Nissan plan to double their share of Europe’s LCV market within three years. Ambitious! But they have an ace up their sleeve. Look: It’s the NV400, their new heavy van!

It’s been developed in cooperation with Renault, but Nissan will have you know that it cannot be mistaken for anything other than a Nissan – its “face” having been created at Nissan Design Europe (NDE) in Paddington and engineered by Nissan Technical Centre in Bedfordshire.

“The bold Nissan look helps us differentiate NV400 from its competitors and gives us a distinctive face in the market. With NV200 and now NV400, there is no doubt Nissan offers attractive functionality and great choice in the LCV market,” says Sergio Alcaraz, Vice President of Nissan’s, LCV Business Unit.

And get this: For the first time on a van, Nissan will offer the choice of front or rear-wheel drive versions! It comes in three wheelbase versions, four different lengths, three different heights and with cargo volumes ranging from 8m3 to 17m3. There are three power options plus six-speed manual and robotised transmissions.

“NV400 is very versatile and offers a solution to each need in the heavy van sector,” says Sergio Alcaraz. “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.”

By now you’re probably wondering about power of this beast. Well, it comes from a newly developed direct injection, four-cylinder, 16-valve turbodiesel engine. At 2.3-litres it is smaller than the Interstar’s 2.5-dCi unit yet power outputs are the same – 100, 125 and 150 hp – and torque figures have improved to 285, 310 and 350 Nm respectively. All are Euro 5 compliant and enjoy lower running costs thanks to improved economy and to major service intervals which have been extended to 25,000 miles or every two years.

The Nissan NV400 is on sale now priced from £18,995 ex VAT.

Where’s yours?

The streets of Britain are filled with an enormous array of vans.  Busily rushing to get from place to place, when a new van emerges most individuals do not notice; yet, a small alteration can mean great things for the entire industry. With this in mind, Nissan is preparing to change things up with their new NV400, a van that looks and feels like no other.

Modelled on previous Nissan cars, one can clearly see the influence of the Navara class SUV’s in the front of the car. Some standard features in the car include front and rear wheel drive, single or twin rear wheels, 4 lengths and 3 heights in size, Bluetooth connectivity, ESP (a skidding and accident damage reduction system), rear parking sensors, and obviously remote key & a superlocking immobilizer. Quite a mouthful, this list doesn’t come close to describing the full range of options that come with it.

The inside of the car is carefully modelled to produce a cosy ‘car’ feel. It contains a chilled glove box as well as an enormous range of storage devices found throughout the car. The driver’s area is similar to the one we’ve all grown to know and love and the passenger’s seat is similar in comfort and quality. Above all the driving action, the car is a leader in driver visibility, providing both overhead storage as well as integrated satellite navigation about the rear-view mirror.

Where this van stands out is with its fuel economy department. Nissan, knowing full well of the green revolution, has compared the NV400 with its Interstar range. It showed how the newer version is a 8.7% improvement in flue consumption, dropping from the Interstar 31.7 mph to the NV400 34.9 mph. Saving you nearly £600 over 36,000 miles, this is a massive improvement that will certainly carry through with newer models.

Emerging from a partnership with the Renault Alliance LCV, a group that includes Kubistar, Primastar, and Interstar, Nissan hopes to harness the award winning production and technology team to their advantage. It is through this that the newest addition to the LCV range that they created their most versatile and biggest van.

The van is bred to amalgamate driving comfort, comprehensive range, as well as reasonable cost, forming a combination that any buyer would want. It is a van that certainly will go a long way to developing the industry, offering greater versatility than any other.

Vauxhall has updated their popular Astravan range for 2012. The new Astravan line-up features a revised EU5 complaint engine range, as well as the introduction of a new Sportive XP model and striking new paint colour.

Kick starting the changes is the introduction of a new 1.7CDTi 16v Euro 5 engine available with two power ratings – 110PS and 125PS. The new engine offers better efficiency and meets new Euro 5 legislation. The 1.3CDTi 16v and 1.9CDTi 16v engine options have been deleted from the range. 

A new Vauxhall Astravan Sportive XP model has been introduced to replace the Sportive SE trim. The new XP model comes well-equipped with body-coloured spoiler, lower rear skirt and side sills, lowered sports suspension, silver alloy-effect roof rails, front fog lights and 17-inch alloy wheels. A new two coat metallic paint is also offered as standard on the new model with the striking Carbon Flash paint replacing Black Sapphire.

