Safety concerns for Nissan NV

Hello!

We are looking at buying a new minivan/van. I've become increasingly frustrated with our '09 T&C! We simply don't fit in it! We are looking at the Ody's and also the Nissan NV. The NV would really be what we need since sometimes we have my in-laws coming for about 3 months, it would be nice to all go in one car! BUT I can't find any safety ratings on that car!!! The only one that I found is the Rollover and it is not good at all (2 stars )!!! Am I right to worry about it?

Would anyone know more about the safety of this van?

TIA

Mag

As far as I can tell, neither NHTSA nor IIHS (the two main testing bodies) have done any tests on the NV3500, except for the one that you mentioned -- the 2013 model was subjected to NHTSA's rollover test and earned a 2-star rating.

As you may know, the rollover test is based on a simulated avoidance maneuver with a series of specified steering inputs. The likelihood of a rollover is then estimated.

For the NV3500, it was estimated as a 30.6% chance of a rollover (2-star rating). Just for general comparison purposes, here are some examples of vehicles at each rating level:
3-star: Jeep Wrangler 27.9%
4-star: Honda Odyssey 12.7% (many minivans and SUVs fall in this category)
5-star: Honda Accord 9.9% (many sedans fall in this category)

Personally I am usually comfortable driving a minivan or SUV and being in that 4-star range, but it does feel different from a car and I am more cautious with speed and steering on curves and such.

I don't think I'd be comfortable going up to the top-heaviness of a big passenger van like the NV3500. But each person is different, and I'm not sure who would be driving this vehicle for you or what their comfort level is. Certainly there are families who have the NV3500 and like it; I think I have seen it mentioned here on this forum.

The vehicle does have some good safety features (electronic stability control, side airbags, 3-point seatbelts and head restraints at all seating positions). It looks like it only has 2 top tethers, though, which could be an issue if you have lots of forward-facing carseats.

As a rear-wheel drive vehicle, it may also not be the best in snow and ice -- but again I don't have any direct experience or know what your winters are like.

From a non-safety viewpoint, I'd also wonder about fuel costs. It doesn't have an EPA rating because of its size, but if you look online, reviewers seemed to be getting a combined 15 mpg or so. That's not bad, but you could do a lot better in a conventional minivan, and the $ savings would go a long way toward compensating you for the inconvenience of having to take 2 cars when your relatives are visiting.

It looks like you have 4 kids. Plus 2 in-laws? I would get an 8p Ody and call it good. I wouldn't want to drive a full-size van every day for 4 kids. I drove my 8p van with 7 kids. In fact I still drive my 8p van with 8 kids, I just leave a few at home LOL. I would NOT have the patience for driving the full-size all over town running errands every day of the week. Not fitting in a regular parking spot is just... no... LOL

As for the safety, it's just common sense that larger top-heavy vehicles have a greater rollover risk. Stability control can only do so much. It can't negate physics & gravity You can't drive full-size vans like cars. You have to expect them to handle like a schoolbus and drive accordingly. I don't worry about it because with 10 people we really don't have much choice LOL.

Keeanh said:

It looks like you have 4 kids. Plus 2 in-laws? I would get an 8p Ody and call it good. I wouldn't want to drive a full-size van every day for 4 kids. I drove my 8p van with 7 kids. In fact I still drive my 8p van with 8 kids, I just leave a few at home LOL. I would NOT have the patience for driving the full-size all over town running erraands every day of the week. Not fitting in a regular parking spot is just... no... LOL

As for the safety, it's just common sense that larger top-heavy vehicles have a greater rollover risk. Stability control can only do so much. It can't negate physics & gravity You can't drive full-size vans like cars. You have to expect them to handle like a schoolbus and drive accordingly. I don't worry about it because with 10 people we really don't have much choice LOL.

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I have 5 kiddos and a town and country that drives me insane because the 3rd row is not car seat friendly!!! If we had 4 kids, our present van would be fine... I was dreaming in front of the NV because it would end my fight with CS!! But I am not thrilled about its safety ratings (or the lack of) and of its MPG... So we were looking at the Honda Odyssey and it seems to be a great compromise!! Now it's just a matter of selling our T&C..

I also try to avoid taking all of them when I can but sometimes I have no choice...

Thanks for sharing your experience!!

Mag

Well, when you go up in size, you lose out on certain factors, MPG and rollover risk being the main ones.

The dealbreaker for me on the NV was no 4WD option. I have a Suburban, but only 4 kids. Of course, my MPG and rollover risk are higher than they were with my 5-passenger SUV, but there weren't any minivan options.

I wouldn't buy a $30k vehicle just to accommodate inlaws. A minivan or SUV will fit your family very well, and I'd be very open to letting them ride in a different car, but if you have nice inlaws, you probably have a different opinion

An Aurora said:

Well, when you go up in size, you lose out on certain factors, MPG and rollover risk being the main ones.

The dealbreaker for me on the NV was no 4WD option. I have a Suburban, but only 4 kids. Of course, my MPG and rollover risk are higher than they were with my 5-passenger SUV, but there weren't any minivan options.

I wouldn't buy a $30k vehicle just to accommodate inlaws. A minivan or SUV will fit your family very well, and I'd be very open to letting them ride in a different car, but if you have nice inlaws, you probably have a different opinion

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Yep, I knew we would have to give up quite a few things but I wondered how much in term of safety... It just seemed nice to have the extra space for about the same price as a new minivan but after going to Honda we really like the Ody and with 8 seats, it would be perfect!!

My in laws are not getting younger and they don't feel comfortable driving here (they're from France) so when they're here we have to take 2 cars with me driving them ;-)... And that's what we'll keep doing for a while...