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Nissan

Monday, 8th of September 2008

The NP300 is powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder 16 valve diesel power plant, which produces 133PS. Rear wheel driven the NP300 has 304nm of torque at 2000 rpm which means there’s plenty of power on tap when you have a fully laden Nissan. Coming with a five-speed box the NP300 performs well as the shifts are smooth and slot into place with ease. You’ve also got part time 4wd at the touch of a gear lever which means you’ll be able to stay in 2wd when on road conditions – a good idea in the present economy as it means you’ll get to drive more economical.

Just like all pick-ups the NP300 tends to spin the rear wheels in wet conditions as it looks for traction but this is not a problem when you have a bit of weight over the axles. The ride was very comfortable and didn’t skip and bounce as much as some of its rivals do. Its road manners are refined as the engine noise is quite low however the wind noise can be intrusive when cruising at the national limit as the big wing mirrors tends to catch the wind.

Nissan has made practicality at the top of the agenda on the NP300 as on the inside the NP300 is equipped with hard plastics so that they last the duration of this workhorse’s life. The NV300 has 230mm of ground clearance, which means the rough and tumble of a construction site is made easy and if you need to cross a Ford then you have a wading depth of 450mm. Nissan is sure to offer the NP300 with a 60,000 miles or three years warranty just like the rest of its LCV range.

The safety levels are quite high on the Nissan NP300. To protect the occupants there’s a driver and passenger airbag. To try and prevent the NP300 from being involved in an accident the Nissan has ABS as standard. On the security side of things the NP300 is equipped with a NATS engine immobiliser to try and prevent theft from the vehicle.

Space has well thought out when the Nissan boffins were designing the NP300. The pick-up has loads of room and can carry a payload of 1135kg. The tailgate has two handles, which flick down to release and push up to lock – a simple but effective mechanism. However this practicality doesn’t carry over to the cabin – you have a front bench and if you pull it forward or push it back it the whole bench is shifted in one movement. Not a great idea if you have people of different heights up-front.

The Nissan NP300 has an insurance group of 11 and a price tag of £13,630 excluding VAT but this rises up to £14,180 as we had the Comfort pack on our car, which is a real boon in the summer months. There’s plenty of kit to keep you happy when on long runs while the part-time 4wd is a boon as you’ll be able to save fuel when you’re driving in normal road conditions. We agree with Nissan this is a proper pick up which will be used as a business tool navigating across farms and construction sites across the length and breadth of the UK.