Cabstar Contender
Nissan’s new Cabstar is ready to take on Isuzu and Mitsubishi Fuso and unlike its predecessor it’s very much up to the job WE NEVER quite know where to place Nissan in the greater scheme of things. On the car side, it has a deserved reputation for producing pretty bombproof vehicles that people want to buy. But when its light commercial vehicle range comes under the spotlight, it has tended in the past to give the impression of merely being along for the ride. The Renault GM LCV tie-up did much to change this, and the Primastar 3.5 tonner did some pretty good business in the UK last year, with sales just shy of 3,000 units. But Cabstar, Nissan’s cabover LCV model has long looked rather long in the tooth. It’s now been updated, been given a new engine and, in truth, a new lease of life. With both Isuzu and Mitsubishi Fuso playing hard in the 3.5 tonne sector, our couple of days with the Cabstar suggests that Nissan is about to do likewise. New Cabstar is based upon Nissan’s recently unveiled Light Duty Truck (LDT) platform. Developed by Nissan’s Spanish engineering staff in collaboration with Nissan Motor Light Truck Co’s engineering team in Japan, the new platform will support Cabstar first, followed by a new generation of light duty trucks in the future. It replaces the 11 different platforms used across the previous LCV range, and is a significant move on Nissan’s part. ‘The development and introduction of the new LDT platform demonstrates that Nissan is taking its place in the global commercial vehicle market seriously,’ explains Andy Palmer, corporate vice president of Nissan’s LCV Business Unit. ‘We are ambitious to succeed and we are confident that we will meet the needs of operators and drivers across the globe with the range of products that will be developed on the new platforms.’ From the LDT, a number of different configurations can be had. Based upon either the short (2,500mm) or medium (2,900mm) wheelbase, buyers can specify either a 109 or 129bhp 2.5 litre common rail unit, with the lower powered variant developing 250Nm torque at 1,600rpm, whilst the heftier model punts out 270Nm at 1,800rpm. Move up to the bigger three litre unit available only on the longer 3,400mm wheelbase, and power is upped to 149bhp whilst maximum torque of 350Nm is produced at 1,600rpm. All three engine variants are direct injection four cylinder turbo-intercooled units, using EGR and a Catalyst in order to comply with the Euro 4 protocol. At the lowest end of the output spectrum, transmission comes courtesy of a five speed box, whilst the medium and high output versions come equipped with a six-speed unit. As yet, no AMT option such as that offered both by Isuzu and Mitsubishi Fuso is available. Both single and crew cabs are available across all three wheelbases, with the latter available in either 129 or 149bhp guise. The first impression on walking up to the new Cabstar is that of modernity. The outgoing model had something of the ‘70’s about it, and looked very Japanese. The new, Avila, Spanish built version looks both contemporary and European. So too does there seem to be something of a resemblance between the Cabstar and cousin Volvo’s heavy range, a vertical headlamp assembly and slightly gathered front are suggestive of some common DNA at some point in the design chain. First up is a 149bhp single cab box bodied long wheelbase model. Cab entry is a breeze – the new, slightly wider cab is a comfortable three-man office – you wouldn’t want to do huge distances with two passengers, but for medium length journeys, there’s sufficient elbow room. Dashboard layout is clean and concise, there’s plenty of adjustment on the steering wheel, and the standard criticism levelled at the Japanese offerings in this sector namely that they’re not built for Europeans would be misplaced. A twist of the key, the inbuilt hill hold mechanism catches and we’re off. Out on the road, the 149 shows itself to be a willing performer, and is well matched to the six speed box. Engine noise is far from obtrusive and, bar a slight notchiness to the transmission we’ll put this down to the vehicle’s relative youth, the driving experience is pretty good. Visibility is excellent with both front and side views unimpeded and, whilst we could always go with bigger mirrors, there’s little to criticise the Cabstar here. Special mention too needs to be made of the ride and handling. This is class leading, the old Cabstar used to wallow on the road like a drunk in his memories, and this has been corrected. Steering is light yet positive, and the turning circle adequate for high density urban use. Good stuff so far, what though of the more diminutive 129bhp version? Probably easiest to say that the obvious choice is the 149bhp model. Knocking 20bhp off the top and losing a gear ratio turns the Cabstar into a far more ordinary machine. That’s not to say it’s in any way inadequate, it’s OK as far as it goes, but you get the feeling that the lesser engined variant is operating at the edge of, as opposed to comfortably within its capacity. The driveline feels far more laboured, and the vehicle feels as a result far less relaxed. The Cabstar will kick off at around £15,500 at the bottom end, and we don’t as yet know how much of a price premium the 149bhp model will attract. If it’s not going to stretch the budget beyond the horizon, we’d argue that there is a strong case for specing up rather than down here. Something else that remains unresolved as yet is the nature of the role, if any, that Volvo’s truck dealerships are going to play in the revitalised Nissan LCV push. Nissan’ southern European LCV dealer network is strong. In the north, it’s less widespread, and there are moves afoot to begin the marketing of Nissan LCV’s through Volvo truck dealerships in certain European territories. This is a done deal in Germany, but it remains to be seen as to whether or not Volvo’s UK network will get Nissan products to sell. If they do, then the combination of a competent product with access to a truck type service operation is a compelling one. The new Cabstar is a huge improvement on the model it’s replacing, and is deserving of close scrutiny from anyone looking at buying in this sector. An automated manual transmission option is needed to bring the Nissan range up to parity with Isuzu and Mitsubishi Fuso, but this aside, the Cabstar is very much a contender. It needs to be. Nissan has set ambitious commitments for its global LCV business, one of four breakthrough areas identified under the company’s Value-Up business plan. By fiscal year 2007, the company plans to double operating profit margin to 8% and grow volumes by 40% to 434,000 units worldwide compared with fiscal 2004. It’s heading in the right direction with the Cabstar, but success and failure lie as much with what happens after the product is sold as merely in the act of selling it. If Nissan can take this fact on board as well, then it may have a winner on its hands.