Nissan has revealed its next generation of large van, the Nissan Interstar. Built on an entirely new platform, the Interstar replaces the Nissan NV400 model and is a sister-model to the Renault Master and Renault Master E-Tech.
Here's what you need to know about Nissan's new large van.
The design was done in London at Nissan Design Europe in Paddington. The main focus is on the front three-quarters. The designers have tried to combine the interlocking grille, from the existing range of commercial vehicles, with the new generation of V-Motion grilles from the passenger cars – implemented through the lighting and integration with the headlamps.
The grille takes up the full width of the vehicle which has a big impact on the design, and the name Interstar is on the grille. It’s also the first time Nissan has had an electric vehicle in the large van sector with the Interstar-e
There are definitely a lot of vertical lines going on. Nissan says that these are air curtains designed to improve the aerodynamics of the vehicle and improve the airflow around the vehicle. Aerodynamics is the key watchword, with a tapered rear of the vehicle and new aerodynamic mirrors. Overall, there’s a 20% improvement in aerodynamics which improves both the electric and diesel powertrain efficiency.
Nissan says all areas of the cabin have been improved with more space around the driver and elbow room at the windows.
It’s a new generation of interior, that’s very modern and driver centric with a HGV feel to the layout. There’s also a 10-inch main central display with a 7-in digital dash display for the EV.
There’s a new M920 diesel engine with a single turbo. That’s a 2-litre diesel engine with 130hp, 150hp and 170hp outputs. Standard with a manual gearbox but also available with a 9-speed automatic from ZF that replaces the old robotised manual auto – only available with the 150hp and 170hp versions.
There are two different battery sizes available in the Nissan Interstar-e with a 40kWh battery offering 200km claimed range, or a 87kWh battery with a claimed range of 460km (285 miles).
The smaller battery gets a 96kW battery with 300Nm of torque. The larger battery gets a 105kW motor that also produces 300Nm of torque.
The small battery charges at 50kW while the larger battery can cope with up to 130kW. At the fastest speeds it can add 252km of range in just 30 minutes. AC charging is at 11kW and 22kW charging are both available for the larger battery. A 10-100% recharge will take less than 4 hours for the large battery at 22kW.
The new model expands the range to include 3.3, 3.5 and 4-tonne variants. On the EV there’s also a 3.5, 3.8 and 4-tonne versions. There’s also body conversions including, crew van, dropside and tipper. Nissan has dropped the smallest L1 length van and will only offer L2 and L3 vans. There’s two heights with H2 and H3 models. In total, load volume will be from 10.8m3 to 22m3.
Nissan stopped making the Cabstar in 2019 due to emissions legislations and hasn’t have a replacement vehicle on sale in the UK since then. However, Nissan thinks that the availability of dropside and tipper options on the Interstar give them a similar option. “We thank that the open body versions can bring an offer that’s really appealing to NT400 and Cabstar customers who really appreciate the usability,” Andrew Limbert, Nissan LCV product and marketing.
Cruise control, lane keeping assist, drowsiness warning, emergency stop and tyre pressure monitoring and rear parking sensors are all standard.
Nissan says there won't be any other variants other than the front-wheel-drive vans for the right-hand-drive markets. That's because the majority of sales are for FWD 3.5-tonne vans.
Pre-sales for the Nissan Interstar will begin in Q3 and deliveries will start from Q1 2024. Nissan expects sales to be 90% for the diesel model and hope to double their sales.
Nissan says you don't really sell the majority of their vans through their 37 dedicated LCV sites in the UK, rather than in the regular passenger car dealers.
