The Nissan Townstar Crew Van brings a clever folding second row of seats to provide a choice between space for five or a roomy small van.
The Townstar Crew Van is on sale in the UK now, with pricing start at £26,512 (not including VAT) for the petrol model and £38,350 for the electric Townstar EV.
There isn’t a typo in that previous sentence either – the Townstar is one of the few commercial vehicles on sale in the UK to come with a petrol engine. There isn’t a diesel option, either, making this a rear rarity.
The Crew Van is based on the longer L2 version of the Townstar, and offers space for two in the front and a neat folding three-seater bench seat in the second row.
Folding seats and bulkhead
The Nissan Townstar takes a different approach to the crew vans of old, which would come with fixed second-row seats and a smaller loading bay behind. Instead, the Nissan has a clever system that allows you to release the three seats as one and fold them up to create a bulkhead behind the front part of the cabin.
As the images show, the small grille bulkhead folds up to the van’s ceiling and the backs of the seat become the main divider in the cabin. It’s cleverly engineered to be done with one hand and doesn’t take much time or effort.
When in place, they are still full-size and proper sets, though, with three-point belts and headrests. The only thing they don’t offer is Isofix, as these would have to be anchored behind the base of the seats. When they are folded up and secured, the space behind is boosted by 1 cubic meter to 3.1 cubic metres.
The payload is rated at 730kg for the petrol and 673kg for the electric model, although it will be worth bearing in mind that has to cover both the passengers and any cargo so five large adults could leave you close to that maximum. This is the case for all crew vans though.
How much does the Nissan Townstar cost and when is it on sale?
There is only the one trim of Townstar Crew Van, as it comes in the mid-grade Tekna. This, and the extra seats, mean that it attracts a bit of a premium over the standard panel van with a starting price of £26,125 for the petrol. This brings a 130hp 1.3-litre petrol engine and a six-speed manual gearbox. It is based on the L2 version, which is the longer of the two available. This represents a £1,510 premium over the panel van equivalent.
The electric version is £38, 295, which is a £1,500 increase over the equivalent panel van. It comes fitted with a 45kWh battery and fast charging as standard. The extra weight has a slight impact on the official range, which drops from 168 miles to 163.
The Nissan Townstar Crew Van is available to order now.
