If it comes down to comfort I'd steer you in a different direction. Here's why...
I own a 2007 chevy express (6.0 v8) 11ft extended cargo. I also bought a brand new 2013 high top NV2500 on Dec 31 2013. It's the V6 with almost no upgrades. Just one cig outlet. Power windows, locks, and mirrors. RWD. I sprung for the backup camera but you'd be better off with aftermarket. It's a really small screen and no distance indicators. The sale came with a choice of amenities from an aftermarket company. I went with a bulkhead and floor.
I really wanted to be able to stand up in back and would drool when I saw these on the road and finally pulled the trigger. Initially I was excited. Being able to stand up to move my equipment around was amazing. The longer I owned both vans i found myself using the chevy for day driving.
The nissan really does drive like a car. Handles incredibly well. Really easy to drive. That doesnt really translate into comfort though. When you're on smooth roads it's fantastic. Feels like driving on a cloud. Unfortunately there's not a lot of smooth roads here in America. Sure we have a expansive infrastructure but it's not being maintained the way it should be. But also I'm talking brand spankin' new asphalt; you'll never feel a better ride. Any other road, hang on to your toupee. It's tolerable though. The worst is old concrete highway where the sectioned have shifted to it's the exact same distance between bumps. It makes the van bounce in rhythm. I go from annoyed to infuriated to dejected when this happens.
The seats are cloth. Firm and comfortable on their own. But there's nowhere to comfortably rest your arms while driving. My chevy has a captain's chair with perfect arm rests. This is a huge one for me. The steering wheel is awkward too. I typically drive 12 and 5 when assertive driving. Hwy driving I'll just rest my arm and hold the wheel at 7 or 8. It's not comfortable to do that in the Nissan because the arms rests are not in a good spot. I feel loose driving the Nissan whereas the chevy feels like a glove.
I bought it for the hightop and engine. My brother has an infiniti g35 2004. That's the same v6 in my NV and it runs like new and still loads of power. And my brother doesn't drive it gently. He's always maintained it on schedule but drives it like he stole it. That being said I would have gone with the v8. It was only $2k more and incredible power. And from what I've read the same gas mileage as the v6. That also being said the v6 had never lacked in power. Haven't done any towing but I've had a handful of heavy loads. The heaviest was probably a pallet of shingles. I'm guessing I was over the 2900lb payload but I could barely feel it. Even went up a long, fairly decent grade, hill without a problem.
My ford cargo van experience is limited to rentals. Probably around 40-50. Always hated driving them. They felt like they swayed back and forth on the hwy. Just really instable. Haven't driven the new promaster or transit.
My rank would go:
Express
NV
Ford
