What's this then?

This, my friend, is ruggedness personified. This is check shirts and muddy boots in four-wheeled form. This is a car that has most definitely shit in the woods.

It's the new Nissan Navara pickup, or NP300 Navara as it's now called. It has already been on sale in Asian markets for a little while, but is now ready for European sales, once it has been shown off to adoring crowds of Euro-builders and Euro-plumbers at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show.

Nissan is already busy claiming that it sets new standards in safety for the pickup truck segment, and the Navara will include such high-tech safety kit as Around View Monitor and Forward Emergency Braking (FEB), while more comfort-oriented refinements include cruise control, Hill Descent Control (HDC) and Hill Start Assist (HSA).

It's also coming with rather more sophisticated suspension than you'd expect on a pickup, with a five-link setup at the back that saves as much as 20kg compared to the old Navara's suspension. That's only on the double-cab model though - the King Cab gets a simpler (but still slightly lighter) leaf spring arrangement.

The interior gets an upgrade too, with higher quality materials and, as with the Nissan Qashqai and X-Trial, seats designed with help from NASA.

The engine range consists of two versions of a new 2.3-litre dCi diesel engine, with either 160- or 190hp. It's a twin-turbo unit, driving through either a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic gearbox, and Nissan is of course claiming greater efficiency and lower emissions.

All models can carry up to a one-tonne load in the bed (which is 67mm longer than before) and can tow a maximum of 3,500kg.

Ponz Pandikuthira, Director of Light Commercial Vehicles for Nissan Europe says: "Since we built our first pick-up in 1935, over 14 million customers in 180 countries around the globe have come to depend on Nissan pick-ups to transport their families, colleagues and cargo, sometimes in the toughest of circumstances. Nissan pick-ups have often been the lifeblood of their communities and a trusted work partner to businesses and tradespeople. Now in its 12th generation, we've harnessed this experience and our customer feedback to develop the new Nissan NP300 Navara which sets a new benchmark for performance, refinement, convenience and running costs in the sector."