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Motoring and travel journalist, opinionated gob on a stick
Motoring

Townstar at another level

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Nissan Townstar

By Bill McCarthy

The image of the traditional white van  has been transformed over the years, with a focus on improving the vehicle’s style, comfort, and performance.

The stereotypical van driver image has also moved on. Hasn’t it? Maybe. But the image of the van certainly has.

Okay, you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, the van will always be a workhorse. But like its more glamorous saloon/SUV/crossover cousins, the stylists have been earning their money.

So too have the marketing people with comfort and performance now important factors. The Townstar an excellent example, having won numerous awards since replacing the popular e-NV200 van.

It seems from Nissan’s point of view that the days of the diesel are over with the Townstar available only with either a petrol or electric powertrain,

There are two wheelbases, the L1 driven and here and the longer L2.

Both have a spacious load space of 3.3m3 (L1) or 4.3m3 (L2), and a payload capacity of between 600 and 800kg and a maximum braked towing capacity of a class leading 1,500kg. The cabin is protected by a full width bulkhead.

Access is via wide-opening 180-degree double doors to the rear with a low loading lip and a pair of sliding doors on the side of the van making access a real doddle.

Securing boxes, pallets, furniture or any  equipment is aided by multiple harness points.

Rapidly entering and leaving a vehicle is ever more important for delivery drivers and the Townstar’s ergonomic design allows for excellent entry and egress while on the move.

The electric powertrain features a 45Kwh battery, connected to a 122hp electric motor, supplemented by intelligent energy management and battery thermal cooling technology to optimise its performance.

This means a class-challenging range of 183 miles WLTP Combined (or up to 269 miles on the City Cycle), figures I have to say I got nowhere near, although rainy conditions at the back end of winter do not help battery life. Having said that it still outperforms the range of closest rivals.

But like all electrically powered vehicles it offers swift acceleration, important in and around town making deliveries and it does seem quicker than the 0-60mph time of 14 seconds. It offers a fairly quiet driving experience, with little of the booming you would expect from a mostly empty, enclosed space behind the driver.

Both models  are also pretty full of creature comforts and with a starting price of well over £32k, it just as well as it features technologies like Intelligent Emergency Braking, Hands-Free Parking, Intelligent Cruise Control, and surround view monitor.

The entry level Visia offers remote locking and deadlocks, air conditioning, LED front lights with daytime running light, electric, heated door mirrors, auto headlights and wipers and a DAB system with Bluetooth.

This range-topping Tekna + is pushing the £40k mark and adds climate control and heated steering wheel, front rear and side parking sensors and Nissan’s ProPILOT Assist advanced driving assistance system which, along with the camera  provides drivers with extra assistance, particularly in view of there being no rear view mirror.

The interior is comfortable with loads of head and legroom. It is dominated by and 10-inch colour central screen that includes connectivity via  Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation and control of the more than decent sound system. 

Charging supports both AC up to 22kW and 80kW DC CCS quick-charging allowing the battery from 15 to 80 per cent in just under 40 minutes.

It is covered by Nissan’s pan-European five-year or 100,000-mile warranty, 5-year roadside assistance, and in this case, an eight-year or 100,000-mile battery warranty for the EV version.

Factfile

Nissan Townstar Tekna+ L1

Price: £37,345 

Mechanical: 45Kwh battery, connected to a 122hp electric motor and single step automatic transmission 

Max Speed: 139mph

0-62mph: 14 seconds 

Range: 183 miles (WLTP)

C02 emissions: 0g/km

Warranty: Five years, 100,000 miles

Estate/Sport Tourer, GENESIS, Motoring, Sports saloon and hatches

Shooting star a real looker

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GENESIS G70 Shooting Brake

By Bill McCarthy

There was a time, long, long ago, when if you described an estate car as slick and chic, you would hear the flapping of white coats. Traditionally seen as barges on wheels, sorry Volvo, they were highly practical and extremely capable – but good looking? I don’t think so.

Designers have upped their game and in the case of GENESIS have produced one of the most stylish estates, or Shooting Brake if you like, on the road.
The designers have cleverly targeted their audience with trim and styles with more appeal to younger buyers and the Shooting Brake, is a prime example.

The term is supposedly from turn-of-the last century England, where it referred to a car used to transport a hunting party and its gear. “Brake” refers to a chassis that was used to break in horses.

It eventually just came to refer to early wagons in general. 

This vehicle is a premium and elegant model designed to take on German market leaders and just like them, has a significant price tag that can be quickly increased by a host of optional features. On this case over £11k worth.

It features a sleek, coupe-like profile accentuated by the signature crest grille quad lamps and the well-known Bentley-inspired winged bonnet badge.

This variant adds a dark-chrome finish for the window surrounds and front grille, with a dark tinted chrome mesh insert. It also features 19-inch alloys with red Brembo brake calipers. The rear of the vehicle is designed with a single-piece glass hatch that accommodates part of the light cluster and a “floating type” integral spoiler. 

The vehicle is a premium model with state-of-the-art technologies, quality materials, and a finish that creates a fighter jet cockpit appearance. The car is centred on a 10.5-inch HD infotainment screen and 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster that controls connectivity and navigation functions. It also operates the impressive sound system. The Genesis Connect system offers voice recognition, live updates, and smartphone integration.

The turbo-charged two-litre turbo petrol engine mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox drives the rear wheels and that delivers rapid, but not stunning pace, and uninspiring fuel economy, hovering around the 30mpg mark. 

However the interior is spacious and luxurious, with a range of high-end features. Notably, it is equipped with artificial intelligence that learns about the driver and builds on existing state-of-the-art advanced autonomous driver assistance technology. 

One of the standout features is the pair of main binnacle dials that transform into cameras to show the road ahead when the indicator is activated. This feature contributes to pedestrian and cyclist safety.

Given the slick silhouette of the vehicle, boot space is not huge, with 465 litres of space, but this expands to a 1,535-litre load area with 40:20:40 split-fold rear seats offering significant stowage space.

On the road, the 245bhp engine delivers smooth acceleration and powers to 60mph in under seven seconds.

 It is also a fine motorway cruiser, just whispering along at higher speeds, with plenty of torque in reserve for acceleration and overtaking.

Drive modes include Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ modes allow the driver to choose between fuel economy and sporty driving by adjusting steering, suspension, throttle, and transmission response.

The ride and handling are excellent, with tuned suspension and electronically controlled adaptive dampers that reduce the impact of potholes while providing agile handling for such a large car. Additionally, a mechanical limited slip differential improves handling and traction on winding roads.

Factfile

Genesis G70 Sport Shooting Brake 2.0T

Price: £41,995

Mechanical: 247PS, 1,998cc, four-cylinder petrol engine driving rear wheels via eight-speed automatic transmission

Max Speed: 146mph

0-62mph: 6.9 seconds

Combined MPG: 30.2

C02 emissions: 200g/km

Bik rating: 37%

Warranty: Five years/unlimited miles