected underneath with a steel tank guard, unlike the Navara, and benefits in the mud from a loftier alternator. The inner wheel arches provide a relatively safe place for both engines to suck air in from.
The Navara’s very low first gear helped it crawl up steep hills and it offers slightly better rear wheel travel and articulation than the Holden to keep both wheels on the ground more often.
It’s a snack to select part-time 4WD in both utes at the touch of a button or dial but the Holden clunks loudly into low-range.
If I purchased a Navara I would take great delight in ripping off the low-hanging side-steps, if the rocks didn’t tear them off first.
WORK HARD, PLAY HARD
The versatility offered in both these utes makes them a first choice for the tradesman who wants one vehicle for both work and play. Nissan engineers erred more on the recreational side when designing the suspension for the Navara. Its rear springs are softer only allowing a maximum payload of 830kg, just over 100kg more than the Pathfinder. This helps it ride more comfortably on-road but limits its usefulness on a building site.
The Rodeo’s stiffer leaf springs allow 1110kg payloads. This will appeal to the blue collar brigade and those who can’t say no to surplus items when packing for long trips. The down side is the Rodeo offers considerably less cargo volume than the Navara in all dimensions.
THE NUMBERS
MODEL:
HOLDEN RODEO LT NISSAN NAVARA D40 ST-X
ENGINE: HFV6 V6 DOHC, 24-valve, EFI VQ40 V6 DOHC, 24- valve, variable valve
timing, EFI
CAPACITY: 3564cc 3954cc
FUEL TYPE: 91 unleaded 91 unleaded
FUEL CAPACITY(range): 76L(531.5km) 80L(516.1km)
AVERAGE FUEL CONSUMPTION ON TEST:
14.3L/100km 15.5L/100km
BORE X STROKE: 94x85.6mm 95.5x92mm
MAX POWER: 157Kw@5300rpm 198kW@5600rpm
MAX TORQUE: 313Nm@2800rpm 385Nm@4000rpm
COMPRESSION RATIO: 9.6:1 9.7:1
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual 6-speed manual
RATIOS: (combined low-ratio)
1st 3.75(40.02) 4.368(42.33)
2nd 2.25(24.01) 2.518(24.40)
3rd 1.37(14.61) 1.743(16.89)
4th 1.00(10.67) 1.283(12.43)
5th 0.73(7.79) 1.000(9.69)
6th - 0.769(7.45)
Rev 3.67 3.966
DIFF RATIO: 4.30:1 3.692:1
LOW RATIO: 2.482:1 2.625:1
4WD SYSTEM: Part-time, electronic activation Part-time, electronic activation
SUSPENSION:
FRONT- Independent, double A arms Independent, double A
and torsion bars arms and coil springs
REAR- Live-axle with leaf springs Live-axle with leaf springs
BRAKES:
FRONT- Vented discs, ABS Vented discs, ABS
REAR- Drums, ABS Drums, ABS
WHEELS: 16x7in alloy 16x7in alloy
TYRES: 245/70R16 255/70R16
OFF-ROAD STATS:
App/Ramp/Departure Angles- 31/-/25 29/-/22
GROUND CLEARANCES: (measured with tape measure with 300kg in rear)
FRONT (lowest point): 215mm 230mm
SIDE-STEPS: 305mm 270mm
REAR BUMPER (lowest point): 375mm 398mm
KERB WEIGHT: 1790kg 1940kg
GVM: 2900kg 2805kg
TOWING CAPACITY (braked): 2500kg 3000kg
PRICE RRP: $41,990 $43,990
WARRANTY: 3years/100,000km 3 years/100,000km
The Rodeo, which in isolation appears modern, ages instantly when it is brought alongside the fresh-faced Nissan. Whilst not obvious, the Navara is significantly larger in every dimension, providing benefits for passengers and cargo. |
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