Small Factory in the Haus

[Small Factory]

Hello all, thanks for having me. My name is Tim and I am from Smithfield, RI. I don't actually own a NV yet, but plan on buying in the next few weeks.

 

I've had a Honda Odyssey for the last 11 years (got it when my first daughter was born). Great vehicle, great build quality, no complaints.  So last year at this time I decided that the enthusiast side of me (I'm a big car/truck enthusiast, especially Japanese makes, owning almost 30 cars in my lifetime) wanted something more fun and closer to my liking. I purchased a '16 4Runner TRD-Pro. Amazing vehicle, great build quality, and fun to drive. Unfortunately a terrible fit for my family. Sits in the garage.

 

Luckily I still kept the Odyssey, which I rely on daily for things the 4Runner simply can't do. I only have 2 kids, but also haul around my retired racing greyhounds (which I always have at least 2 of at any given time). I am constantly moving 4x8 plywood, tools, people, trailer, ect. Honestly, I work that Odyssey way too hard, and it still isn't big enough. It's in a sad state from my abuse. Also, it has the airbags that send shrapnel into the driver/passenger upon impact. Driving it is a stressful experience.

 

Over the past year, I slowly decided to sell both my 4Runner and beater-Odyssey and get into one vehicle that will do it all. The only vehicle that will do everything I need I discovered is the NV Passenger 3500. My two daughters are heavily into horseback riding/showing so I will be purchasing a horse trailer in the near future as well. Also, one is into the outdoors and camping, so having a vehicle I can camp in will be really great.

 

Watching the Titan, I figured they would put the new motor and 7-speed transmission into the NV, which is why i've waited. I was considering waiting another year to purchase the Cummings, but after reading and watching reviews of the Titan, it seems like me towing a horse trailer 8-10 times a year wouldn't justify the added cost, and added maintenance costs. Also, the towing isn't dramatically improved with the Cummings it seems. I also would love to see if Nissan added 4wd into the next years model, but highly doubt it. I would love to get a Quigley conversion, but again, hard to justify the cost for something I would rarely make use of here in the Northeast (legal off-roading areas are VERY hard to come by here).

 

I am a little surprised at the lack of aftermarket support for the NV. I was looking for simple things like Husky or Weathertech floor liners, but there are none. It seems that Nissan makes two front rubber mats, but nothing else.

 

So, what do you all use for rear rubber mats? Are you all happy with the build quality of the NV (this will be my first Nissan, other than my '78 Datsun I had last year)? What do yo use for undercoating on your NV's (if you live in the winter-salt belt)? I coated the underside and filled the rocker panels and frame of my 4Runner with fluid-film, which worked really nicely. Are there any high quality side steps available that mount to the chassis? Anyone use a clear bra to protect the nose from rock chips?

 

The plan is to save my money now and hopefully in a year or so I can get an Aluminess rack with ladder and awning. So when camping, or stuck in a field at a horse show all day, I can sit on the roof to watch, of hide out under the awning. 

 

Sorry about all the questions and rambling everyone. Thanks!

[ASD Dad]

Welcome to the site!  The NV should serve you well.  

 

Few things - 

 

If you plan on driving in NE Winters get some snow tires or AT tires, the stock Firestones are terrible in wet grass let alone snow.

 

Mats - I have generic rubber mats up front and used rubber backed carpet runner for the rear rows.  It's a somewhat common mod on here and cheap.  Would be nice to have fully custom mats but they are not out there other than Nissan.  I think they do offer rear mats, I have seen them in the past.

 

No salt or rust here so never had to deal with undercoating.  I do hose off the underside after we go camping at the beach.  Others will chime in for that one that live up north.  You do want to check the mud flaps, they collect crud and water inside.  A simple drain hole fixes the water.

 

Side steps - there are only a few out there and none are cheap.  Some are suspect quality as well.  Some have bought other models and fabbed up mounts for them.  We could use them for my in-laws who ride with us all the time and she needs a little step stool to help get in and out but we have not bought steps yet.

 

Aluminess rack is probably the best there is.  Last I checked it will run about $2500-ish shipped for the basic rack and ladder.  That quickly goes up depending on options.  I could not justify the price so bought a galvanized steel contractor rack and modified it for my needs.  It supports up to 750 lbs and was $450.  Definitely not as fancy or nicely built as the Aluminess!  Since you are in RI you have to have a few boat shops around.  There is a guy in FL that had a boat ladder builder make a rack identical to the Aluminess for a lot less money, ladder and all.  If you look through the photo gallery his van is called The Beast. Any decent fab shop should be able to build one if you want to go that route.   

 

Quality has been excellent overall.  I have had some issues here and there but all were handled under warranty.  None has been mechanical issues.  I have over 40,000 miles with two years of driving and a lot of that is camping trips towing.  No issues at all towing.  Fit and finish is another story.  You can tell that even the top of the line models are still based off a commercial vehicle.  Lots of hard plastics everywhere.  No visor mirrors (common complaint).  Some large inside gaps here and there.  Etc...  It is still a very nice vehicle and making it a little nicer inside would require a lot more work on Nissan's part and drive up costs to us since it is not just a simple leather seat swap then.  It definitely jumped out at me when first driving it but I quickly got used to it.

 

There really is nothing else out there like the NV that can haul a lot of people and/or cargo as well as be able to tow a decent amount. 

[Small Factory]

Thanks ASD for the reply...

 

I run studded snow tires (gieselveg's) on my current Honda Odyssey, as well as my wife's Subaru Impreza. There's nothing better than a good set of snow tires. Even the Subaru, which everyone thinks is a magic wand in the snow, doesn't stop or turn any better than any other vehicle. Without the snow tires it'll slide off the road just like anything else...

 

Thanks for the idea on the floor mats. I hate carpeting in vehicles, and have always loved the rubber floor liners.

 

I'm sure, since it's based on a commercial vehicle, the interior plastics are less than luxurious. Working on different cars, i always am amazed on different attention to detail. When I was crawling around under my '16 4Runner to apply the fluid-film, I was very impressed with the finish and attention to detail underneath, as well as under the hood. No rattles or squeaks when driving, and no slop either. I am sure when I actually test drive one in a few weeks I will be satisfied.

 

We were driving by a Nissan dealer yesterday and there was a white passenger NV out front so we quickly stopped and looked. My wife, didn't find it particularly attractive, but agreed that that it seems to be a great universal hauler...

Edited May 7, 2017 by Small Factory

[chphilo]

Welcome to the forum. 

 

We've had ours for a little over a year. Love it. 

 

The lack of after-market stuff is annoying as is the lack of non-commercial dealer support for the van. The closest commercial dealer is about 2 hour drive away.

 

First winter, the van was definitely sliding (we get plenty of snow near Lake Erie) compared to AWD Sienna we had. We got some DuraTrac and it made a huge difference. 

[Small Factory]

There's no specific 2017 section here yet, so until then i'll just post this here... went and traded up to this today.

 

 

Initially wanted silver, but they had 2 of these, and made me a deal that I couldn't say no too... Only put on about 20 miles on it today (has just under 30 total) but I am very pleased so far. I am not sure how the 2016 and older V8 models were, but this thing is really fast. Pulls like crazy, and hums along at 70mph at 2000rpm which is great. Quiet. There's a few things missing that I wish were included, but overall very pleased... Cant wait to do a few modifications when $ allows.

Edited June 8, 2017 by Small Factory

[andy_george]

Looks awesome, congrats! Keep us posted on how you like the new drivetrain!