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The seven full seats in the rear mimic airline chairs, right down to their fabric design. Only a personal video monitor and a smiling stewardess are needed to complete the impression. For a trip of any appreciable distance, pick any of the seven for a cosseting ride. A dual aircon system is standard, with individual vents for each row. The jump seats are designed primarily for folding out of the way. The backrests are barely a third of the full seats', and support is rudimentary. They're acceptable only for short trips. With all the seats up, there's space for just a few soft bags, but the rearmost seat can be easily folded and flipped up. There's then room for a row of airport luggage or half a dozen large boxes. Most of these vans will end up in the hands of chauffeurs, but the Urvan's driving comfort level is such that a typical dad or business owner can drive it in heavy city traffic and not break into a sweat. The clutch effort is quite light, and the pedal has sufficient travel to allow smooth engagement. The shifter is also a delight, being positioned just a hand-drop away from the steering wheel. How? The metal shift lever reaches high and jinks towards the driver—it's not pretty, but it works. Many sedans and even sports coupes can benefit from such positioning. At the business end of the transmission is another formidable piece: the 3.0 liter inline-4 diesel pumps out 103 bhp at 3800 rpm, and 209 Nm at 2000 rpm. This is the Nissan Patrol engine, sans turbocharger. There's no mistaking that this is a diesel because of the muted rumbling coming from below the front seats. The engine starts getting loud beginning at 4000 rpm, but it is still quieter than the MB100's raucous roar. There's strong low-end torque starting at 1500 rpm, and for economy and silence, it's best to keep the revs below 3000 rpm. Acceleration from standstill is quick enough to keep up with our average 1.5 or 1.6 liter sedans. With only two passengers on board, the Urvan doesn't like going beyond 90 km/h. The van starts to hop about nervously, forcing us to lift off the throttle. Having a full load of people on board will probably help by weighing down the suspension. As for braking, the pedal is soft but the front disc-rear drum is effective. |
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