Nissan NV400 van released in Europe

NISSAN Europe has released its all-new NV400 heavy van, which it co-developed with alliance partner Renault – but don’t expect to see it in Australia in the near future.

As we reported in August, Nissan Australia remains at least two years away from introducing LCVs to the local market due to a lack of suitable product and increased competitiveness from Korean and European rivals in a relatively small-volume segment.

Its overseas van line-up comprises the NV400 and the NV200, a Volkswagen Caddy-size compact van.

Renault’s version of the NV400 – the Renault Master – is due for release down under by the end of this year.

Nissan Australia head of communications Jeff Fisher told GoAuto today that the NV400 is still “not on the radar” for the local market.

“The whole concept of vans is still something we want to have a longer look at,” he said.

“It’s a very crowded market at the moment and not a very voluminous one as well from our perspective.

“There’d have to be a pretty solid business case before we’d move ahead with that.”

The NV400 features a unique, British-engineered grille and headlight design but is powered by the same all-new Euro5 emissions-compliant 2.3-litre direct-injection turbo-diesel engine found in the Renault Master.

The oil-burning powerplant is available in Europe in three different states of tune, with outputs of 75kW/285Nm, 93kW/310Nm and 112kW/350Nm depending on the variant.

Coming with generous service intervals of 25,000 miles (40,000km) or two years, the NV400 range is available in both front- and rear-wheel-drive configurations with three wheelbase options, four overall lengths and three heights.

Bodystyles include regular vans, crew cabs, tippers and drop-sides, plus a bare chassis/cab variant for custom body builders.

Gross vehicle weight (GVW) ranges from 2.8 to 4.5 tonne while maximum available cargo volume ranges from eight to 17 cubic metres.

All NV400 models have MacPherson strut independent front suspension. FWD versions have a single leaf spring at the rear while RWD models have either a dual spring (for single rear wheel variants) or triple leaf (for twin rear wheel variants) set-up.

The new cabin is slightly longer than the previous model (called Interstar) and features extra leg room, while the seats are also wider and longer.

Standard safety features include twin front airbags and ABS brakes, while side airbags are an option across the line-up. ESC is standard on all rear-wheel-drive models and optional on front-drive versions.

Nissan claims equipment levels on higher-spec models – including an Intelligent Key, automatic air-conditioning, automatic lights and wipers, daytime-running lights, parking sensors, cruise control with speed-limiter, trip computer, Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity, USB-compatible sound system and rear view camera – “reflect passenger car values”.

Vice-president of Nissan’s LCV business unit, Sergio Alcaraz, claims the NV400’s versatility provides “a solution to each need in the heavy van sector”.

“It is much more than a replacement for Interstar and takes us into a much wider market segment thanks to the great breadth and depth of the range,” he said.

The Japanese company said it wants to double its share of the busy European light commercial vehicle segment.