Company Commercial Bristol Post 06sept13

2EPB-E01-S4

Company & Commercial

5SEP2013

HOW TO BE THE NVOF OTHER DRIVERSNissan’s first home-grown van in a long while addsanother dimension to the compact van market

VAN SPECIAL

EPB-E01-S4

2 T h u r s d a y, September 5, 2013 3T h u r s d a y, September 5, 2013w w w. bristolpost.co.uk w w w. bristolpost.co.uk

FROM small beginnings,Nissan has grown itspresence in the UK vanmarket dramatically, butnot without help. Sistercompany Renaultprovided the commercial

vehicle technology, so all Nissanneeded to do was slap its own badgeson to the Renault van range, make adecent stab at the marketing andpromotion side of things, and watchthe sales figures balloon.

It looked an ideal arrangement, butNissan, it seems, developed itchy feet.Having established its brand in thethinking of UK van buyers, the Ja-panese marque went it alone. TheNV200 is the first Nissan van in a longtime that’s designed and builtin-house, but is it up to the standardswe ’ve come to expect?

B a c k g ro u n dThe NV200 was created to replace theNissan Kubistar, a strong compactvan which basically amounted to afirst generation Renault Kangoo withits badges swapped. Renault’s secondgeneration Kangoo never got thesame dual identity treatment. By thetime that model hit the streets, Nis-san was well along the road to a littleload-lugger of its own.

Having been presented with ablank canvas to create a van in itsown image, Nissan departed emphat-ically from the Kubistar and pro-duced a vehicle that’s about asunorthodox as modern compact vansget. The NV200 looks like a mini-aturised version of a full size panelvan rather than a traditional compactvan and boasts the desirable com-bination of a small footprint and alarge payload. Can it deliver?

Driving experienceSharing a platform with the NissanMicra passenger car that debuted in2003, the NV200 isn’t a big van, butthere will still be those who havetheir doubts about its reliance on a1.5-litre engine.

The 1.5 dCi diesel is on the smallside, but with 86bhp and 200Nm oftorque from 2,000rpm, it’s a muscularlittle unit that compares well againstthe entry-level diesel engines offeredin rival products.

It does start to look a little out-gunned against models that canmatch the NV200’s prodigious car-rying capacity, but the Nissan shouldstill have enough verve around townand a 98mph maximum suggests de-cent open road performance.

The tall panel van shape of theNV200 gives rise to an upright seatingposition that will help drivers whoare forever clambering in and out oftheir vehicle during the working day.

The dash-mounted gear lever thatcontrols the five-speed gearbox isideally located and the steeringcolumn adjusts for rake, but not forreach. With the front wheels pushedright to the front of the vehicle, theNV200 gains a very tight 10.6m kerbto kerb turning circle, which is betterthan the majority of the compact vanclass and even out-manoeuvres somesuperminis. With good visibility, itpromises to be an ideal partner forurban driving.

Design and buildThere are more visually arrestingsmall vans on the market than theNV200, but once that scaled-downpanel van design was settled upon, itwas always destined to be a vehicle of

the plain and practical persuasion.What operators gain in a packaget h at ’s only 1,695mm wide and4,400mm from nose to stubby tail, is avery big load bay.

Most of the leading compact vanscome in two different wheelbases, butthe NV200 combines a single shortwheelbase with a 750kg payload and a4.2m3 load volume – t h at ’s on a parwith its long wheelbase rivals. Theshape of the vehicle means the load-bay is relatively tall, but there’senough floor area for two Euro palletsand a low loading lip of 542mm willhelp when lifting items inside.

The NV200 comes with a pair ofsliding side doors as standard alongwith the usual side-hinged doors atthe rear. Also as standard, the driveris protected by a ladder frame behindthe seat but higher-spec models get asolid steel bulkhead that will also dowonders for refinement.

There are six tie-down points in theload bay floor and further versatilityis available through the aptly namedbut optional Versatility Pack. Thisincreases the maximum load lengthfrom 2,040mm to 2,800mm by meansof a folding passenger seat and anopening mesh bulkhead.

Market and modelT here’s a choice of E and SE trimlevels for NV200 buyers to get theirheads around. Even the E model has adecent range of features, includingremote central locking and a goodtrip computer. The manualwind-down windows are less appeal-ing and many operators will want toupgrade the safety spec from thesingle driver’s airbag on the E model.With the SE, there’s electric windowsand Nissan’s keyless entry-system

which will be great for multi-dropdrivers. If you want more compre-hensive safety kit, however, you’llneed the optional Safety Pack with itsESP stability control, passengerairbag and twin side airbags.

Practicalities and costsSimple design and solid build are theorder of the day inside the NV200 cab,but Nissan has put considerable ef-fort into keeping the driving envir-onment user-friendly.

