Road Test


TOWNSTAR EV NISSAN


Nissan Townstar EV L1 Tekna + Price (ex VAT)


Price range (ex VAT)


Gross payload Load length


£37,345**


£32,445–38,545** 500kg 1810mm


Load width (min/max)1,248mm/1,570mm Load bay height Load volume Loading height


1,215mm 3.3m3


634mm


Rear door aperture 1,256mm x 1,115mm Side door aperture 615mm x 1,060mm Gross vehicle weight


2,220kg


Braked/unbraked trailer towing weight 750kg/1,500kg


Residual value Cost per mile


Engine size/power (electric motor)


Torque Gearbox


Range (WLTP combined) Battery


Warranty


Service intervals Insurance group Price as tested


28.4% 60.5p


90kW (122hp) 245Nm 1sp


176mls 45kWh


5yrs/100,000mls


(battery 8yrs/100,000mls) 2yrs/24,000mls TBA


£37,345


* After 48 months/20,000mls p.a – source – KWIKcarcost


** Basic price before VAT, On The Road costs, and government Plug-in Van Grant


N


issan is embracing the zero- emission gospel with gusto. Based around sister brand


Renault’s Kangoo, its Townstar van is admittedly available with petrol power. There is no diesel option however, and Nissan is eagerly promoting the battery- electric EV version as the successor to its successful e-NV200. Like Kangoo, Townstar EV comes with a 90kW electric motor. Two versions are up for grabs – the short- wheelbase L1 with a 3.3m3


load


load area – and as usual Nissan is offering a wide choice of specifications.


area and the long-wheelbase L2 with a 4.3m3


Customers can opt for entry-level Visia with an 11kW AC onboard charger or progress up through Acenta, Tekna and top-of-the-range Tekna+. All three of these options feature a 22kW AC/80kW DC onboard charger. The L2 variant is additionally marketed as a crew van, in Tekna trim only.


Significantly cheaper than its electric stablemate and able to carry up to 189kg more, the petrol TCe van is equipped with a 130hp 1.3-litre engine


26 WhatVan? November 2023


married to a six-speed gearbox. It is on sale in L1 and L2 guise and with all four of the aforementioned trims, but is not offered as a crew van. Don’t forget that Kangoo and


Townstar are also marked by Mercedes-Benz under the Citan banner. Conscious of our environmental responsibilities, we went for a Townstar EV L1 van in Tekna+ guise. Here’s how we fared.


Load bay


The dinky fold-down rear-view mirror fitted in the cab seems a mite pointless given that the full-height bulkhead that divides the cab from the cargo area is opaque. It is plastic too, presumably in a bid to save a bit of weight, and although we tend to favour a steel bulkhead, it seems robust enough.


The twin rear doors are opaque, too. They are asymmetric, with the narrower of the two on the offside, and can be swung through 90°, or through 180° if you release the stays.


A sliding door is installed on both sides of the load bay, which comes with eight tie-down points; six set into the floor plus one on each of the sidewalls,


Picture Key


1. Charging point is beneath the Nissan logo


2. Front lights make use of LEDs


3. Alloy wheels are included in the deal


4. Sliding door is fitted on both sides of load area


1 2


4


3


about half-way up and close to the rear door pillars.


Our demonstrator’s cargo bed was protected by a wooden cover with most of the rest of the load area reasonably well defended against scrapes and scratches by a mixture of timber and plastic panels.


Interior and equipment At the centre of Tekna+’s dashboard is an 8in touchscreen that controls a number of the van’s key functions, including its satellite navigation system. A DAB radio is provided with remote controls on the steering wheel along with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth connectivity.


Good to see though that the heating www.whatvan.co.uk


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