All I can say is, “It took you long enough, North American automakers!” Global markets are filled with handy little compact delivery

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vans while North America has simply made do with fuel-hungry full-size haulers for far too long. Ford seeded the market with its little Transit Connect four years ago and then the following year the Ram Cargo Van (which is little more than a Dodge Caravan with blocked rear windows) came on the scene, so now that Nissan has entered the fray we’re starting to see some serious competition.

The full-size Nissan NV (1500/2000/2500) paved the way for the much smaller NV200, but it’s this little tyke that will mean the most to the majority of small business owners. Whether a home-based tradesman or an organic grocery store with home delivery, the smaller NV may be ideal for your needs. It packs a lot more cargo room than its compact frame alludes to, something I found out while using it for completely cleaning out my 12×20-foot storage locker (thanks Nissan). Of course,

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the manufacturers want us to use our test vehicles for applications they were designed for, and being that I don’t own a flower shop, car parts store or any other kind of delivery business, I started my own junk removal project for a weekend and got rid of a whole pile of stuff that was costing me more to store than it was worth.

Technically speaking, the NV200 is good for a maximum cargo capacity of 3,474 litres (123 cubic feet), and if you want to get even more detailed the little 4,733-millimetre (186.3-inch) long, 1,730-mm (68.1-inch) wide, and 1,872-mm (73.7-inch) tall van offers 2,104 millimetres (82.8 inches) of length, 1,391 mm (54.8 inches) of width, and 1,345 mm (53.0 inches) of height within the cargo area, while its cargo width at the wheelhouse

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floor is 1,219 mm (48.0 inches) across. The NV200’s wheelbase, incidentally, spans 2,925 mm (115.2 inches).

All of that space is optimized by a low loading floor with a liftover height of 536 mm (21.1 inches), easy-to-access dual sliding side doors, and 40/60-split rear doors that open up to 90 degrees at first, or can be further widened a full 180 degrees. The load floor is flat and large, designed to fit a 40- by 48-inch pallet, the rear wheel wells minimized as much as possible. The floor also incorporates six recessed D-rings for tying things down, while 20 cargo-mounting points are integrated throughout the cargo area for racks, partitions and bins. For loading longer items, the front passenger seatback can be flipped forward by flicking a lever accessible from the driver’s seat. This also allows it to do double duty as a laptop table, lunch tray, etc., and you can retrieve your lunch or laptop from a large centre console bin. Even more innovative, that console bin has been designed

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to hold hanging files, a built-in benefit for keeping your customers’ information organized while on the go. Nissan also provides a long, narrow cubbyhole atop the dash that’s also ideal for storing paperwork, while handy sliding drawers under both front seats can be used for hiding valuable items. Lastly, large door pockets are great for clipboards or anything else other than drinks, these latter items stowable within large, deep cupholders integrated into the centre console.

While much of the NV200’s features are expected in a panel van that’s primarily designed for commercial use (unless a return to plush carpet-walled, mushroom-windowed ’70s-era shaggin’ wagons occurs), a few items I didn’t expect in my SV-trimmed and Technology packaged NV200 included standard seats with wear-resistant bolsters and water-repellent fabric that were much more comfortable than the class norm, standard heated mirrors, a standard audio system

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that sounded excellent and included a CD player for us older folks, as well as a standard auxiliary connection, optional USB plug, and even optional satellite radio and a reverse camera for keeping your insurance premiums low, all accessible via an optional 5.8-inch colour touch-screen infotainment display that also boasts navigation with real-time NavTraffic updates (this last item an excellent idea for saving you or your employees valuable time). All this is included in a cabin that is unexpectedly good, and despite being nothing more than a large oil drum on wheels, Nissan has managed to keep interior sound levels surprisingly low.

Of course a quiet cabin owes much to good insulation, but it also has something to do with the way the suspension is set up and which tires are chosen. The NV200 uses

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JK Tyre’s America Cargo all-season rubber (ironic that the New Delhi, India-based tire manufacturer uses British spelling for “Tyre” yet references America for this particular tire’s name, although they’re made in Mexico so there is a North American connection) in a 185/60R15C designation, good for comfort and good enough for handling. The NV200 utilizes a fully independent suspension with a stabilizer up front, normal for the class, while the rear setup is a solid axle design with multi-leaf springs, normal for pickup trucks and any other vehicle designed for carrying heavy loads, but unusual for a front-wheel drive vehicle. Ford was using a similar design for its Transit Connect up until the new model was released for 2014, but it now uses a twist-beam design. It will be interesting to see how the blue-oval van handles heavy cargo, being that the new suspension was installed to make its ride more comfortable for its passenger van version. For cargo purposes, I’d be inclined to rely on well-proven

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leaf springs, giving the nod to the NV200. On that note the NV200 is good for a 679.3-kilo (1497.5-lb) maximum payload.

