New 2023 Nissan Townstar arrives with pure-electric offering

Nissan has bolstered its all-electric line-up with the new Townstar, available in EV form to replace its E-NV200 predecessor. 

Nissan and Renault’s alliance has helped develop plenty of cars in the past few years, but perhaps none is as obvious as the new Townstar, which van enthusiasts should instantly spot as a redesigned Renault Kangoo.

Just like with the new Kangoo, there’s no Renault 1.5 dCi diesel carried over to the Townstar from the old NV200. Instead, there’s 1.3-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine putting out 128bhp and 240Nm of torque. Coupled with a six-speed manual transmission, it’s a detuned version of the powertrain found in the new Qashqai, indeed, the new Townstar actually sits on the same CMF-C platform as the family SUV. 

The electric version uses a 45kWh battery to provide a maximum range of 183 miles.The Townstar’s electric motor has also been swapped for a more powerful 120bhp unit, compared with the 107bhp model in its E-NV200 predecessor.

Connected up to a 75kW DC rapid charger, the Townstar’s battery will charge from 15-80 per cent in just over 37 minutes. That’s a little longer than the 30 minutes it took the old e-NV200 to charge to the same level, but the Townstar features a larger battery. The van also supports both 11kW and 22kW AC charging, although the latter system is optional.

For petrol models, there are four trim levels to choose from. Visia kicks off the Townstar range from £23,370 including VAT and has air-conditioning, front LED headlights, automatic headlights and wipers, plus a DAB radio as standard.  Acenta, Tekna and Tekna+ - each with varying amounts of equipment on board. The £24,630 Acenta comes next, featuring reverse parking sensors, cruise control and an eight-inch screen with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto.

At £26,190, the Tekna has front, rear and side sensors, keyless entry and go, plus a rear camera. The range-topping Tekna+ starts from £27,750 and has a 360-degree camera, park assist, blind-spot monitoring, traffic-sign recognition and 16-inch alloy wheels.

The electric models start from £37,014 (including VAT) and can be had in a short or long-wheelbase body, ranging up to the £42,894 Tekna+ model - which gets adaptive cruise control, a heated leather steering wheel and automatic headlights. 

When it comes to carrying capacity, the Townstar’s 4.3-cubic metre load bay has enough space for two Euro Pallets. Both the petrol and electric versions of the van can carry a maximum payload of 800kg (600kg in SWB guise) and tow a trailer weighing up to 1,500kg.

Nissan says it made a conscious effort to keep the Townstar’s styling consistent with its flagship electric vehicle, the Ariya. So, the electric van sports similar narrow LED headlights.

The petrol model looks slightly different, as it requires a radiator grille to feed the engine with cooling air. However, the van also features active aerodynamic vanes to shutter the front end and improve fuel efficiency when the engine’s cooling requirements aren’t as great.

Every petrol version of the Townstar comes with a five-year/100,000-mile warranty. As per Nissan’s fully electric passenger cars, the Townstar EV features an eight-year vehicle warranty and a 100,000-mile battery warranty.

What does the new Nissan Townstar have to beat? These are the best electric vans on sale now…