The new 2012 Vauxhall Astravan range is now available to lease with Nationwide Vehicle Contracts. Prices start from just £216.95 + VAT a month for the Vauxhall Astravan 1.7 CDTi Club ecoFLEX. Standard features on this model include Radio/CD, body coloured bumpers, electric windows, remote central locking and electronic immobiliser.

To find out more about the 2012 Vauxhall Astravan range and to get an instant quotation on any model, simply follow the above links or call Nationwide Vehicle Contracts on 0844 482 9595.

Above prices are based on a 4 year, 10000 miles per annum contract. Prices exclude vat, processing payment and initial payment. Terms and conditions apply.

With it’s launch date imminent, Nationwide are proud to announce our early release of the new and improved Volkswagen Crafter. Although the Crafter will no longer be available in the 2.5 engine, the new 2.0 engine boasts higher torque and better fuel economy, this combined with the increased payload the Crafter is definitely a van to consider. But the new super efficient engine isn’t the only change to the Crafter, Volkswagen have given the Crafter a subtle face lift.

Enjoy the Crafter’s new interior trim and front grille alongside the new and improved 2.0 engine from only £359.95 plus vat.

Prices are based on 4 years, 10000 mpa. Prices exclude vat, processing payment and initial payment. Terms and conditions apply.

Nissan’s NV400 was released recently in answer to their previous much loved NV200 to make an early bid for one of the success stories of the large van market for 2011, with the NV400 being launched on the 12^th to 14^th of April this year at the Birmingham NEC CV Show and the Hannover CV Show last September. The van continues Nissan’s naming policy for its van range with all future models taking the NV title with NP and NT being given to pick ups and larger trucks respectively.

Visually the van builds on the traditional image of Nissan’s range of Pick ups and SUV’s and the grounded, bullish appearance is designed to accentuate the undoubted strengths of the model. It takes and adapts three key attributes from Nissan’s previous ranges; the bonnet, grille and headlamps in order to create a new range of commercial vehicles that will truly stand out from the rest of the crowd.

Dominated by the circular Nissan badge, the central black honeycomb grille is dissected by wide angled struts that form extensions of distinctive twin indentations in the bonnet to form a broad ‘V’ shape to the nose of the vehicle to create a more angular, aggressive face. The final piece of the NV400 look is the deep and robust matt black bumper which incorporates indentations for driving/fog lamps and a central air intake grille. On either side of the bumper a distinctive scoop not only adds strength to the assembly but also adds to the purposeful look of the van.

The chief designer responsible for the NV400 said that the “NV400 will share all the practical aspects of the various versions of the range, but we wanted our adaptation to have a genuinely different look. The adoption of the Nissan angle strut grille – pioneered on models such as Pathfinder and Navara – certainly does that,”

“We have ensured the headlamp treatment is quite different, too. The grille and headlight assemblies have been designed as a single piece of architecture rather than a series of interlocking shapes to give that grounded, stable shape. The result exaggerates the vehicle’s width making it appearing more dynamic.”

Pricing and specifications for the NV400 aren’t available currently (hence a lot of talk about the looks and not a lot else) but will be revealed shortly before its official release in October 2011.

Van drivers are hardly the sort of people one would expect to be at the forefront of the electric motor revolution, but most major manufacturers of commercial vehicles are now developing electric vans with the Ford Connect and Renault Kangoo ZE going on sale later this year.

Admittedly, a future of all-electric cars is still some way off with Peugeot estimating sales of 4.5% by 2020, but for van drivers, the introduction of tough new legislation, especially in inner cities, will mean the death of ‘dirty’ diesel and the rise of ‘green’ diesel and electric vans.

For example, tighter standards in London’s Low Emissions Zone mean more vehicles being included and existing standards tightened with penalty charges of up to £1,000 levied on rule breakers.

Add in rising diesel costs, and it makes commercial sense to at least look at electric van alternatives soon to be available.

Pricewise, initially, ‘electric’ is a bit of a shock. The Ford Connect retails at £40,000 (compared to £11-16,000 for the diesel version) but Ford say that owners will get their money’s worth over 3 years – and their figures seem to stand up to scrutiny.

