Commercial vehicles don't have to look ungainly, but Nissan didn't get that memo when it designed its pair of hard-working vans, the full-size NV and compact NV200.
With these two, Nissan competes with the Ford Transit and Transit Connect, the Ram Promaster and Promaster City and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Metris. While the Ford and Benz vans are about as handsome as boxes on wheels can get, Nissan occupies the utilitarian end of the spectrum along with those Fiat-based Ram models.
The big NV shares its basic DNA with the Nissan Titan full-size pickup, so its design echoes the old school domestic van ethos, which only one domestic manufacturer -- General Motors -- still follows. Meanwhile, the smaller NV200 shares its underpinnings with all sorts of Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi models better known in overseas markets. Those links are the result of a 1999 corporate tie-up that helped keep Nissan in business.
Both vans are carried over for 2019.
The big NV contains a few nods to modernity, including Bluetooth with streaming audio and a text message assistant, and a USB port for connecting and charging smartphones.
NV Powertrain choices are a 4.0L V6 making 261 hp and 281 lb-ft of torque and a 5.6L V8 good for 375 hp and 387 lb-ft. The NV comes in 1500, 2500 and 3500 variants, each one bringing higher payload and towing capacities than the one before it. The V6 is paired with a five-speed automatic transmission, while the V8 gets a seven-speed. All NV models are rear-drivers; there is no AWD option.
The full-size NV range is also split into passenger and cargo vans, each of which can be had with standard or tall roof heights and in S, SV and SL trim levels. Passenger vans can accommodate as many as 12 passengers in three rows of seats (plus the two front chairs) that can be configured in 324 different ways.
Standard features include 17-inch steel wheels, vinyl upholstery, interior D-ring latches, 10 roof rack mounts, trip computer, a two-speaker radio with CD player and pre-wiring for upfitting. Heavier-duty 2500 and 3500 models add a number of touches that lend themselves to workaday purposes, like extra interior storage and work lights in the cargo area.
SV models get flashier steel wheels, cargo floor protection and hardboard side panels and conveniences like power side mirrors and windows and cruise control.
Passenger models are a bit more posh, with cloth seating, rear heating and cooling vents, rear parking sensors and overhead lighting.
The NV's commercial classification means that Natural Resources Canada doesn't require Nissan to provide fuel consumption estimates.
The NV200 uses a 2.0L four-cylinder engine that makes 131 hp and 139 lb-ft of torque, and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). This smaller doesn't count as a commercial vehicle, so its consumption estimates are 9.7/9.0 L/100 km (city/highway).
NV200 S trim's functional features include 15-inch steel wheels with covers, black exterior trim, 20 cargo mounting points, Bluetooth, power door locks, and a fold-down front passenger seat.
SV trim adds power-adjustable and heated side mirrors, a chrome grille, six floor-mounted D-rings in the cargo area, body-colour exterior trim, keyless entry, backup sonar and an extra 12-volt power outlet, located in the centre console. Notably, Nissan doesn't offer a passenger version of the NV200, despite Ford, Ram and Mercedes-Benz all doing so with they small commercial vans.
This vehicle has not yet been reviewed
