Minivans are no longer carried. They are an endangered species. Now what is fashionable are SUVs. However, those families that need space, both in the rear seats and in the trunk, and in a vehicle of contained dimensions, still have some options: for example, a light van like this Nissan Townstar, which is born from the Renault alliance -Nissan and that it is basically a Renault Kangoo made up by Nissan, as is the Mercedes-Benz Citan.
The Nissan Townstar is offered in two versions, the cargo and the Combi for passengers like the one we tested today. At the moment it is only available with a gasoline engine but a 100% electric version with almost 300 km of autonomy will also soon arrive (More info here: Nissan Townstar).
The Nissan Townstar, the Renault Kangoo and the Mercedes Citan are practically the same vehicle. They share chassis, engines and a large part of their bodywork, although each brand dresses them in their own way to adapt to the design language of each of them.
Aesthetically they are practically the same. Only the front changes, to which Nissan has given a more similar appearance to the rest of the models in its range. The wheels, which only in this top-of-the-range Tekna finish are 16-inch alloy, the others are hubcap type, and the rear light signature. Not the pilots, which are the same, but the shape of the interior lights. Well, and the logos…
The Townstar is offered in 4 trim levels: Acenta, Acenta+, N-Connecta and Tekna. We have a Tekna, which has everything in series. Equipment as interesting as cruise control, automatic headlights and rain sensors, blind spot warning and intervention, lane keeping, traffic sign recognition, emergency braking, leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated seats, air conditioning, 16 inches, keyless access, tinted windows and infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation, 360º camera and wireless charger, among many other things.
Comparing directly against the Renault Kangoo, the Nissan Townstar in its top-of-the-range finish includes even more equipment than the French one. But hey, if we want to save a little money, we can choose a lower finish and then we can choose by hand what extra equipment to add. Solutions for everything.
The Nissan Townstar measures 4.49 meters long, 1.92 wide, 1.84 high and has a wheelbase of 2.72 meters. We’re talking about a compact light van that’s a bit bigger than a Nissan Qashqai.
You see, it is a 4 and a half meter car, which provides many solutions. And if you don’t look at his trunk! They are 775 liters in its normal configuration. More than enough for the vast majority. In addition, you can see that it can be loaded really well thanks to its very cubic shapes, thus making the most of its large space.
It does not have a double bottom, but if we lower the rear seatbacks we have a capacity of 2,800 liters. Brutal. Here you can take almost anything. The trunk is one of its strong points, without a doubt. It has perfectly cubic shapes that allow you to take advantage of its capacity. Also, with the backrests down I’m pretty sure a couple or three bikes would fit in there no problem. Even without having to remove the front wheel. It’s fantastic!
Since it is a family vehicle, what less than the second row offers certain guarantees for it. And I already anticipate that the Townstar meets expectations in this regard. It has small tables and pockets to leave objects and seats that are really comfortable. And best of all, there are 3 equal seats. You are practically as comfortable in the lateral seats as in the central one, since there is no transmission tunnel that hinders the placement of the feet. Second-row room is very good, both knee-room and headroom. Even for three adults.
But best of all, by offering three individual seats, we can place three child restraint systems or boosters without any problem. The only drawback is that the central seat does not have an Isofix anchorage, while the two sides do.
Up front it’s a car that both driver and passenger will enjoy, because it feels very open, with very good visibility of the road ahead and is packed with well thought out solutions. It is a wide, roomy, quite comfortable car and although the finishes are rather average, with a lot of hard plastic, it gives the impression that it can withstand the passing of the years well.
Let’s not forget the storage compartments. It is full! All over! We have counted up to 16 holes and solutions to store personal belongings, bottles, papers, etc… Be tidy, because with so many holes at the end you can end up losing things.
Under the hood you can currently only equip one engine. It is a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with a displacement of 1.3 liters and 130 hp and 240 Nm of torque, associated with a 6-speed manual gearbox.
Its benefits are not great, since it accelerates from 0 to 100 in almost 13 seconds and could reach just over 180 km/h, but it promises an approved average consumption of 6.8 liters that can even be lowered.
These types of vehicles are the clear example that diesel should still work. This gasoline engine works well, but with a diesel of similar power, or even with the 115 hp that the Kangoo does offer, with very similar performance, but with a little more torque, it would move the Townstar even better in situations of much weight. And with lower consumption, of course.
The front suspension is McPherson strut, while the rear is torsional. This means that in low load situations the car tends to bounce a little in the rear.
Even with that, the Townstar is very pleasant to drive thanks to its comfortable contribution on any type of road. It defends itself better on fast roads but is not out of place on winding roads as long as the pace is not too high since it tends to swing a lot.
The brakes are 280 mm ventilated on the front wheels and drums on the rear. But the car responds very well to braking with nice pedal feel. Of course, it mounts low rolling resistance tires that, in my opinion, do not do it any justice.
As a negative point to the Townstar, even the Kangoo and the Citan, I would say that the acoustic insulation of the interior is inferior to that of some of its rivals, such as the Volkswagen Caddy or the Peugeot Rifter, for example.
The new Nissan Townstar has an access price in its Acenta finish of €28,162 PVP, or €23,170 with campaigns and discounts.
The Tekna that we have tested is the top of the range, and it carries absolutely everything it can carry. It costs 34,449 euros without discounts or 29,449 euros with campaigns and discounts.
The truth is that these types of vehicles are more than excellent for the family, you have already seen it, and with a price that is not bad at all for everything it offers. The van-like aesthetic? Well, there and everyone is free to say what they want, I do not dislike the truth.
What I did not like about the Townstar is that it is only offered with a single engine, when the Kangoo, for example, has up to 4 variants to choose from.
Even so, Nissan’s bet is very good, with a very reasonable discounted price and with endless possibilities.
