Nissan NP 200 ICE Driven Review in South Africa
Never in a million years would’ve I have thought a half tonne bakkie would be something that appeals to me. Honestly these kind of cars are usually bought out of need, not want. Perhaps you’ve started a small business and you need something that’s going to keep going and going. Or you’re the kind of guy that loves to spend time outdoors? Either way a half tonner can solve all your problems.
For me to fully understand the appeal of this car, I had to put myself in the shoes of someone who needed one. The ICE version of the NP 200 is what we were given and honestly, at first I thought it looked corny. It was only after five minutes of driving the thing did I appreciate not being behind the wheel of a plain white one, as there are some many on the road.
How Does It Drive?
The ICE edition comes with some nice features such as a front nudge bar to end move taxis out your way. It then has a sporty looking set of wheel, leather seats and blue paint to show the world how “cool” you are. It also comes in silver paint if the blue is too out there for you. The best thing about driving such a bakkie is that the size of it makes it very “get up and go”. It’s really a car that you don’t think too hard about driving because it’s so small. The ICE edition we drove was the 1.5 litre DCI engine which is like a little Jack Russell, it nips at the heels of other drivers in traffic. With only 62kW/128Nm, the lightweight body of the car makes it feel like more. It also seems to run on magic as I battled to get the fuel gauge to move, despite running around aimlessly trying fill the load bin. The ICE is also available with a 1.6 litre petrol engine which should be quite good, but won’t have the great torque spike that the diesel has.
In my attempt at trying to be a half tonne bakkie owner, I found myself with the urge to move stuff. I became a pest to my friends, offering to move a desk, dispose of the trash etc etc, to see how much stuff I can fit in. I do occasionally cycle so even my worn out ride bike got a chance to see how effective the NP200 ICE. The rubberised bin is a nice standard feature from Nissan as a scratched up load bin is the equivalent to a grandmothers cracked heels, not nice to look at and difficult to fix
Final Thoughts
Overall I can say I was quite pleased with this little bakkie. It’s the bakkie you’ll want if during the week you run a small business and in the weekend you need to live with the car. The NP200 has a decent radio and air-conditioning system and a punchy little engine. It’s still very much a no frills car even though it offers all the frills in the range.
For those business orientated guys, you’ll be happy to know that you have a 6 year/150 000km warranty on the car, so you can put this little workhorse to work. I for one can see why some families have one of these half tonners in their garage. From a practicality perspective, it’s always handy having something small with loading capacity at your disposal. The NP200’s father, the iconic Nissan 1400 would be proud to see it’s kid following in daddies footsteps. It’s a great little thing indeed.