Nissan has just expanded its fleet armoury with the addition of a new dropside truck, which is derived from the NV400 panel van.

It may at first appear to be a rather curious addition to the family as Nissan already offers the Cabstar, which does the same job and is a good little lorry.

But anyone who has driven a Cabstar will concede that, capable as it is, it can be a pretty uncomfortable place to spend a day.

The NV400 dropside, on the other hand, offers all the creature comforts of today’s modern panel vans, while managing to lug 100kg or so more cargo around than the Cabstar in the rear.

This new offering was first revealed at the CV Show in April and is part of a concerted effort by the Japanese manufacturer to distance itself from its Renault parent in the commercial vehicles it makes.

Until a couple of years ago, all Nissan’s vans apart from Navara and Cabstar were rebadged Renaults. But now we have the NV200 small van which is pure Nissan and the NV400 which is a heavily reworked version of the Renault Master.

You’ll see from the pictures that this vehicle isn’t recognisable in the slightest as the French product.

The dropside is available in a number of versions, offering single and double-cabs, front- and rear-wheel drive and tippers.

Our test model is the single cab front wheel drive model in SE spec, weighing in at £24,056 ex-VAT.

Under the bonnet is a 2.3-litre common rail turbodiesel unit offering 125bhp and a meaty 228lb-ft of torque at a low 1,250rpm, plenty to pull the maximum payload of 1,462kg. In the rear the NV400 has a large loadbed measuring 3,230mm by 2,100mm.

There’s plenty of standard specification. Included in the basic price is remote central locking, ABS, electronic stability control to prevent sideways skids, electric windows and mirrors, Bluetooth connectivity and cruise control.

Because the vehicle is built by Nissan and converted afterwards, no fuel and CO2 figures are available.

Behind the wheel

Conversions are becoming an ever more important part of life for van manufacturers.

Most have now realised that a lot of fleets want solus deals – say 50 dropsides, 60 small vans and 100 large panel vans – and if the dealer can’t offer all at once in a single package, the customer is likely to look elsewhere.

Nissan has been working hard on its new direction of late and with the NV400 having been partly designed and engineered by Brits, dealers can proudly offer this vehicle as a kind of homegrown product.

And it is one that certainly won’t disappoint.

It’s certainly a chunky and well-built vehicle, with the rear end being provided by Italian truck converter Scattolini.

It’s a lighweight conversion that has a quality feel and the floor features a plastic non-slip surface for extra safety.

All the sides fold down and there are eight load lashing eyes which sink flat into the floor when not being used.

The cab has three seats which are all comfortable and supportive and there are two coffee cup holders in the right places.

There’s also an overhead shelf for paperwork and suchlike, plus large bins in each door for drinks bottles and other van driver clutter.

All that low-down torque really does imbue this truck with a feeling of power.

It’s likely to be loaded down to the gills for much if its working life so top grunt at low revs is just what’s needed here.

Meanwhile the truck’s ride and handling are excellent – and it’s top marks to Nissan for making electronic stability control a standard fitment.

Verdict

An excellent addition to the Nissan line-up. While it’s a niche vehicle in sales terms, it could well help to swing those valuable solus deals.