NISSAN SUNNY VAN 13d
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Price as tested: £8,680 (ex-VAT). plus 2144 for load liner.
Engine: 1,681cc, 40kW (54hp) diesel.
GVW: 1,650kg. Payload: 505k9.
In its brief time with us the Nissan Sunny has had its first big test: a trip to the Alps and back, involving two autorouteburning 700-mile journeys. This has given us a chance to see whether any irritating foibles crop up, and whether it's comfortable enough for a long day's driving. So far so good.
The Sunny is a diesel-powered high-cube van first tested by us in November 1992. Here in the La we are not given the continental option of the muscular 16-valve 66kW (90hp) petrol engine, but as diesels represent the vast majority of high-cube sales this no real problem. The 1.7-litre naturally aspirated indirect-injection unit incorporates EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) as standard; a measure that is designed to cut emissions of nitrogen oxides (N0x).
• Productivity
The Sunny's 505kg payload has yet to be seriously tested, but its 2.7m3 load volume is not bad for its class and the advantages of a high-cube van are immediately clear when it comes to loading up. The height, width and simple shape of the load space are a boon, made all the easier to use by a step built into the rear bumper and the dash-mounted switch to lock and unlock the rear doors.
The load floor is flat--the rear suspension is a trailing-arm arrangement— and fitted with a half-height bulkhead, but the four load eyes are hidden by the optional moulded loadliner, The loadliner's shiny surface lets items slide around all over the place, which at least promotes smooth driving, but rattles an irritating tattoo against the bulkhead, particularly at idle. This was cured by stuffing an old coat into the gap.
Every CM staff member who has driven the Sunny has struggled mightily to gain access to the fuel filler: luckily they have all found the handy operating lever beside the driver's seat before they got hold of a screwdriver.
A thoughtful touch is the clip in the fuel flap that holds the screw-in cap during a fill-up.
At least fill-ups aren't too common an occurrence: fuel consumption is running at around 71it/100km (40mpg) despite part-laden 130km/h autoroute cruising and tortuous Alpine driving. More conventional use (and running-in) should improve this figure, The first service is due at 6,000 miles; up to now, the van has needed no oil at all.
• On the road
The sunny is no rocket-ship. It will cruise at the legal (Continental) limit all day, as long as the road is flat, but as soon as you hit a hill it can feel as if somebody has switched one or two cylinders off: the van loses a lot of speed quickly thanks to its tall gearing.
Things are somewhat better when it comes to handling: the firm steering--not power-assisted, and heavy in urban driving—keeps it stable on the motorway and is adequate for twisty roads. The chassis does not suffer from excessive roll and corners neutrally, though ride quality is definitely better lightly laden rather than at full gross weight.
The car-style mirrors suffer from a Bentley-sized blind spot (the Combo has upped the ante here) and, in common with other high-cube vans, the Sunny's rear windows become filthy all too quickly It is clear that the Sunny's interior trim has been thoughtfully designed and is of very high quality; an experienced MTH engineer drove it, and noticed only one noise from the fascia at speed: this was subsequently traced to a cassette rattling around in the player.
The seats are comfortable enough for a full day's hard driving, and while the Sunny can't match the Combo's plethora of cubbyholes at least there's somewhere to put an open can of drink and a big bag of Murray Mints.
• Summary
So far, our Sunny has covered 3,500 miles without a hitch; we would expect nothing less from a vehicle with a three-year/60,000mile warranty. But it has done so with some comfort, reasonable noise levels (certainly compared to other high-cubes) and decent economy CM will be doing its best to crack that 60,000-mile barrier over the next year.
1-1 by Toby Clark