radin2son

One of the nav defaults allows you to choose local roads rather than interstates. We tried this once at the start of a trip north and it immediately directed us off I-10 just south of Phoenix. Fortunately you can cancel a route while driving. The downside of the preset is interstates will be the preferred route, even if you know a better route. Eventually it will stop nagging and go with the route you chose. Mileage to destination is often way off and you will "reach your destination" in the strangest places. As I have said before, we rarely use nav, relying instead on paper maps and an easy to read atlas. Even if your eye sight doesn't require this, it is a quick reference minus too much data.

Thanks. Not that we plan to buy another NV, but the dealer in Tucson does not show any commercial reps, only sales associates. Not even a commercial manager. Why not another NV? No reason to buy another, at least not a SMB.

And don't forget, you will be towed to the nearest commercial dealer. The longest tow ($1500) that I'm aware of is Moab to Salt Lake City, UT. It may have been an alternator, but I think it was a sensor.

You are not alone. Check the date on your nav card. You may not have the 2016 version. The 2017 card is on sale for $100 plus shipping if you can't convince Nissan to give you one for free. The dealer isn't likely to have any in stock newer than yours. Regardless of the card date, you have the software update. Try it on your trip. Or use google or Apple maps until you hit a dead zone.

I'm interested as well if glare isn't a problem. Our iPad gets ignored even when we take it and a hot spot, as we only use our iPhone. Given all the dead zones out west, we mainly rely on Nissan nav and the car radio. Nav always works; the radio not so much.

Welcome. Nice compliment (?), but you wonder why sales wouldn't assume buyers are internet wise, particularly regarding NVPs and other large vans. Our buying experience was much different, closer to buying it online and picking it up at the factory, in our case SMB. The orientation was done after the fact by the commercial manager. This is s question for all recent buyers. Are you negotiating with general sales staff, someone designated to sell NVs or the commercial manager? I wouldn't expect the latter, but it would not surprise me if chris_cm is involved in every sale if only to introduce himself...

Lots of new people! Welcome. Hope Nissan is noticing... Also let us know what you think of the dealer, sales and service. Keep track of wher the commercial dealers are located on your adventures.

Great report. If the warranty on a used vehicle is 1 year, similar to Advanced 4x4, this isn't too long a period to have to wait to try the mod you mentioned.

Welcome. There are a few of us on the forum from AZ. You may be the only NVP. If you are from the Phoenix area, you have quite a few commercial dealerships for warranty or service unlike southern AZ where we have one. None in northern AZ, but if you know of one let us know.

Tow mode can also be used on a heavily loaded van for the same reasons as described by ASD Dad. Use the manual mode as well. On your road trip west you will encounter plenty of places to use both.

Visualize a huge stack of Transforce tires on stock rims at the Canton facility all with 75+ psi because the robot or human can't take the time to match up front and rear tires. They newly built NVs are loaded onto flatbeds, or however they are transported, and delivered to commercial dealerships, who don't take the time to check the psi before they hand you the keys. It isn't just your dealership... If other new owners experience this, they will know to check the front tires for overinflation. Thanks for the additional follow up.

KDS Thanks. I don't claim exclusive use of this thread, but it is geographically based out of Tucson. Separate thread from other locales makes sense. I like that you started a fish thread... another great reason to own a NV.

Welcome. Great to hear from new owners who can and have injected renewed enthusiasm for this site.

www.outsidevan.com in Portland, OR built a 4x4 NV, aka Yukon, with a 100 gallon tank. I never had much luck pulling up NV info on www.expeditionportal.com but KMG and Jon Nelson post there. SMB did a video on a prototype Eseries cutaway with custom made Eseries lookalike, a minuscule amount wider, for the back portion. The comment by the driver was that it needed a range of 600 mi and diesel to be a world rover. Not that you need this range, but you may get some ideas...

Anyone have a trip planned for next weekend and beyond to national parks or monuments? Another government shutdown is looming... Last time AZ paid to keep the Grand Canyon open, but it did mess up a few rafting trips. We have/had a trip planned to Southern Utah, Capitol Reef NP and San Rafael Swell and other places in the area. Rain and overnight temps (28-35*) didn't look that inviting since it is 95* and sunny in Tucson. Mentally, we had already put our warmer bags and puffys away, but they will stay with us...

