The new Nissan NV-fugly van

[D-FENS]

Well I had set my mind on getting a Ford TC for my new business based on all the info I had found and after taking some measurements at my local dealership. It seemed to fit the bill being smaller than a full size van (I don't need a ton of room) offering better MPG, lower maintenance costs, etc, heck I even thought the AC/TC might work after learning that the electric version might actually fall under $30k before tax credits. I would never need to go more than 80 mile range and Ford is offering a 'free' home power-station to the first 5,000 buyers, so I have been giving the electric van serious thought as well.

Friday I picked up a loaner TC from my dealer to bring home and trial fit all of my equipment, we putted around in it Friday night and it seemed to be a winner. Saturday morning we get up and start loading it to play with various layouts but after getting about 3/4ths of everything in in became quite clear that this was not going to be the best option. We played around for about two hours with various layouts and vertical solutions, and while everything would fit it would end up being a chore to load/unload on a daily basis. I would end up having to remove two or three items just to get another out, and there would be no room for future expansion.

So back to the dealer it went and when we got home we started researching again and putting some thought into the full-size transit which is the Econoline's replacement and set to hit the USA in 2012. But then after some mistakenly typed Google-Foo we found this.......














As Nissan finalizes plans to bring its first production commercial vehicle (CV) to the North American market in late 2010, it is starting with a truly ground up design – from its rugged ladder frame to the roof rack mounting brackets on the top of the innovatively conceived and styled body. Yet the all-new Nissan NV (Nissan Van) also has the advantage of Nissan’s exceptional commercial vehicle heritage, covering 75 years and more than 75 percent of the global CV market.

“The new kid on the block, as it turns out, is also a long-time player in the global commercial vehicle market. As the first non-domestic nameplate to design, manufacture and sell CVs in the United States, we bring a more than seven-decade tradition of durability, quality and reliability to our products,” said Joe Castelli, vice president, Commercial Vehicles and Fleet, Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA). “At the same time, we’ve taken a fresh look at every aspect of the CV business – including styling, powertrain, interiors, cost of operation and ownership, dealership sales and service operations and, most importantly, real world customer needs.”




The first production models in Nissan’s new North American CV lineup are the 2011 Nissan NV1500, NV2500 HD and NV3500 HD. They will be available with a choice of 4.0-liter V6 and 5.6-liter V8 engines and in two body styles, Standard Roof (all models) and High Roof (NV2500 HD and NV3500 HD only) – with High Roof models offering stand-up walkthrough/work cargo area capability.

“It’s been too many years since any manufacturer in this segment has taken a ‘clean sheet’ look at the needs of owners and operators in the CV segment,” said Castelli. “We’ve invested more than five years researching the comfort, style and smart functionality demands that will enable business owners to accomplish more throughout their day. We plan on coming out of the box with segment-busting vehicles, so customer input was essential.”





The NV planning team employed a wide range of innovative customer research methodologies, including focus groups, on-site visits and concept reviews. The quantitative and qualitative research took place all across America – Los Angeles, Chicago, New Jersey, Dallas, Detroit, New York, Minnesota, Arizona and other markets. The team met with large fleet owners and managers, small business owners, aftermarket suppliers and converters and rode along with owners of competitive vehicles.
“The NV is one of the most researched projects ever in the history of Nissan. We touched the market at every point possible, with the findings reflected in every aspect of the final NV design,” added Castelli.

Comfortable Seating and Standing
Research showed that commercial van owners are the least satisfied of any vehicle segment, with many van owners disposing of their vehicles in favor of light duty trucks despite the compromise of convenience and utility. In developing the new Nissan NV, one of the overarching goals was to combine pickup truck-like comfort, interior amenities and drivability with a cargo van’s capacity and security.

“Looking at the CV market in recent years, there’s been a migration of van users to light-duty pickups due to the lack of comfort, image and dependability of the current outdated van platforms,” explained Castelli. “Yet many of these truck owners admit they need a van for weather protection, security and the convenience of a tall roof van to carry large items or equipment. With the Nissan NV, we’re giving them the best of both worlds.”





Answering one of the major unmet owner needs – driver comfort and roominess – the Nissan NV interior starts with wide front doors for easy ingress and egress, supportive bucket seating with extensive adjustability, large armrests and a truck-like driving position with ample legroom and foot room. The available center console (removable) provides a range of integrated storage features, while the fold-down passenger seat – which is unique to the segment – adds worktable functionality and enhances the cab’s feeling of openness.

