Frumpy really doesn’t even begin to describe the initial impression when we met the ‘face’ of Nissan’s latest addition to the bite-size, commercial van market. The 2014 Nissan NV200 Cargo SV makes the old Fiat 600 Multipla look downright svelte. Alongside Ford’s newly revamped Transit Connect, and the eventual Dodge ProMaster City, these tiny vans plan on filling a void in a sliver of the market that doesn’t necessarily need the size of a Dodge/Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, but wants something that offers slightly better fuel economy and more car-like qualities.
Maybe “car-like” better describes the 2014 Nissan NV200 Cargo SV? The “Vanette”, as its known in several markets outside of the United States, really feels like a car that happens to have a van body attached to it.With running gear that wouldn’t be out of place in a small sedan, the 2.0L inline 4-cylinder, and “Xtronic” Continuously-Variable-Transmission (CVT) perform as one might expect. Which is one way of saying that you aren’t going to get anywhere with any real pace, but it’s certainly adequate for moving lighter loads around. (Nissan claims up to 1,500lbs).