There are 13 storage areas, whichmight be unlucky for some, partic-ularly if the item you’re searching foris in the 13th place you look. Thestorage drawer under the driver’sseat is handy and the glovebox has asecret compartment to house valu-abl e s.

Build quality is generally verygood with the materials apparentlyhard-wearing and the controls op-erating with a feeling of solidity.

Economy should be an NV200strong point thanks to its proven1.5-litre dCi engine. The official com-bined cycle return for the van is54.3mpg and emissions of 137g/kmwill have significant tax advantages.

The trip computer can be set to dis-play a gearshift indicator light thattells the driver when to change up toget the most from each tank of fuel.

SummaryHaving relied on Renault to provideits commercial vehicle products for along time, Nissan appears to havegrasped the opportunity to go it alonewith both hands. Rather than trottingout a formulaic compact van thatmatches rivals head-on, the Japanesefirm obviously gave some thought tohow it could come at the market froma different angle. The NV200 uses theshape and layout of a larger panel vanto deliver a big carrying capacity in asmall footprint. The execution looksgood and it’s easy to see howopen-minded operators could be per-suaded to give the NV200 a go.

N i s s a n’s first home-grown van in along while isn’t the most excitingthing to look at but it adds anotherdimension to the compact van mar-ket. The miniature panel van ap-proach should prove particularlypopular with those undertakingmulti-stop work in urban areas.

Ve rd i c tHaving piggybacked on Renault’scommercial vehicle range for a fewyears, Nissan designed and built oneof its own and the NV200 compact vanshows real promise. The tall shapesqueezes maximum capacity out of asmall footprint and the 1.5-litre dieselengine delivers strong economy.

Nissan has a fresh approach to its compact van market in the shape of its unorthodox NV200. Steve Walker re p o r t s .

Small wheelbase, but big payloadNISSAN has a bold new vision for thefuture of the London black cab and its300,000 daily users – the NissanNV200 London Taxi.

In line with the Mayor, Boris John-s o n’s, air quality strategy for London,it will offer significantly reduced CO2outputs compared to current taximodels. An all-electric e-NV200concept is also set to undergo trials inthe capital.

Nissan has a respected place inL o n d o n’s taxi history – its 2.7-litreTD27 diesel engine was chosen for theiconic LTI FX4 Fairway black cab andit’s successor, the TX1.

The Nissan NV200 London Taxicomfortably seats five adults – t h re eon a rear bench with two on rear-fa-cing, fold-down seats.

Meanwhile, the front passengerseat has been removed to create spacefor luggage.

A stand-out feature is the taxi’ssliding passenger doors, which weredeveloped for easy open and close andare also much safer for pedestrians,

cyclists and other vehicles becausethey do not swing out to create apotential obstruction.

The diesel version of the NissanNV200 London Taxi is expected to becompetitively priced below the newTX4 – the London Taxi Company’scurrent model – and is availablethrough a designated Nissan dealer.

The frugal 1.5 dCi 89 HP EuroV,six-speed manual drivetrain achieves53.3mpg on a combined cycle mean-ing almost 50 per cent fuel savingthan the most efficient TX4, with itscombined cycle figure of 35.3mpg.

Fuel costs account for around tenper cent of taxi driver overheads.Over the course of a year, NV200London Taxi drivers would spendaround 50 per cent less – about £700 –on fuel than TX4 drivers.

With a focus on improving air qual-ity in the city, the NV200 LondonTa x i ’s Euro V engine only emits up to138g/km of CO2, compared with209g/km from the greenest TX4model.

ON the opening day of the Commer-cial Vehicle Show, British Gas an-nounced the conclusion of anintensive month-long Nissan eNV200test programme ahead of its plan tomake a substantial proportion of its13,000 strong LCV fleet electric by2015.

The cold weather testing pro-gramme was conducted in andaround Nissan’s Sunderland Plantand testing facility, aimed at gettingfeedback from various British Gasdepartments on the all-electric vandriving experience.

With an eye on the rising cost offuel, the eNV200 promises to helpreduce fleet running costs while alsohelping the environment by bringingCO2 down to zero at the point of use.

The recent test in Sunderland sawthe zero emission eNV200 run partladen to recreate the conditions of itsworking life. With temperaturesdropping to -12 °C during testing, theUK weather didn’t disappoint and

neither did the eNV200.During the testing, British Gas en-

gineers, members of the fleet teamand part of the management board,plus eight members of GMB unionsuccessfully put the eNV200 to thetest, demonstrating the pioneeringvan can be driven safely by staffacross the company.

The company first tested the zeroemission eNV200 in 2012 whendrivers praised the van for its drivercomfort and generous payload.

The Nissan eNV200 is a break-through zero emission compact vancombining certain attributes of twoaward-winning models, the best-in-class EV power train from the Leafand the class-leading cargo area with-in a compact body of the NV200 van.

