Nissan has chosen the 2016 IAA Commercial Vehicles Show as the launch venue for its new NV300 medium-duty van, a new rival for the likes of the Ford Transit Custom, Citroen Dispatch/Peugeot Expert and VW Transporter. It replaces the Primastar in the Nissan LCV range, which went off-sale back in 2014.
New V-shaped grille aside, you’ve probably already spotted that the NV300 is closely related to the Vauxhall Vivaro, Fiat Talento and Renault Trafic. It will be built by Nissan’s Alliance partner Renault at the Trafic plant in France.
As a result, almost everything about the new Nissan van is already familiar – apart from one potentially crucial thing: the NV300 comes with a five-year warranty, which is at least a year longer than every other van in this segment except the similarly endowed Toyota Proace.
Playing (so to speak…) on its association with the UEFA Champions League, Nissan kicked-off (ahem) the reveal event by releasing a literal van-load of footballs onto the stage from inside the main NV300 display vehicle. We’re told it will be keepy-uppying these kinds of publicity stunts for a while; another NV300 on display was kitted out with multiple TV screens and game console controllers so show goers can have their very own virtual kick about.
Nissan NV300 cargo capacity and dimensions
The NV300 is available as a panel van, crew van, rolling chassis cab and Combi (which seats up to nine people). The van comes in two load lengths and two roof heights for a total of four versions, and you’ll fit three Euro-pallets into any of them.
Nissan has so far only slightly cryptically stated that the load length is 110mm longer than the old Primastar’s, which by our calculations means you’ll get 2,510mm max into the short version and 2,910mm into the long version; that would actually be slightly less than the Trafic equivalents, so we suspect something has been lost in translation and the load lengths are more like 2,537mm and 2,937mm. We’ll bring our own tape measure next time we come to the IAA show…
As with the Trafic and co, a load through hatch can extend the maximum length for skinny items like pipes and planks to 3.75m and 4.15m, while total load volume is between 5.2 and 8.3 cubic metres. We’re expecting 2.7-tonne and 2.9-tonne gross weight variants, and payload capacity between just over 1,000kg and just over 1,200kg (for the Renault it’s 1,075kg and 1,235kg, but this may vary slightly due to changes in the Nissan’s specification).
To read more about the Renault Trafic’s dimensions and cargo area click here.
Engines and running costs
The NV300 will be powered by the familiar 1.6-litre dCi diesel engines already in use by its cousins (and Nissan car’s such as the Qashqai and X-Trail); there will be four outputs: 95hp, 120hp, 125hp and 145hp. The first two are single-turbo, the second two twin-turbo, bringing an increase in torque and improved response, along with fuel-saving stop-start technology. A six-speed manual gearbox is fitted to all NV300s.
Official fuel economy ranges from 47.9mpg to 50.4mpg. This is a Euro 6 van that uses Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), so there’s an AdBlue tank that will require replenishing every few thousand miles.
The fuel efficiency and the five-year warranty, which covers you for up to 100,000 miles (whichever is sooner), means the NV300 should be a very cost effective van. Servicing intervals are every 25,000 miles or two years.
Technology and safety
As you’d expect of a van launching in 2016, there’s plenty of on-board technology to choose from – which ranges from LED lighting in the load area to the latest infotainment (DAB radio, sat-nav, Applie iPhone voice control, rear-view camera) and a full suite of electronic stability control safety systems.
There’s up to 89 litres of storage space inside the cab, with options including a docking station for your computer tablet and laptop storage. There are two choices of driver’s seat; both offer height adjustment but only the “more premium” version includes lumber support.
How is Nissan able to offer a five-year warranty on the NV300?
According to Nissan’s European LCV boss, Robert Lujan, the five-year warranty comes not just as a matter of matching Nissan’s existing offering on the Navara pickup but as one of the advantages of coming to market slightly later than the other versions of the same van. Nissan feels it can be confident that the NV300 will prove reliable based on the experience so far of the other brands.
However, he also acknowledges that it’s a useful tool to build trust. Nissan has been absent from this sector of the van market since 2014, and offering customers an longer than average warranty is a way of attracting attention. The longest warranty offering from the NV300’s sister vans is four years.
NV300 pricing and on-sale info
The Nissan NV300 goes on sale in the UK before the end of 2016. Although pricing is yet to be confirmed, we’re expecting costs to start from around £19,000 ex VAT.
Also starring on the Nissan stand at the 2016 IAA is the Navara EnGuard extreme emergency response concept. The Japanese brand is using the show to announce that it’s extended the warranty on the eNV200 electric van to five years as well.
Nissan Navara EnGuard pickup concept packs an electric punch