• Recharging the battery costs £1.50 as against a full tank of diesel of £80
• Annual fuel bills, based on 19,500 miles @ 25mpg in the city, are £4,914 for diesel against £390 for electricity.
• Service costs are lower (£700 vs £1500)
• With ‘electric’ there’s no congestion charge, saving £7800 over 3 years

And think of the savings to the environment with no CO2 emissions!

With a top speed of 75mph, the only downside to the Ford Connect (and other electric motors) seems to be the milege you can get on a full charge (The Connect does 80 miles.). But if you consider that a van does the majority of its work in inner city conditions, that should cover a day’s work.

And resting overnight, it takes 10 hours to fully recharge. 

Soon there will be other places to recharge. A government-backed pilot scheme called Plugged in Places is underway in 8 areas around the UK offering charging facilities, and it hoped to offer 4,000 charging points at car parks, workplaces and supermarkets by 2015.

So it makes sense for White Van Man to become Green Van Man, maybe giving them even more opinions!

If you’re in the market for a commercial vehicle, you’ll be pleased to hear that Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has slashed the monthly leasing rates on a number of in stock vans. 

The Ford Transit, Fiat Ducato & Nissan Primastar are just some of the vehicles now available with savings of up to £20 a month. What’s more, a limited number of vehicles are also in stock for immediate delivery through Fast Lease.

First in line is the Ford Transit – one of the most popular vans on the market. The Ford Transit combines a dynamic exterior design with a spacious comfortable interior and is also packed with the latest Ford technology. For a limited time, Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has a number of Ford Transit SWB 260SWB LOW ROOF 2.2TDCi 85ps in stock to lease from just £189.95 a month. This multi-award winning van comes with an array of features as standard including front electric windows, ‘Guide me home’ headlights, portable music connection socket, enhanced keycode anti-theft coding and Category 2 immobiliser.

If you’re looking for something with a bit more space, the Fiat Ducato is dependable, durable, incredibly roomy and comes with 25 years of proven experience. With loads of class-leading features, a bigger load space and a range of powerful engines, the Fiat Ducato has been designed to help you get jobs done quicker, whatever business you’re in.  For a limited time, the Fiat Ducato 30 Swb 2.2D Multijet 100 is available to lease from just £219.95. This incredible vehicle comes with Athermic windows, electric front windows, Radio/CD with MP3 player and coolbox with lockable glove compartment as standard.

Finally, the distinctive Nissan Primastar offers an enjoyable drive and outstanding load space with striking good looks and a well thought out cabin design.  The Nissan Primastar L2H1 1200 2.0dCi SE model is now available to lease from just £189.95 a month and is packed with tons of security features including remote central locking, alarm and immobiliser, as well as a range of convenience features including Bluetooth connectivity, rear parking distance sensor, Radio/Single CD with Aux input and electric front windows usually associated with a family vehicle.

The above offers are for a limited time only and exclude VAT. To get an instant quotation on any of the above models and to discuss your individual needs, speak to one of our van leasing consultants on 0844 482 9595.

As the UK suffers another harsh Winter, British Gas are strengthening their fleet with deliveries of 343 Ford Transit Medium Wheelbase vans and 60 all-wheel drive Ford Transits.

These new deliveries will boost the fleet to well over 1,000 Ford Transits and will obviously be seen in the latest British Gas corporate colours.

The company are preparing for lots of call outs in this cold weather and obviously need a reliable vehicle to get them there.

The Ford Transits will be strategically distributed across Britain to help British Gas achieve even better attendance rates at homes and businesses suffering heating problems during adverse weather conditions.

General Manager of the British Gas fleet, Colin Marriott, said: “We have been using Ford Transits for several years now and they are proving very reliable. Ford offer well-engineered vans combined with great after-sales service making them the best option for our expanding fleet. The Ford Transit is also very economical, offering the lowest cost of ownership in its class over a five year, 60,000-mile life cycle.”

Ford Transit has an AWD system which automatically provides stepless torque flow to the front wheels when traction loss at the rear is detected- assisting those who frequently tackle low friction surfaces and bad weather conditions.

Ford have sold over 47,000 Ford Transits so far in 2010 and could see a rise in that figure again as companies look for a vehicle that they can really on in all weather conditions.

Since its launch in 1965 more than six million Transits have been built at 22 factories across the world.