Road Test
TOWNSTAR EV NISSAN Picture Key
1. Rear bumper and door handles match colour of body
2. Sensors and a camera make reversing safer
3. Rear view mirrors are heated and electrically-adjustable
4. Asymmetric back doors swing through 180 degrees
1 Over and above ProPilot, Intelligent
Brake Assist is installed as well. It alerts you if you are getting too close to the driver in front, and applies the brakes if you ignore the warning.
Blind Spot Detection with Intervention Assistance is present too. It detects vehicles in your blind spot and triggers an audible and visual alert, applying the brakes if necessary. Hill Hold Assist is there to prevent you from rolling backwards if you are moving away from rest on an incline, Driver Attention Alert kicks off if it thinks you are tired and losing concentration, and Traffic Sign Recognition is present as well. It flags up the speed limit on the road you are travelling down. Traction Control System is fitted, and can be switched off if necessary. The wipers trigger automatically when raindrops start spattering across the windscreen and the headlights illuminate automatically at dusk.
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Our test van’s 16in alloy wheels were shod with Continental EcoContact 205/60 R16 tyres. They are covered by a pressure monitoring system. We spotted a Parking Assist button and it would be interesting to see how many van drivers press it. Doing so will initiate technology which will help guide them into a parking space. Bear in mind that you can communicate with Townstar EV with your smartphone by means of the NissanConnect Services App. By
using it you can for example find out where your vehicle is parked and control the cabin temperature remotely.
Powertrain
Generating up to 245Nm of torque, and married to a single-speed automatic transmission, the electric motor draws power from a 45kWh lithium-ion battery. The battery charging point is at the front of the vehicle, beneath the Nissan logo.
Driving
No matter whether you are laden or unladen, Townstar EV rides surprisingly well, possibly because the weight of the battery pack prevents it from bouncing around too much. It handles well too, although there were times when we felt the steering could stand to be tightened a little to deliver better response and more feedback as we launched ourselves into bends. Performance is not an issue. Even if you press a button on the dashboard to switch to the Eco setting in a bid to preserve the vehicle’s range between recharges, you will find acceleration and the van’s ability to cruise at speed along motorways and dual-carriageways will not suffer unduly. We used the Eco setting with a 300kg test load onboard and took Townstar EV up and down the hills of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, and did not feel we were being held back.
The absence of decibels from
an internal combustion engine does however mean that all the other sources of noise are highlighted. Wind and tyre noise are undoubtedly noticeable. Something you can certainly hear at low speeds from inside the vehicle is the
28 WhatVan? November 2023
www.whatvan.co.uk
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