I don’t want this article to become a comparison, as I’d be required to include information about the Ram Cargo Van too, as well as the upcoming Chevrolet City Express, although that model is actually a re-skinned Nissan NV200, so other than the bowtie branded van’s unique features, suffice to say that I’m covering it simultaneously.

The NV200’s ride is good, especially when loaded up to the roof with storage junk headed for the dump. Empty it’s a tad firmer, although without a load it’s really affected by crosswinds. Handling is quite good for what it is, its engine-speed-sensitive

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power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering nicely reactive to turn-in and appropriately numb at centre, and turning circle good and tight at 11.2 metres (36.7 feet), while its 140 horsepower 2.0-litre direct-injection four-cylinder engine that makes 147 lb-ft of torque, ample even when fully laden.

Of course, more power is always good, but this category of vehicle has fuel economy higher on the list of critically important benefits, the NV200 optimistically rated at 8.7 L/100km city and 7.1 highway. Of course, we can only use these ratings for comparison purposes, so we look to the U.S. EPA for more realistic mileage numbers starting at a metric-converted 9.8 L/100km city and 9.4 highway, still very good for a small commercial vehicle.

Aiding

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its fuel economy advantage, the NV200 uses a standard Xtronic CVT (continuously variable transmission) instead of the usual manual gearbox or optional torque-converted automatic. While I was initially concerned with transmission slip under heavy loads, no such worry was needed as the NV200’s CVT worked flawlessly during my arduous test. It held its gear perfectly with no noticeable slippage, and was always smooth and quiet in operation too. Nissan seems to have perfected the CVT, and in this type of operation where smoothness counts it’s ideal.

Smoothness in mind, my notes indicated that the “side doors slide well and feel like their made of high quality mechanicals,” and that the “nice low rear floor makes it easy to get things inside and out.” I also noted that there is “no armrest or grab handle

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for passenger,” an omission Nissan may want to correct in upcoming models. There’s no tilt steering wheel either, although that really wasn’t much of an issue considering the tall seating position that also aids visibility.

Normally I don’t comment on a car’s cruise control unless it’s one of the advanced systems used in premium brands such as Infiniti, but my notebook said that the “cruise control is easy to initiate and works well,” just one of many standard features in the base 2014 NV200 S. Additional standard features include the aforementioned heated mirrors, plus air conditioning, a two-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system with an aux jack, grey cloth front seats with reinforced side bolster wear patches, a six-way manual driver’s seat with an armrest and four-way manual passenger’s seat, (not including the latter seat’s fold-flat feature), power windows with auto-reverse and driver’s side one-touch auto-down, power locks with

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auto-locking, variable intermittent speed-sensitive wipers, the aforementioned mobile office style centre console plus driver’s and passenger’s under-seat slide-out storage trays, an upper dashboard storage bin and front-door map pockets, as well as a multi-functional trip computer with maintenance intervals, dual overhead front passenger map lights, a 12-volt DC power outlet, pre-wiring for electrical and telematics upfitting, a cargo area work light, and hardboard interior cargo panels.

Standard safety equipment includes front disc/rear drum brakes with four-wheel ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist, traction and stability control and all the usual airbags. Tire pressure monitoring is also standard, as is a security system and vehicle immobilizer.

The only standalone option in base S trim is Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity, which comes standard if you upgrade to the SV model I tested. SV trim also includes remote keyless entry, MP3/WMA

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playback for the CD player, two 12-volt 400-watt power outlets, a rear cargo floor protector, and nice looking split five-spoke silver wheel covers for the steel wheels.

A Technology Package is optional on the SV and was included in my tester, featuring the previously mentioned infotainment system with navigation, NavTraffic, rearview camera, satellite radio, USB input, and Radio Data System (RDS), while NV200s with rear windows, a $200 option, come with a rearview mirror.

Base NV200 S models start at a very reasonable $22,748 plus $1,450 for freight and pre-delivery prep, while my NV200 SV tester started off at $23,898 (not much more for all its extra gear). As mentioned my tester also incorporated the Technology Package at $800, plus metallic paint for $135, making the grand total $24,833 plus freight.

If you’re looking for a very good compact cargo van, I highly recommend the new Nissan NV200. It’s a serious little player in a big commercial world, exactly what’s needed with today’s skyrocketing fuel prices.
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