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Fulfilling its expectations?
Page 12
Page 13
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CM enthusiastically grabbed the opportunity to put Nissan's new NV200 through its paces on the UK road network. Here's what we thought...
Words / Images: Cohn Jarnett
AS LUCK WOULD have it, at the same time we were preparing the preview of the 2010 International Van of the Year awards, one of the leading contenders turned up at our front door.
We have driven the all-new Nissan NV200 on a few occasions already, and we've covered the facts and figures in some detail, but this was the very first opportunity to try it out on some of the UK's roads.
The model we got to drive was a pre-production version in five-seater combi window van form, so some areas of trim quality and specification will differ from the final version of the van that goes on sale ... the good news is that one of these is due shortly. The first thing to notice about the NV200 is that, until you've seen it among other traffic, its proportions make it look larger than it is.
Only the wheels, at 14 inches, which is relatively small by modern standards, give the game away.
Styling
Also, the NV200's styling is different enough for it stand out as a newcomer.
Climbing aboard, the upright seating position is more comfortable than you'd expect, aided by the fully adjustable steering column. The seat cushions are rather flat, but well-shaped reclining backrests and adjustable head restraints more than make up for that.
Only an intrusive electric window switch housing on the driver's door panel spoils the seating position for some. An armrest-shaped recess is moulded into the door panel, but the comfort is compromised by the doorpull recess where your elbow goes.
The upright driving position could affect visibility, but a tall glass area does compensate for that. Door mirrors are a decent size and are well placed, but with glazed rear doors, a large chunk of the interior mirror view is blocked by the asymmetrically split door frames, which are wide enough to lose a whole car in. More concerning, though, is the front three-quarter view. Thick A-pillars with triangulated bases create large blindspots, which is worrying and the tiny glazed panels don't help that much.
Interior trim features bluish cloth seats and a dashboard in two shades of grey, which is not unattractive, but the plastics on our test vehicle looked
a little hard and uninviting.
The instrument panel is dominated by a large central speedo with a two-memory tri meter, warning lights on the left and a highresolution Driver Information Display, including a colour reversing monitor, on the right. The control button for the trip computer is on the speedo face rather than on a column stalk, making it unwise to operate while driving.
The small sporty steering wheel is brightened up by the chrome Nissan badge, and carries one of the two airbags. The NV200 boasts Nissan's faintly pointless keyless ignition, with a plain rotary switch where the ignition key would go, not helped on this example by a steering lock that was reluctant to unlock — until the right technique was discovered.
Plenty of storage
The switches and controls are well placed and have a feel of quality about them.
Manual air-conditioning is fitted, as is a double-DIN radio/CD player, hut without a Bluetooth facility. And a conventional handbrake is positioned between the seats.
There are plenty of useful storage locations, including an A4 folder holder on the dash top, storage drawer under the driver's seat and a cupholder. Half the console between the seats tips forward to create another holder for documents, and the passenger seat folds forward to create a basic table.
Driving off, the NV200 soon reveals plenty of performance, whether on the motorway or the back roads. Nippy acceleration, a good turning circle and narrowish body make it ideal for city work. As long as you don't ask the impossible, the well-proven 85hp I.5dCi is extremely flexible. 'The Renaultoriginated engine is renowned for its economy, and our first experience suggests there's no difference in this application. Overall gearing is around 25mph per 1,000rpm in top.
Handling
The dash-mounted gear lever shifts through the five ratios perfectly well without setting any new standards.
The Nissan's handling is sporty and precise, with sharp steering, while the ride is firm but well damped, even on our potholed British roads. Some understeer was apparent on damp oads, however.
Noise levels on the NV200 are surprisingly low, the engine being noticeable but not intrusive, with some road noise from the front hut virtually none from the rear.
In this combi version, the view from the three rear seats is limited through the small tinted windows.
Even with the seats, there's still a useful amount of load space, with four tic-down points and a waist-level adjustable load restraint system.
As we stated at the beginning, the exact details of our test NV200 may differ from the final UK spec that goes on sale, but as a taster, we find it very difficult to imagine Nissan not fulfilling its expectations here.
• Since this test was written, we've received further details of the UK-spec NV200 in which the following features will not come as standard: passenger airbag, keyless entry, high-resolution dash display, plastic wheel trims and fog lights. A comprehensive road test of the UK-spec Nissan NV200 will appear in an upcoming issue of CM.