2001 Nissan Vanette Cargo Cargo 2.3 D review from UK and Ireland

I had three Vanette Cargo's for my business. One got written off on the way home from the dealer-ship when we first picked it up.

VAN NUMBER ONE:-

Up to about 8500 miles it used to rev it-self stupid when started from cold. Dealers couldn't find anything wrong and said 'They all do that.' That's rather strange because the other van (which is identical) has NEVER done it.

There is an annoying squeal from under the bonnet (not from the engine, which is located underneath the seats) that comes and goes as it likes.

Has self unlocking doors, unless you lock it with the key, and not the remote-locking.

Rattling rear doors, dealers just slapped about three tons of grease on them (literally!) When we opened the rear doors the grease dropped down onto the rear bumper and left a big stain. Dealer cleaned it off after persuasion.

Radio keeps tuning to other stations. You'd be listing to Radio 1 one minute, then you'd be listing to Five Live ten minutes later. Dealer replaced and its been fine since.

Current Mileage :- 11053.

VAN NUMBER TWO:-

Rear doors rattled too, dealer greased them up, but with less grease than the first van.

Remote-locking key keeps packing up, but starts working again after an hour or so.

Cabin trim keeps falling off! Heater controls keep coming away in your hand - not good for a Y-Reg.

Current Mileage - 9915.

Although they are plagued with faults, they are decent vans.

The 2.3 Diesel engine is VERY noisy! It is unbearable at 50 MPH, go on the motorway and it is impossible to have a conversation.

There's plenty of room in the back, and twin-sliding doors are standard on all models.

Checking the oil is a right pain! Its not under the bonnet like most cars/vans - its under the seats. So, to check the oil you have to.

--Clear everything away from the back

--Undo a screw on the base of the seats

--Undo for clips in the front cabin under neath the seats

--Pull the seats backwards individually

--Pull out a clip from underneath the seats...

...and only then can you check the oil. This can't be done if you have a partition between the front seats and the rear. Only God knows how you can check it then. It doesn't need topping up that often though.

The windscreen washer filler is under the bonnet though.

Even small hills are a challenge in the Vanette. If you hit a hill with a full load, the speedo flies round to the left and before you know it you are only doing about 20.

It is impossible to overtake too, even on a straight, flat road and your trying to get past a tractor. You drop a gear, pull out, drop another gear, drop another gear pray to God, then it reaches its limit so you change up and it gets bogged down.

Even pulling away from traffic lights is difficult. 1st and 2nd are OK, change up into 3rd and it gets bogged down, and 4th and 5th are almost the same! Best thing to do is to get plenty of revs up in second and then change to third.

Not a lot of space inside either. There's no cup-holders, although there is a flat bit on the front of the dash for cans, but its not big enough for a flask.

Ride is awful, even going over a white line in the middle of the road causes 'movements' in the back of the van.

Still, you don't buy a van for limo-like ride comfort, nor do you buy them for refinement. This van is cheap and honest, it does everything your throw at it, the turning circle is fantastic and it carries just over a ton!

Its cheap, reliable (ish) and carries a lot - and that is all our company needs in a van.