Last Updated: 08/02/2010
ROAT TEST: NISSAN NV 200 Small van, big space
Compact mid-weights are becoming an increasingly popular sector of the UK van market. With long wheelbase versions of Ford’s Connect, VW’s Caddy and the PSA Berlingo and Partner, there is certainly plenty of choice, not to mention the new Doblo Cargo seen elsewhere in this issue. Now with the arrival of Nissan’s NV200, that buying decision just got a little bit harder.At the launch last year Nissan talked about the load capacity of a long wheelbase Connect, with the price of a short model. With 4.2cu m available in the back the firm is certainly spot on when it comes to cubic capacity. And with the Ford Connect’s list price starting at £13,450, and our range-topping NV200 SE starting at £12,590, it would appear that Nissan has got its pricing right too.
Although an SE specification, the press office had added a comfort pack, basically air conditioning, at £575 and the van came with metallic paint at £350. Nissan is expecting at least 85 per cent of UK customers will plump for the SE model, so it makes sense to start there.
The kit list is reasonable, rather than excessive, with ABS and EBD, a driver’s airbag, trip computer, twin sliding side doors, a full steel bulkhead, remote locking, electric mirrors, a folding passenger seat, electric windows and a CD radio with Aux input. You also get a rather cheap feeling storage tray under the driver’s seat to go with no less than 13 other storage compartments. That said though, some of those storage solutions are barely useable as they are little more than flat surfaces that allow smaller items to slide and roll around once in motion.
All NV200s at the moment are powered by a Euro 4 1.5dCi turbo diesel offering 86hp and 200Nm of torque. The engine will be familiar to anyone who has driven a Renault Kangoo, and the five-speed manual gearbox will cause few problems either.
CO2 emissions are just 137g/km and Nissan promises a combined fuel figure of 54.3mpg. However I used the van for a week both locally and on a run to Gatwick airport from Suffolk, and the trip computer claimed a more realist average of just over 40mpg, which compares reasonably with the Connect that we ran as a long termer last year.
To my eyes the Nissan looks a little under wheeled, with those compact 14” rims. Behind them hide discs at the front and drums at the rear, which provide plenty of stopping power. The van also rides reasonably well, with MacPherson strut front suspension and semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear soaking up the worst of the UK’s roads.
At the working end of the NV200 you get asymmetric rear doors and those two wide side openings, allowing an easy reach to anywhere in the load area without having to climb into the back. The maximum cargo length is 2,040mm and the height is up to 1,358mm. The floor of the load area sits at just 524mm of the ground, making it easy to lift loads into the back.
Talking of loads, the NV200 can carry up to 731kg, which again compares well with the competition. Although given the space available perhaps a second model in the future with bigger tyres could offer slightly more, in keeping with the long wheelbase competition.
In the front access is just as easy, with two firm seats offering plenty of space even for larger drivers. However, the switches for the electric windows have been installed in a huge hard plastic bulge on the doors, that sits just next to your knee and can become uncomfortable on longer trips.
The steering is rake adjustable but the gap between the centre of the wheel and the rim is so small that adjustment is limited by your ability to see the dash through the top half of the wheel. Personally I would have liked the wheel to tilt back further, but would then have lost the top half of the speedo.
It’s a fairly minimalist dash too, with just the one dial for the vehicle speed and then a multifunction digital trip computer to the right that can be set to display engine revs, fuel consumption and other journey data. However to flick through the screens you have to push the little button in the speedo, which isn’t as easy as it sounds when you are moving.
My only other grumble concerns the mirrors. If you have gone to the trouble of installing electric mirrors, surely it doesn’t cost that much more to provide heating elements in them? It’s one of my hobby horses I know, but particularly when you have no rear windows I think that all commercial vehicles should have heated mirrors as standard.
With visibility in mind, one interesting feature of the optional air conditioning is that when you turn the heating direction control to the windscreen, it automatically turns the air con on, which is a nice touch. It doesn’t however cancel it when you switch back to legs or face vents.
One thing that may take drivers by surprise if they drive an NV200 in the winter, is that on cold days the water temperature warning light comes on as you drive away. This is a bit disconcerting and I had to stop and check the manual to discover that the warning glows green merely to show that it is cold outside. It apparently glows red when the engine temperature is too high.
Around town the NV200 is quick off the mark, accelerating briskly and easily keeping pace with urban traffic. It is a highly manoeuvrable van and easy to place in congested streets, with compact dimensions playing a part when you are looking for a parking place too.
Surprisingly, though it revs fairly highly as speeds increase, the NV200 is also a reasonably comfortable motorway cruiser if needed. Of course its not intended as a long distance courier vehicle, but customers shouldn’t discount a little interurban work in the compact Nissan.
Trips to the dealer are every 12,500 miles or once a year, and the NV200 comes with Nissan’s standard three year/100,000 mile warranty. Build quality and durability have never been problems for Nissan either, so customers should be able to rest assured that the van will keep on working as the miles increase.
The firm has fairly conservative sales targets for its new van this year, which is no bad thing given the state of the market. That said, the panel van will be joined by five and seven seat Combi versions next month, increasing the appeal of this compact LCV.
