In case you don't subscribe to Trucker's Weekly, let us update you on a bit of news. Nissan has formally announced that it will enter the light commercial vehicle (LCV) market in the US, developing three all-new products tailored to our roads, driving styles, and dedication to swallowing up a whole lot of whatever in one vehicle. As a bit of a preview, we've gone overseas to get a taste of Nissan's current offerings, driving the lightest of light vehicles and also the company's biggest.
The Clipper, a 1609-pound baby pickup badged as a Nissan but built by Mitsubishi, is full of details that don't make sense. Like the brake fluid reservoir accessed from inside the cabin, right on the dash next to the speedometer, or the battery that's mounted in front of the rear wheel, right out in the open where another Clipper owner could come along and claim it as his own. Don't people steal things in Japan, too? The most confusing detail, though, is the SRS badge on the steering wheel, because there's no way an airbag will make a bit of difference if this little thing goes head-on into a Suburban. It feels about as rigid as a mid-1970s Chevy LUV, only without any front crumple zone. The driver sits right above the front wheels, and while I didn't have a tape measure on me I'd estimate the front overhang to fall be between non-existent and miniscule. At least the Clipper can only break 60 mph downhill, minimizing the chances of a deadly high-speed accident.
The energy to reach such break-neck speeds comes from a hamster gas-powered three-cylinder making 47 hp and 46 lb-ft of torque that's mated to a floppy, vague five-speed manual. There's no tach, so shifting at the right time is all a guessing game. Thankfully, the revs come so slowly that you can almost count each one on the way up to the 6000 rpm redline.
Waiting for each gear to wind out allows plenty of time to study the surroundings, and the Clipper's interior looks like it left the womb too early. The seatbacks are mounted to the cab wall rather than a full seat frame, as are the headrests. There's also the aforementioned brake reservoir access that didn't find its way to the proper underhood location. But hey, at least it's simple.
All of the Clipper's faults — which also include a rock-hard, brutal ride — are redeemed by how chuckable this little thing is. If it can't get out of its own way, at least it can get out of the way of everything else. The steering and brakes are both direct, likely because there are no systems in place that could alter that. Its meager weight and at-the-corners front wheels defy the Clipper's tall shape and mean that slowing down (all relative, of course) is hardly ever needed to tackle an off-ramp or traffic circle. Yup, a pickup truck just made me giggle, and it didn't even need a V-10 or a supercharger to do so.
Unless there's a powerful golf-course workers union I'm not aware of, the Clipper probably won't be part of Nissan's LCV plan in the States. It's too crude, too small, too slow for our roads. But the Atleon has potential for success around here. It currently covers the widest range of any of Nissan's LCVs with a mix of light- and medium-duty variants ranging from 3.5t to 15.0t gross vehicle weights. Six wheelbases are available between 110.2 inches and 224.4 inches, two cab widths are offered, and five engines can be mounted beneath the cab. If it were to come here, Cummins would design and build U.S.-spec diesels for the Atleon. We sampled one with a 157.4-inch wheelbase and Nissan's widely-used 3.0-liter ZD30 turbodiesel engine producing 150 hp and 258 lb-ft.
This truck sounds like a Lancer Evolution throwing a rod. The combination of buzzy bass, turbo whine, and diesel clatter is something even our F-350s and Silverado HDs can't match in terms of a "get out of my way now" sort of declaration. The Atleon feels quick, too, aided by a six-speed manual. Despite a 7716-pound curb weight, our in-head accelerometers tell us it's about in line with diesel Dodge Sprinters we've driven in the past. But this isn't a Sprinter competitor — Nissan has the Renault-sourced Interstar for that. The best way to think about the Atleon is "semi-truck light."
The driving position is right for something semi-like. The steering wheel is set horizontally like a big truck and the shifter requires the kind of long throws make you feel like the Snowman in Smokey and the Bandit. Once you get beyond the intimidation brought on by the Atleon's size, it really isn't so hard to drive. It handles well for a giant box, and power and braking are both impressive. We didn't spend enough time in it to measure, but the Atleon would surely achieve better fuel economy that many of the larger, less efficient commercial trucks in the states — Ford- and Chevy-based box trucks come to mind. And the ride's certainly more comfortable that the last Reagan-era U-Haul we used to move into our new offices.
Nissan isn't ready to comment on what's planned for the LCV push in America, but the Atleon, along with the Cabstar dump truck, the Interstar van, and the Ford Transit Connect-rivalling Kubistar, seems ready for duty here and should put the traditional U.S. commercial market on its toes. Just please, Nissan, don't send us that poor little Clipper. It'd get eaten alive.
