New Launches
Show Report: CV Show 2012
What a cracking event the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show turned out to be, thanks in no small part to Ford… Read More
Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Long-Term Test 1
We has just taken delivery of a Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Club Cab for long-term appraisal… Read More
Ford Transit ECOnetic Brief Test
We’ve been putting a SWB 100hp 2.2TDi Euro 5 Transit 280 ECOnetic through its paces… Read More
Renault Kangoo ZE 2011 European Launch
Renault is at the forefront of manufacturers offering a mass produced factory-built electric van… Read More
Fuso Canter 2011 European Launch
Fuso has completely revamped its range of light and heavy truck Canter chassis and chassis crew cabs… Read More
Iveco Daily 2011 European Launch
Iveco has introduced new, latest generation diesels to its Daily range, along with detail changes inside and out… Read More
Ford Transit 2011 European Launch
Ford takes the iconic Transit to the next stage with an all-new range of 2.2-litre Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Volkswagen Crafter 2011 UK Launch
VW’s large panel van has undergone a serious makeover with changes to the front-end styling and the cab interior, as well as new Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Ford Transit Connect Electric Brief Test
We spent a day with the battery-powered Connect to get a better idea of what it’s like to live with in its natural, urban environment. Read More
Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL Brief Test
Currently undergoing trials with selected fleet customers in the UK, we managed to get behind the wheel of a battery-powered Vito E-CELL… Read More
Volkswagen Crafter 2011 European Launch
Volkswagen’s Crafter has undergone a midlife makeover and gets a new front-end along with new Euro 5 engines… Read More
Vans of the Year Awards 2011-4x4 Van
4x4 Van of the Year
Nissan Pathfinder
Some operators require a light commercial that’s willing to get down and dirty and venture off-road. The only real solution is to bite the bullet and go four-wheel drive. There are 4x4 versions of the Ford Transit, Merc Sprinter and Volkswagen Caddy and Transporter, but these all lack ground clearance and a set of low ratio gears for serious mud-plugging. Enter the Nissan Pathfinder.
Introduced in the summer of 2010, Pathfinder Van benefits from the same torquey 2.5-litre diesel and electronic selectable four-wheel drive system as its very close relative the Navara pick-up. With 190hp and a seriously healthy 450Nm to play with, getting stuck is not an option; without being silly, that is.
But it’s not just off-road that Pathfinder triumphs; it’s no laggard on-road either. There’s a very sensible compromise between ride, handling and axle articulation. All of this and it can also cope with a sensible payload — 650kg gross — in its 2.2m3 load space. Access is via either a high-lifting rear tailgate or the two rear side doors.Converting a passenger car of this size into a van sounds easy — just remove the back seats and fill-in the rear side windows — but there's much more to it than that. Nissan has done a top-notch job.
Highly Commended
If a conventional car-based off-roader just isn’t up to the task and the budget won’t stretch to a Merc Unimog, then there’s just one option; an Iveco Daily 4x4. Essentially a Daily perched on a seriously raised chassis with a military grade, 24-gear four-wheel drive system. And what can’t be attached to it via a power take-off isn’t worth knowing about. Nice.
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Latest Features
Show Preview: CV Show 2012
This year's Commercial Vehicle Show is returning to the NEC Birmingham on 24 – 26 April following a very successful 2011 event… Read More
Vans of the Year Awards 2012
Each year we sit down and decide which, in our opinion, are best light commercials around in each market segment… Read More
Manheim: Used Van Market 2011
Manheim Remarketing reports on used van values and trends in 2011… Read More
Iveco: State of the Nation 2012
The Italian van and truck manufacturer takes a look back at the 2011 UK van market… Read More
Bridgestone Eco-Rally 2011
Environmentally-friendly transport can be fun, as we discovered courtesy of a Transit Connect Electric… Read More
Euro 5 Switchover
There’s a flurry of activity in the 3.5 tonne panel van market and the reason is the impending October deadline for new vans to meet Euro 5 emissions levels… Read More
ESP on Vans Explained
ESP, or Electronic Stability Programme to give it its full title, is either standard or available as an option on all light commercials. But what is it exactly? Read More