Another major contributor to the pickup-like cab is the absence of the traditional CV engine “doghouse” that intrudes into the cab due to the setback engine placement. The Nissan NV utilizes a conventional truck engine layout with the engine and transmission located ahead of the firewall/A-pillar. This not only frees up space under the instrument panel and between the seats, it also provides easy under-hood access to the entire engine for routine service and maintenance.

“From the seats forward the NV looks, acts and feels like a pickup. You don’t have to take apart the interior to access the engine and you don’t have to worry about tucking your work boots into a cramped footwell,” said Castelli. “But, make no mistake, behind the seats the NV is pure, practical van.”

The NV’s ample cargo area offers a 120.7-inch cargo floor length and 70.3-inch maximum cargo floor width. NV Standard Roof models offer a maximum 55.4 cargo area height, among the tallest in class. The NV High Roof provides a maximum 76.5-inches of cargo room height – enough for most users to move about the cargo area while standing up straight.





“Standard Roof NV models are designed to fit in most garages or go through most car washes and fast food drive-through lanes – along with offering easier reach to access roof racks,” said Castelli. “But for so many businesses, the added cargo capacity and the ability to stand up and work inside the High Roof NV will be a priceless enhancement to their everyday operations and productivity.”

Smart Functionality and Flexible Layout
Inspired by customer needs and usage, the Nissan NV offers an amazing array of smart functionality features, including storage pockets, spaces and compartments designed to provide secure access to the typical commercial customers’ everyday use objects. An under seat drawer, for example, fits small tools, stationary or first aid kits, while the deep door pockets fit flashlights, legal-size binders and clipboards. High Roof models offer an available overhead console designed to hold work gloves, legal size binders, safety glasses and system books. The available center console (removable) fits letter size files and laptop computers – and includes a computer or mobile phone charging point.



“A commercial van must serve many more functions today, including acting as a mobile office for time spent on the road or at a job site,” said Castelli. “We’ve made storage and productivity items integral to the design, rather than tacked-on afterthoughts. The result is a clean, practical and comfortable workspace for a wide variety of professions and businesses.”
Along with being conceived as a “mobile office,” the Nissan NV is designed to function as a “mobile workshop” – thanks to its simple, flexible cargo area layout. Along with offering wide door openings, the NV offers room between the wheelhouses to accommodate standard plywood or drywall sheets or pallets. There are also a range of cargo area tie-down rings and ample cargo area lighting.



The new Nissan NV was also designed to accommodate aftermarket outfitting and modifications. For example, the roof rack mounting brackets are designed for various rack systems without piercing holes in the roof, which can lead to corrosion and water leaks. The available “upfitter pre-wiring” allows easy access into the electrical system.

The NV also offers a full-length cargo area inner panel to protect the outer walls from dents and dings from the inside, and there are multiple weld-nut attachment points for shelving and racks – again requiring no sheet metal drilling. In addition, the NV’s nearly vertical sidewalls maximize the usable cargo space, accommodating common aftermarket storage systems, as well as a bulkhead behind the driver.

Three Well-Equipped Models
Cost of ownership and operation is a critical factor in the CV segment, whether for major fleet operations or individual business owners. “From the rugged fully boxed all-steel frame to the body-on-chassis construction, the NV is designed to the highest Nissan standards of durability, quality and reliability,” said Castelli. “The NV is designed to be affordable and to stand up to the abuse that real work trucks face everyday.”



The new Nissan NV will launch with a choice of two engines – a powerful yet fuel efficient 4.0-liter V6 or a powerful, torquey 5.6-liter V8. Both engines will be matched to a standard 5-speed automatic.
Safety systems include the Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (includes dual-stage front supplemental air bags with seat belt sensors), 3-point front seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters, available supplemental front seat-mounted side-impact air bags and roof-mounted supplemental curtain air bags.



The 2011 Nissan NV will be offered in three well-equipped models, the NV1500, NV2500 HD and NV3500 HD. All three models will be available with the Standard Roof, while the High Roof body will be offered in the NV2500 HD and NV3500 HD models only. Additional information regarding standard features, trim levels and optional equipment will be provided later.
The new Nissan NV will be manufactured in Canton, Mississippi and available through a select network of authorized Nissan Commercial Vehicle dealers nationwide.

http://www.nissancommercialvehicles.com/features/


Now all I have to wait for is a price........

[PecosBill]

there are rumors of talks with Cummins about providing a powerplant for the NV.

[fz6kd7]

Originally Posted by PecosBill

there are rumors of talks with Cummins about providing a powerplant for the NV.

that would sell bigtime
i'll probably still be broke when it comes out though

[Going_Commando]

Holy crap, they even put a condom holder inside the armrest! This will be the perfect van for serial rapists afraid of contracting STDs. They can even keep track of their targets by keeping handy files for each one!

