NISSAN’S revised range of 4x4 Pickups – that is the name as well as description – tops its class both for butch and for brawn.

The Pickup’s new nose is bold, brash and brutish. It’s grille design brings the Pickup into line with the rest of Nissan’s 4x4s, the X-TRAIL, Terrano and Patrol GR, while the clear headlight lenses and new corporate badge give it a slight whiff of Primera. Huge wheel-arches extensions, though, are not in the least bit car-like nor are the chunky new 16-inch alloys fitted to the range-topping Navara.

There are even bigger changes under the bonnet. Power is up by 28 per cent, from 104PS at 4000rpm to 133PS at a more accessible 3600rpm, making Nissan’s Pickup the most powerful in its field by far. It will accelerate to 62mph in 13.3 seconds. But whether it is working or playing, the Pickup’s maximum torque rating of 304Nm at 2000rpm (up 24 per cent on the previous model) will ensure speedy in-gear acceleration. It also means the Pickup can now tow up to 3000kg of braked trailer, yet it sips 15 per cent less fuel.

If two doors are all you need, there is a choice of Standard (which seats three) or King Cab. The latter can comfortably take four bottoms and improves on the Standard spec with a trimmed cargo floor, carpet for the cab floor and heating for the rear window. These models are designed to work hard on the job and do not ask for much in return: £12,600 for the Standard Cab (down £991) or £12,850 (down £912) for the King.

The four-doored Double Cab is down in price by £869 to £14,450. It has seats and belts for five but with a payload of 1065kg is still classed as a commercial vehicle in Vat-speak.

Assuming you are allowed back the Vat, the Navara is priced at £16,100 – down £721 – or £19,103 on the road if you are not. And if you are a company car driver who can justifiably claim to need a commercial vehicle for their job, running a Navara means paying tax on a £500 benefit-in-kind value.