For whatever reason, goodcarbadcar doesn't bring up US commercial van sales. Google van sales march 2017. Van stats are also there for Canada.

According to www.goodcarbadcar.net van sales last month were down 8%. More NVs were sold in March 2017 than in March 2016, BUT sales numbers are much lower than other vans. 5819 Chevy Express vs 1863 NVs. No data on NVPs vs NVs. NV200 outsold NVs by 34... Tongue in cheek, it will take an Infinity version and a separate production line to get NVPs into the SUV category. In Zion last month just before they closed the road to cars, a guy in an Express stopped on the road and yelled, "Is that a rental...cool."

Granted, a VW would never be considered a full size van, but we never considered anything larger. Domestic offerings were either work, window or "leisure" vans, but we were wrong in thinking this. Sportsmobile has converted Fords, Dodges and Chevys for 50 years. Some are still in use. They look like a house built in the '70s with the original kitchen. Just had this memory of my first encounter with an Econoline. It was 1964 or 65 and I was visiting my cousin. He worked for a small magazine distributor, doing what I don't remember. The business's Econoline was his hideout on weekends. I seem to recall cigarettes and Playboy. No keys, so the van never moved. I'm sure we never noticed...

Great bio! We weren't able to afford a van until '84, when we bought a used VW camper. It wasn't long before our daughters, now in their 40s, became more interested in friends and school activities than camping trips. Our various dogs never gave up on van adventures. As you can see below, the dogs get the lower accommodations. There is some nice looking upholstery under the many protective layers... it is pointless trying to keep them from tracking things in. The cooler is used for items that won't fit in the small fridge and don't need to be cold. It can be plugged in by only keeps things about 20* cooler than the ambient temperature. We often refer to it as the loft for the black dog as she stretches out on top.

Depending on your route going home, Colorado Springs may be the best place to get an oil change if you need it. The Air Force Academy is there so there may be some interesting things for your family to see while you get your NV serviced. Another reason to use NV dealers as you travel, you can get warranty work done or have them look at nagging, non serious issues and fix them. Be sure to put in a good review with Nissan and on this site.

I've taken very few pictures of the interior but there is YouTube video, not mine. Google Nissan NV Sportsmobile orientation video, or you can find it, Nissan NV Sportsmobile. The plan in 2012 was for dealers to sell these. Ken Garff Nissan, SLC, also did a video. It will come up via the second search. The project failed; only 30 were built and sold. The poptop is cost prohibitive ($5-7k) for diy camper conversions. This is why hightop vans are used. Our van seats 5, sleeps 4 while the hightop seats 5, sleeps 2. Your boys would love this, but 5 adults not so much...

Every so often I google NV campervan images to see what is out there. Many images have nothing to do with NVs, but the best was laharview's profile photo. Only one photo, and one time only, did a photo of our van come up. The point I'm trying to make is photos make posts more interesting.

Welcome. I suspect many Ford E users will move to NVs sooner or later. Someone put in Transit seats, so there is a thread somewhere...

If you do change the oil before your trip, go with synthetic. This will decrease the times you have to search for a place to get an oil change. Also, if you change the oil just before your trip, you can stretch the mileage between oil changes until you get home. Since we travel a lot, we only use NV dealers for service. I'm on the mobile site, so I don't know your location (I wonder what I missed... "Hello from Florida.") As you go west, you will see few NV dealers. I posted under positive dealer service a list of dealers we and others have used. Go on line and see where NV dealers are located in relation to your trip route. The express oil service works well as no appointment is needed. Why NV dealers? A non commercial dealer can get you parts but not work on your NV. Also, I would not use a quick lube place.

Welcome. Great road trip agenda. Post photos. If you have not seen this book, Your Guide to National Parks by Michael J Oswald, it is a great resource particularly in cell dead zones. It is from 2012, but not much has changed. You can get it at the first Park gift shop you visit or buy it at a bookstore/computer near you.