You've got to feel sorry for tradies.

When it comes to decision time for their wheels of choice, never have they had it so good.

Which means it can become confusing, unless you know exactly what you're looking for.

Nissan have added to the confusion with their latest offering the Navara King Cab.

We had the pleasure of a week's company with the big workhorse which is a fusion of single cab and twin cab philosophy.

It has four doors and four seats, and a tray that is much larger than that found on the twin cab.

Which means compromise.

Larger tray means less people room. It may be a King Cab, but the reality is the rear fold-down seats are fit for a pair of princes or princesses only. Your hefty chippies will not appreciate the room in the back pews, unless its a lift to the pub on a Friday afternoon. The good news is that when not in use the rear seats simply fold up leaving heaps of room for storage of tools, roll-up building plans, work gear or sporting kit.

Leg room is at a premium, and the seating position is pretty much upright. So, the bottom line is they are seats of last resort, but they are seats.

The tray is 1855 mm long, so the compromise King Cab will suit those who need the bigger tray and have an occasional use for two back seats.

Getting in and out of the rear pews is relatively easy thanks to the forward opening (so-called suicide doors) and the fact there is no B-Pillar to cramp the entry.

Our test vehicle was the ST-X King Cab Pick Up.

It comes with it's own tub and integrated tub liner, nifty sports bar, rear chrome step bumper and remote fuel release.

There are three variants in the Nissan King Cab range: the 2.5 RX Cab chassis at $38,910, the 2.5 ST-X at $41,910 and the vehicles as tested, King Can ute 2.5 ST-X at $43,410.

All are powered by a 2.5 litre turbo diesel engine which puts out 126kW of power and a hefty 403Nm of torque, in 4WD models. There are two choices of gearboxes, a six speed manual and five speed automatic. Our test vehicle came with the auto option which adds $2250 to the bottom line. The engine is highly responsive with plenty of kick off at the lights, as well as an easy cruiser at highway speed. Fitted with leaf springs at the back, it does suffer from some skittishness on bumpy surfaces.

We suspect with a tool box or more weight in the back the suspension would be softer and more passenger-friendly. As a workhorse the King Cab 4X4 series have a lot going for them. Towing capacity is 3000kg, equal class best. Maximum towball download is 300 kg. The King Cab comes well appointed with 16 inch alloy wheels, ABS with brake assist, dual airbags, air conditioning, power accessory socket, cloth trim.

The ST-X King Cab chassis adds side steps, cruise control, remote central locking, power windows and mirrors, CD stacker with MP3 facility. For those who need 4WD from time to time, the Navara King Cab uses Nissan's simple switch that can be turned on while on the move. It switches between 2WD, and full-time 4WD. Moving into low range requires the vehicles to be halted.

The key aspect of the King Cab always comes back to the tray. Not only is it 1855 mm long, it is 1560 mm wide, with 1135 mm between the wheel arches. In ute form it can carry 939 kg with a manual transmission and 913 kg in auto.

For heavier loads the RX King Cab Chassis totes up to 1100 kg in manual guise and 1083 kg as an auto.

There's a 80 litre capacity fuel tank and with the King Cab models getting 9.8 litres/100 km with the manual transmission and 10.5 litres/100 km with the auto, there's plenty of time between top ups.