All About Japan Autos

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Maybe the Ford Transit Connect winning the North American Truck of the Year award at this year’s Detroit Auto Show signaled to the world that vans are cool again. Or maybe businesses are looking for the right vehicle to jumpstart the economy. Either way, Nissan has decided to jump into the work van pool.

Left Lane News reports, “Japanese automaker Nissan has officially entered the large commercial van market with its new lineup of NV vans. Available in three model levels, two roof heights and with a pair of V6 and V8 gasoline engines, the NV vans clearly target traditional large vans like the Ford E-Series and Chevrolet Express – even if they borrow some tricks from more contemporary competition.”

Autoblog adds,”‘NV’ rather unimaginatively stands for Nissan Van, for what it’s worth – relies on three different designations, NV1500, 2500 HD and 3500 HD, and two different roof heights (the High Roof is only available on the NV2500 HD and NV3500 HD models) to provide a platform for every conceivable need.”

Pickuptrucks.com says, “Instead of a conventional short-nose configuration, where part of the engine sits in the cab next to the driver, the NV has a long-nose front end, like a full-size pickup truck. Nissan has positioned the engine ahead of the A-pillar and firewall. That’s not surprising, since the NV is based on a modified version of the Nissan Titan half-ton pickup’s F-Alpha body-on-frame platform. The long-nose layout also makes maintenance easier because most of the powertrain can be accessed under the van’s hood.”

Inside Line writes, “No diesel-powered version or extended wheelbase variant have been announced. At 240.9 inches in overall length, the NV is about the same size as the smallest Dodge Sprinter was and a little more than five feet longer than the wee little Transit Connect. A Standard Roof version will hold ‘220+’ cubic feet of stuff. The High Roof will swallow ‘300+’ cubic feet of goods.”

Jalopnik thinks the NV has a market waiting for it: “It’s kind of ugly and pretty awkward, but dag-gummit it’s the perfect size for a good small taco truck.” If you’ve got a craving for tacos, the NV hits the market in fall 2010.

If you’re in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.