In this corner
The NV350 nameplate might be somewhat unknown to most motorists in South Africa. If I however showed you a picture you would immediately know what it was and would most likely curse under your breath. The NV350 has two derivatives here in SA, a panel van and a crew bus. Its two closest rivals in this sector are the Ford Transit / Tourneo Custom and the well known Hyundai H1. We take a look at a few of the determining factors to find out which has the lowest running costs.
Related: Nissan Taxi returns to South Africa as new Impendulo
Let's take a look at how the NV350 stacks up against its closest competition.
We will use the panel van derivative as the only crew bus alternative of the NV350 nameplate available in SA, is the 16 seater taxi.
Purchase price
Nissan NV350 Wide Body Panel Van 2.5i - R 481 800
Ford Transit Custom Panel Van 2.2 TDCi - R 474 300
Hyundai H1 Panel Van 2.5 CRDi - R 484 900
Performance
Nissan NV350 Wide body Panel Van 2.5i - 108kW / 213Nm @ 4400rpm
Ford Transit Custom Panel Van 2.2 TDCi - 92kW / 350Nm @ 1450rpm
Hyundai H1 Panel Van 2.5 CRDi - 125kW / 441Nm @ 3600rpm
Fuel Consumption
Nissan NV350 Wide body Panel Van 2.5i - 12.5l / 100km
Ford Transit Custom Panel Van 2.2 TDCi - 8.5l / 100km
Hyundai H1 Panel Van 2.5 CRDi - 9.8l / 100km
Warranty & Service Costs
Nissan NV350 Wide body Panel Van 2.5i - 6 year / 150 000 km warranty - 3 year / 90 000 km service plan
Ford Transit Custom Panel Van 2.2 TDCi - 4 year / 120 000 km warranty - 6 year / 90 000 km service plan
Hyundai H1 Panel Van 2.5 CRDi - 7 year / 200 000 km warranty - 5 year / 90 000 km service plan
Verdict
The Ford Transit comes up tops when it comes to purchase price and fuel economy but falls short when it comes to performance and warranty. The NV350 sets a mid level bar falling right between the Ford and Hyundai. In our opinion the H1 is probably the best of the lot but as that old saying goes you are going to get what you pay for, that and you don't want to be mistaken for a taxi at every turn!
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