Story & photos by Ronald Rey M. de los Reyes
SINCE its inception in 2014, Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI) has thrived to be one of the fastest-growing car companies in the country with a 48-percent growth last year.
Moreover, the company continues on its momentum, as it produced a record sales of 5,277 units in just the first quarter of 2017, the highest achievement for the brand since 2000.
Now, to further spice things up for the brand, the carmaker recently upped the ante for one of its beloved models, the Nissan Urvan 350 by introducing its premium version.
“The past year has truly been phenomenal for the brand. And we have been able to continue this performance, beating our own sales record in March, by selling 2,094 units. Our core models have also performed well in the past quarter, especially the sales of our NV350 Urvan,” said Ramesh Narasimhan, NPI president and managing director.
“The NV350 Urvan sold a total of 1,651 units, accounting for 31 percent of our sales for the first quarter of the year. And now, we continue to grow the business by entering a new segment with the launch of the Nissan Urvan Premium,” he added.
At the onset, the new Nissan Urvan Premium radiates a stunning appeal, not just for families, but, in fact, perfect for business executives on a working trip out of town. Up-front, it sports a V-motion grille, sharper head lamps and dynamic character lines on the front and side, which sweetens its already posh appearance. This modern stylish look of the vehicle is further enhanced with the absence of the side-roof drip channel from the previous model, coupled with a longer wheelbase and shortened overhangs.
Interior-wise, a suede-like tricot fabric cover immediately greets passengers, not to mention individually mounted seats. To give an impression of a more classy and roomier cabin, this Urvan offers improved fabric that comes in gray, suede-finished material, complemented by a two-tone dashboard.
With the comfort of both passenger and driver in mind, the Urvan Premium was created with a wider body and higher stance, which measures at 5,230mm in length and 2,285mm in height. This allows occupants more freedom to move relaxingly while traveling on long drives. With its now bigger size, coupled with a new seating configuration of four rows in the cabin, it can tote up to 15 people, while having enough space to ferry and store luggage. And to keep everyone calm and cool, 14 individual air-conditioning vents are placed along each seat behind the driver.
This exceptional people carrier features a Door Closure Assist paired to an extended sliding door opening height of 1,580 mm. This element allows rear occupants to close the vehicle firmly without exerting too much effort. Adding to the convenience are a rear step board, rear ingress/egress grips and a hand rail upon entering the van.
At the heart of the Nissan Urvan Premium is a high-torque, 2.5-liter turbo diesel engine, the same power plant used in the award-winning Nissan Navara pickup.
The high-torque YD25DDTi engine generates 129 horsepower at 3,200 rpm and 356 N-m of torque from 1,400 to 2,000 rpm. The sole transmission is a five-speed manual. With this torque, the Urvan leads to a faster, smoother take-off and acceleration.
Enhancing the ride are its safety features, such as dual front airbags and seat belts, load tensioning valve, antilock brake system, brake assist, child safety lock and front fog lamps.
And to top it all, despite its more fine facets, this piece of machinery is “low maintenance”, meaning the cost for maintaining it compared to other vehicles in its segment is significantly lower. It is also the first in the industry to offer warranty coverage for business use, allowing customers to have their vehicle serviced for the first three years, or 100,000 kilometers, whichever comes first, at no additional cost.
The new Nissan Urvan Premium will be available in manual transmission by June 2017 in all Nissan dealerships nationwide and will be available with a suggested retail price of P1.650 million. It comes in Alpine White, Black Obsidian and Tiger Eye Brown.
Image credits: Ronald Rey M. de los Reyes