[wyowillys46]

That's really cool.

[larryboy]

Why does it look the same as a '99 F250? All the way down to the hub caps?

[HWSNBN]

Looks like a van version of a Expedition or Excursion. I'd suppose the hood will allow it to drive like a truck. People unaccustomed to driving a van won't run over as many curbs with their left rear tire...

I dunno though, no diesel is a deal killer and I'm really happy with my '03 Sprinter. I'd probably opt for finding another old tech '03-'06 Sprinter rather than going with the Nissan. Its great though, that the Japanese are getting into the market.

[D-FENS]

Originally Posted by PecosBill

there are rumors of talks with Cummins about providing a powerplant for the NV.

Adding a Cummins to what I have seen so far of the NV would be a hard to pass up package IMHO. Did you happen to catch what motor(s) were being talked about?

[PecosBill]

Originally Posted by D-FENS

Adding a Cummins to what I have seen so far of the NV would be a hard to pass up package IMHO. Did you happen to catch what motor(s) were being talked about?

I haven't seen any mention of an engine size, but I'm sure it would be a small one. There is also the fact that Nissan is controlled by Renault, and they have their own diesels as well.

[bradatlarge]

Originally Posted by PecosBill

There is also the fact that Nissan is contoled by Renault, and they have their own diesels as well.

This.

Renault has a full lineup of sweet diesels in EU / Asia / etc however, I'm not sure that it would be cost effective to ship engines from those markets to do final assembly.

[hillbillypolack]

Not the prettiest looking thing, but the interior features and possible diesel would make it a very attractive package for a midsized business. Is the Dodge Sprinter still on the market? Looks a little like Nissan is courting that segment. . .

[Kingsqueak]

A relatively small diesel in a short wb tall roof that is $30k or less would be great. The Sprinter at $45k or so is just ridiculously expensive.

I'd own a transit connect now if it came with a stick at least, but I really want diesel/stick. I don't like larger vehicles with auto+4cyl. I dislike autos anyway, have never had good luck with them, but when they are mated to something that will be screaming to do the job, it's even worse.

Practical thoughts tell me to just get a nice trailer to pull with the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited I have...but then I have to have a place to park it.

[Going_Commando]

It is definitely a neat idea, but I don't see it selling well. The problem is that it says Nissan on the front. Tradesmen won't like the foreign badging, hence why the MB Sprinter became the Dodge Sprinter and the Freightliner Sprinter. For a personal vehicle, there is a difference, but I will be curious to see how that factor alone affects sales to business. I don't see it winning any major contracts like Comcast or such, due to cost, but time will tell. Out of all the contractors in my area, I only know of 3 that run non-American badged vehicles, and they all drive Toyota Tundras.

[A-Bone]

Originally Posted by Going_Commando

It is definitely a neat idea, but I don't see it selling well. The problem is that it says Nissan on the front. Tradesmen won't like the foreign badging, hence why the MB Sprinter became the Dodge Sprinter and the Freightliner Sprinter. For a personal vehicle, there is a difference, but I will be curious to see how that factor alone affects sales to business. I don't see it winning any major contracts like Comcast or such, due to cost, but time will tell. Out of all the contractors in my area, I only know of 3 that run non-American badged vehicles, and they all drive Toyota Tundras.

Surely you jest.... I work with a bunch of all American NRA-lifer plumbers and one by one they are all getting rid of thier F-150's, F-250's and 2500's in favor of Tundras..

The real reason these won't sell in big numbers is that a fully outfitted E350 (nice ladder racks & factory bin system) with the 5.4L V8 is still going to only run you $22k... and we easily get 200k out of these trucks with pretty minor issues (brakes, tires, water pumps, suspensions)..

They might sell to FedEx or owner/operator trades people.. but I'd be surprised if they can compete with Ford & GM on fleet trucks...

We have 65 truck & vans and as much as I'd love to buy something like this, there is no way I can justify an additional $10k upfront cost.. just can't do it... can't even do it with a diesel that will get 17 mpg vs the 11mpg with the gasser...

[AzB]

Originally Posted by Kingsqueak

I'd own a transit connect now if it came with a stick at least, but I really want diesel/stick.

Me too. But apparently American automakers are too busy listening to their marketing people and not to the public, because they are commited to never offering manual transmissions in any American car. (Except of course for high end sports cars, 4wd trucks, and bottom of the barrel econo boxes)

Az