Nissan touts competitive price, extra space, high-end features in new NV commercial vans

Flexible and workman-like, the light-commercial van has long been a mainstay of the small-business world.

Think the entrepreneurial one-person operation — painter, electrician, florist — with everything stacked in the paneled utility truck/billboard on wheels.

The image is still the case today but has gradually evolved. There are a few new players in the light-commercial van industry, some updated perks and a variety of looks. The latest to join the field in the U.S. is Nissan, which rolled out the 2012 NV earlier this year.

“We are real pleased with them,” said Bucky Morris, partner with Morris Nissan. The Savannah Highway dealership is the only local outlet and one of two in South Carolina to carry the new NV models. “They’ve done a lot of little things to make it driver friendly,” he said.

The Nissans come in two sizes including a high-top version with 6 foot 3 inch clearance for people who need to stand in the truck.

Prices are from $26,000 to $30,500. The 20-foot-long vans are for anybody who needs a carrier: “plumber, caterers, small business,” Morris said.

A chimney sweep in Orangeburg recently custom-ordered a red exterior model, said Stephen Hardman, sales representative with Morris Nissan who specializes in the dealership’s commercial vehicles. Some people are buying the models as substitutes for recreational vehicles, installing rows of seats in the back, he said.

Nissan added a host of features to the vans, Hardman said. Storage compartments slide under the two front seats, and there is built in space above the seating areas. Center console extras are Bluetooth hands-free phone use, satellite radio and touch screen communications-navigation system.

An accessories package comes with built-in shelves in the back bed, which can be entered by way of hatch double doors and a side panel. The rear doors can be pushed back against the side and secured by magnets.

Buyers can choose from 317 horsepower V-8 and 261 hp V-6 engines, the same as in the Nissan Titan full-size truck and Frontier mid-size pickup.

Standard equipment includes 17-inch tires and special leather seats that aren’t supposed to wear out as people enter and exit the truck a lot, as would be the case with a delivery person.

While the NV is primarily geared to businesses, the Nissan NV200 is set to come out next year as a passenger version, Morris said. Nissan scored a coup when the city of New York lined up the NV200 for its van taxi fleet.

“Nissan has been making commercial vans for 75 years,” Morris said.