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NV200: man's best friend?
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We talk to two early adopters of the NV200 about what the vehicle contributes to their business. Louise Cole reports.
National carpet cleaning company Safeclean, part of the Guardsman Furniture Solutions Group, has chosen the NV200 to roll out across all its new franchisees,
Franchisee administrator Natalie Crothers says the company was looking to control its franchisee costs and Nissan suggested the NV200 because of its low costs of ownership, both in initial price and ongoing servicing. "We had previously used the Nissan Primastar," she says. "We explained what we needed to Nissan and tried the NV200 at their suggestion. Our operations manager really liked it so we will now include it in our package for all our new franchisees."
Nine new carpet cleaners are expected to be kitted out with the van this year, while the 67 existing franchisees could switch over when their current leases come to an end.
The vans are all kilted out internally to hold the range of machines. accessories and organic cleaning products which Safeclean operatives use so its impressive load volume of 4.2m3 has been a boon.
Franchisees lease their vans directly from Nissan, which arranges third-party fitting and sign writing so they receive a complete package to Safeclean's specification. Crothers says it is an advantage for Safeclean that the Nissan does not come with many driver luxuries, such as CD player, as standard, rather leaving it to individual owners to specify any extras, as this makes it easier for franchisees to control costs.
Carpet and upholstery cleaner Ryan Dowling says the NV200 handles more like a car than a van. "It's also easier to park and, with the 1.5(X)cc engine, it's very fuel efficient. I get .50mpg on a good run. It's also cheaper on insurance and VED than many vans."
The compact design requires the loading area to be packed in an organised way, says Dowling, but "there are double rear doors and sliding side-doors so everything is very accessible. There are literally dozens of little storage spaces for drinks, pens, documents around the place which is excellent.
"I've never leased a van before but the Nissan rates are very manageable compared to the turnover of the business," he says.
Epping-based kitchen fitter Mr Roger Linsdall bought his new Nissan NV200 outright. cashed my old van in on the scrappage scheme and my local Nissan dealer gave me a decent discount as well so I got a very good deal."
Linsdall works locally wherever possible so doesn't expect to do more than 10,000 miles a year but space and economy were very important to him. "It's the perfect size for what I want. There aren't too many medium-sized vans on the market now and I didn't want a large vehicle. For a small van it's very spacious. I carry mainly power tools; you need a large array of them for kitchen fitting. It's got double doors which makes life easier and I am now looking into buying some racking for the load space. I made racking for my last van but this is so nice and new I want something that looks good."
The other important driver for Linsdall was economy. "The economy of the van definitely attracted me. It does 52mpg. My first thought was that the 1,500cc engine may be underpowered and. had I not driven it, that may have put me off. But it doesn't seem sluggish at all. It drives very like a car and is very comfortable."
The NV200 has come at a good time for I.insdall's business which has ridden the wave of recession and is still going well. "I used to work for large kitchen supply companies but now I prefer to work for myself doing residential projects." The small van will make Linsdall's life easier as he negotiates parking on narrow residential streets.
-1 tend to keep my vehicles a long time and, provided this stays in good condition and runs well. I think I'll run it for quite a few years.You can hear the satisfaction and excitement in his voice. "It's just so nice," he says. "It's lovely."