Bringing electric vehicle benefitsto the business world, the eNV200offers effective running costs, sus-tainability and new business oppor-tunities for drivers, such as nighttime deliveries.

Latest research supports Nissan’sdecision to build all-electric van

Contact� Wessex Garages Pennywell Road,Bristol, BS5 0TT, 0117 935 0000,w w w. w e s s e x g a r a g e s . c o . u k

British Gas consider switch

Black cab that’s gone green

Fleet managers give thumbs up

Contact� We s s e xGaragesPennywell Road,Bristol, BS5 0TT,0117 935 0000,w w w. w e s s e xgarages.co.uk

e-NV200 electric van

London taxis

All-electric van test

Face of the future?

NISSAN has received extremely pos-itive feedback from the fleet industryon its new e-NV200 electric van whenit was showcased in late 2012.

Five leasing companies, six majorfleet operators and three used-valueguides visited Nissan’s Barcelonaproduction facility and drove the newe-NV200, a diesel NV200 and theall-electric LEAF car.

The group met the e-NV200 devel-opment team and were able to givetheir thoughts on all aspects of thevehicle, including how they envisageit fitting into a fleet strategy. Nissanalso shared its electric vehicle (EV)vision, including product creation,development and future EV plans.

All delegates reacted positively tothe 100 per cent electric van’s drivingand performance characteristics,with many keen to put the vehicleinto immediate use.

“We were blown away with theresponse and we already have leasingcompanies and fleet operators who

want to trial the vehicle, and somewho want to order a fleet of vehiclesfor urban delivery use,” explainedMatthew Dale, Nissan’s national LCVsales manager.

“After driving the vehicle on thetwo-day trip they could immediatelysee the business benefit of runningelectric vans across specific parts of afleet. Commercial vehicles are work-ing tools and our guests recognisedboth the savings in fuel costs andreduced emissions offered by thee-NV200,” he added.

From a residual value perspectivethe used guides could see a definiterole to play for the e-NV200 and usedprices should be strong, based on theve h i cl e ’s practicality and whole-lifecosts, which will give it a second andthird life in the used market.

“Residual values are key to thesuccess of any commercial vehicle sowe were pleased to hear some verypositive initial comments from theused vehicle experts,” said Dale.

SOME of the interesting facts pub-lished in the 2013 Nissan Van Reportinclude how van drivers are betterdrivers when their van is clean,their favourite radio station isRadio 2, a packed lunch is their foodof choice, some take a nap when theyare stuck in a traffic jam and themajority of van drivers are over 45years old.

For fleet managers, the Van Re-port shows managing rising fuelprices, vehicle purchase and run-ning costs, and protecting vans fromfuture regulation are all key pri-o r i t i e s.

The survey also shattered somevan driver stereotypes. How manymotorists have seen vans with“clean me” etched into the dirt andgrime? The research shows vancleanliness is not a laughing matterwith 92 per cent of drivers sayingthey feel better when driving a cleanvehicle and three out of four (72 percent) believe it actually makes thema better driver.

Nearly half of drivers questioned(48 per cent) are driving 100 miles orless per day reinforcing the fact theycould successfully use a NissaneNV200 van without compromisingtheir daily routines. Spending longerbehind the wheel are the 26 per centof drivers who said they drove morethan 200 miles every day.

More than one third of van drivers(39 per cent) are over 45, but onlythree per cent of respondents wereaged 16 to 24, implying that com-panies will have to start recruitingyoung blood to replace an ageingworkforce. Van drivers are a loyalbunch, with 45 per cent saying theyhad been with their employer for sixyears or more.

For fleet managers, 51 per cent ofrespondents said driver training isthe most popular measure to reducefuel use, along with technologicalinterventions such as speed limiters(37 per cent) and telematics (35 percent). Costs are clearly a big factorfor respondents adding vans to their

fleet, with whole-life costs (25 percent) and front-end prices (18 percent) major considerations. Con-tract hire monthly rates (12 percent) and strong residuals (eight percent) were also important butvehicle reliability was only listed byseven per cent of fleet managers.

Like van drivers, fleet managersare a loyal bunch with more than half(56 per cent) saying they had been intheir job more than 11 years.

“Our research gives an insightinto what modern-day van driversand fleet managers are thinking andthe challenges they face as part of amodern van fleet,” said Jon Pollock,N i s s a n’s corporate sales director.

“With almost half of van driversquestioned driving less than 100miles a day, the research furthersupports our decision to build anelectric van and we are excited to beshowcasing the new zero CO2 emis-sion eNV200 in the UK for first timeat the CV show, which also respondsto the need for reduced fuel costs.”

� Keith Brock,ManagingDirector ofWessex Garages