The Car Diaries
Lili Radloff test drove the new Nissan NP200 bakkie and just happened to love it!
Monday
I’ve always wanted to drive a bakkie – it must be the Afrikaans blood – so when I got this Nissan NP200 I was overjoyed. I know it’s supposed to be a small bakkie, but hell, you should see the size of the thing.
I loved it. Despite the stupid TV ad (sometimes I don’t know what these agencies are thinking. Enormous speakers that blow the other cars away? Literally? Really?)
Anyway, this fantastic vehicle is the follow-up to the legendary Nissan 1400 bakkie that’s been in SA since the late seventies. I read somewhere the only places they still made the old 1400 was SA and AUS. Essentially the Nissan 1400 has an outdated design but us rugged folk just loved its simplicity, power and reliability. Rowwe boere, see?
Tuesday
With that said, there is very little to compare between the old 1400 and the new NP200 The NP200 is a seriously comfortable drive. I swear, it feels like a car without backseats, not the “stamp-stamp” I associate with riding in bakkies. And the engine? Quiet as a passed-out drunk.
Friday
It’s more like a car than a small bakkie – in my opinion anyway – but then you have the added bonus of the huge carry load at the back.
This car idea is reinforced by the interior – it is almost identical to some of the Renault sedans I’ve driven. The engine was zippy and the engine wildly responsive when you put your foot down.
Sadly, I did not really use it as a bakkie in the sense of loading it full of stuff and making it drive in “mielielande” but apparently it has the biggest load bin in its category so that’s gotta count for something.
Of course, as soon as I’ve given it back, I’ve learnt that I’ll have to move soon. Can anyone hear Alanis’ “Ironic” playing in the background?
I thought the styling was a little bit over the top(my model anyway) with its jutting front bumper, colour coded side skirting and matching mag wheels –but then, I am a girl who’s not much of a petrolhead.
That said, it sure looks a helluva lot better than the terribly plain entry level bakkies in this class (usually the stock standard 1300 base models)
All in all a pleasure to drive, maybe not exactly the ugly duckling workhorse its predecessor was but a great bakkie for urbanites and such.
Let’s hear what Wilmer Muller, editor of Wheels24 has to say.
“As far as small half-ton bakkies go, I’m a Corsa Utility fan. However, the Nissan NP200 does a good job in its attempt to steal the Corsa bakkie’s crown in its segment… Also, the range-topping NP200 boasts class-leading safety features as it comes with dual airbags and ABS brakes. Pricing is good too, and being a Nissan the NP200 is built to last.”