South Africans first saw Nissan's nine-seater Primastar minibus at the 2006 Auto Africa expo where its close resemblance to corporate partner Renault's Trafic drew some comment.
When it was released on the South African market yesterday, however, Nissan staffers were quick to point out some important differences - other than the badging.
The good-looking Primastar is built at Nissan's plant in Barcelona, Spain and is only available in Europe and South Africa; the South African model - there is only one variant - has a chassis reinforced to cope with heavy loads and bad roads and an upgraded air-conditioning system with separate controls for two rear rows of seats.
It's aimed straight at the hotel and hospitality industry and has a surprising level of comfort and versatility.
Nissan SA's commercial vehicle product manager Vinod Thomas said at the launch: "The successful South African bid for the 2010 football World Cup and the Gautrain project in Gauteng have created opportunities for growth in the building, tourism and service industries.
"With one-ton-sized vehicles increasingly being used for carrying passengers for both business and private use, we see the Primastar competing in this expanding market."
It has a 1870cc, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine with common-rail injection that produces a claimed 74kW at 3500rpm and 240Nm at 2000 (any resemblance to Renault's 1.9dCi engine is purely coincidental) driving the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox with a stubby, short-stroke shifter mounted on the fascia.
Not only does this clear the floor for a second front-row passenger but it also allows for neat gearchanges.
The clutch, however, takes quite suddenly, very close to the floor (I tried two examples on the ride-anddrive and they were about the same) so you need some revs before you pull away for a smooth takeoff, and an educated left foot to avoid very jerky downshifts.
Despite the claimed torque peak at 2000rpm, the Primastar exhibited considerable turbo lag at Gauteng altitude and seemed reluctant to pull its weight below 2400rpm.
Use the slick gearbox to keep the revs in the (fairly narrow) power band between 2400 and 3500rpm, however, and you'll get enough grunt for safe overtaking and a smooth, relaxed 140km/h cruise at 3000rpm.
The engine runs remarkably quietly - the only time you can hear it's a diesel is at idle - and the nicely weighted power steering gives you enough feedback so you feel in control without vibration or bumping, while the independent front suspension smoothes out the bumps without any pitching, even with only three people aboard.
The Primastar's civilised ride is one of its strongest qualities.
Plasticky interior
The interior is very plastic but with some clever design touches; there's a smoothly curved fascia running across the bottom of the big windshield but with a deep shelf below it forming a natural binnacle for the instruments (analogue speedo and rev counter with a red LED panel between them) and a useful storage area that's protected from both the sun and acquisitive eyes.
A basic but efficient air-con panel and a similar radio/CD player take up the truncated centre stack with a glove compartment, parcel shelves and two cupholders completing the flight deck décor.
The floor is covered with a washable rubber mat and there are unexpectedly downmarket areas of painted metal exposed in the cabin.
But now it gets better: the driver's seat is very comfortable, with pleasant lateral support in the backrest, rather than the squab. It's adjustable for height, the steering wheel is adjustable for reach and the large glass area gives you all the visibility you could wish for.
Really generous legroom
Each of the eight passenger seats has a head restraint and three-point seat belt - although it will take you a while to learn how to use some of them, particularly on the second row.
The seats are upholstered in vinyl - except for the squabs and backrests, which are finished in a pleasantly textured fabric; they're more comfortable than they look and there is really generous legroom.
The air-conditioning vents over the second and third rows are adjustable and deliver really cold air while a half-dozen speakers in the headlining convey the inevitable muzack with surprising sound quality.
At first glance the Primastar's cabin looks decidedly low-rent but in fact it's a spacious and comfortable habitat, even for a long trips with a full load.
There's a big, sliding door on each side but a quirk of the seating allows access to the third row from the left only; the big square tailgate opens on to an unexpectedly deep cargo area which Nissan claims will swallow 1500 litres with all nine seats in place and a whopping 2500 litres with the third row folded.
Look past the basics
Thomas said: We believe the Primastar will fill a gap in the market for a versatile people/luggage carrier that offers car-like comfort, convenience features and driver enjoyment together with efficient performance."
At R261 792, it'll go head-to-head with VW's T5 Kombi, the recently-launched 10-seater Toyota Quantum and of course the segment-dominating Mercedes-Benz Vito. Thomas is hoping to sell 55-60 units a month - and if prospective buyers look past the basic finish and take the trouble to go for a ride with someone else driving, that could happen.
The Nissan Primastar comes with ABS and electronic brake pressure distribution and two front crash bags; it has an immobiliser, remote-controlled central locking and is available in eight metallic and four solid colours.
Service intervals are 10 000km, a three year or 100 000km warranty is standard and a five-year or 60 000km service plan is an option at about R15 000 extra.