Light Commercial Vehicles is now one of the fastest growing segments for Nissan and the new Cabstar is the first of a new line-up of global LCV products that will offer customers a perfect fit for any business need. Building on an enviable reputation for low cost of ownership, reliability backed by generous warranty terms and the sheer ability of the range as a whole, Nissan will take European LCV sales from 51,000 in 2005 to 100,000 units by the end of 2009. By the end of 2009, Nissan expects to account for 6 per cent of Europe’s LCV market, double its position in 2004.The majority of the trucks in the 2.8t to 3.5t Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) sector of the European market are derived from vans with semi-forward cabins (SFC) where the engine is placed ahead of the passenger compartment, the new Cabstar stays faithful to the cabin-over-engine (COE) concept of the original Cabstar. To give operators the widest choice of vehicle to suit their needs, the new Cabstar range is larger than ever. There’s a choice of three different engine options, three wheelbase lengths, two cabin types and five GVWs.
A 2.5-litre common-rail diesel is available in two levels of tune developing 81 and 95kW (110PS and 130PS) respectively and there’s also a 3.0-litre common-rail diesel developing 110kW (150PS). The newer engines both provide lower fuel consumption with improvements in the region of five per cent.With wheelbase lengths of 2500mm, 2900mm and 3400mm, the range covers GVWs of 2.8t, 3.2t, 3.4t, 3.5t and 4.5t. But despite larger cabin dimensions, all Cabstar versions continue to provide best in class payloads. For example, the 3.5t, 130PS twin wheel Cabstar with the 5-speed gearbox has a payload of 1820kg. The adoption of rack and pinion steering is a major change to the Cabstar’s new generation chassis and provides both greater precision at the wheel and greater manoeuvrability. Despite the larger cabin, the new Cabstar has a tighter turning circle than the old model, with kerb-to-kerb figures improved by up to 5.4 per cent. Braking has also been enhanced, with disc brakes front and rear to be found as standard on all models along with the optionally available ABS and electronic brake distribution (EBD).
The most obvious external change to the new Cabstar is its dramatically restyled cabin, available in Single Tilt Cab and fixed Double Cab versions. A crisper, more fluid styling and an almost vertical front end give the new Cabstar a more purposeful appearance and forges a closer link with its Atleon ‘big brother’. Both doors now extend all the way down to the bumper, thus covering the side step rather than leaving it exposed to road dirt. A larger windscreen and deeper side windows improve visibility out of the cabin.
Taking inspiration from the newest models in Nissan’s passenger car line-up, the interior of the new Cabstar looks and feels far more car-like than is the norm in a truck.Offering a substantial improvement in internal dimensions over the outgoing Cabstar, the new cabin is 80mm taller and 100mm longer. As well as greater headroom and improved leg and knee room provided by the enlarged dimensions, the increased glass area and the more upright A-pillars help create a feeling of greater airiness. It also features examples of intelligent storage solutions designed to make life as easy as possible for the working driver.
The dashboard has been divided into three distinct areas: driving, IT and storage. Restyled dials and a multifunctional trip computer keep the driver abreast of how the vehicle is performing. Among the features of the trip computer are maintenance warnings, read-outs for average and instant fuel economy and shift up recommendations as well as average speed, clock, alarm, oil level and fuel range displays. Above the instrument panel and easily accessible by the driver is a neat A4-sized slot to house paperwork, documents and maps… items that no longer have to be kept on the top of the dashboard where they give off unwanted reflections in the windscreen. If they haven’t slid off into the footwell first.
Finally, two new colours have been added to the four colour palette, with ‘new silver’ – a light metallic shade – and metallic blue added to solid white and red.The new Cabstar is protected by a three year/100,000kms mechanical warranty along with six years paint and anti-corrosion cover. The new Nissan Cabstar is certainly worth test driving.
