Welcome to the very unglamourous world of the working stiff. He's the guy with plans to make his way up the corporate ladder, but for the moment he has to work for the man in order to pay the bills and finish up his edumacation.
Other than finding a job in a soon-to-be-boarded-up video store, the safest work to get is in the delivery business. Parcels are not expected to be teleported from manufacturer to homes for a while, so strapping on a brown or yellow-and-red outfit may be a great way to earn a few bucks and get a workout while you're at it.
Your No. 1 tool will be your wheels in this line of work. Most likely, you'll be spending countless hours at the wheel of a Ford Econoline, GMC Savana or Chevy Express. If you're lucky and work for an enlightened company, you might find yourself roaming the earth with a Ford Transit Connect. A rich, highly advanced organization? A Mercedes Sprinter. Should you have a horseshoe up your rear, you might get a brand-new 2012 Nissan NV.
Alright, you got me. It is tough to get excited about a commercial van. I've spent little time with these vehicles over the years; in other words, some wheel time here and there. I've got an IKEA trip with a Transit, two moves with a Sprinter, a few days with an Econoline (all new vehicles BTW) and now, a couch in an NV under my belt.
“What's so special about a white box on wheels?” you ask. In reality, not much. For Mister Delivery-boy-man-guy, the right van can make a big difference. When it comes to the new NV, Nissan has done something new (or old, depending on how you see it) and it shows – if you pay close enough attention. I guarantee that if and when you see an NV on the road, you'll do a double take. “What's the deal?” Well, the NV is based on the Titan pickup platform, its engine does not intrude into the cabin as it does in the other vans. The result is two-fold.
First, this explains why the NV looks different. Unlike the competition, it has a long hood which messes with the proportions; the NV seems bigger and squatter. It is in fact longer than the extended version of the Econoline by roughly 10 cm, at 6,111 mm (240.6”) overall. Secondly, and don't be fooled, the NV's cargo with standard roof height is not as generous as one would think. At 6,629 litres (234.1 cu. ft), it's actually not as capacious as the regular Econoline which offers up 6,734 litres (237.8 cu.-ft) of interior cargo volume.
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| The NV is based on the Titan pickup platform. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
Other than finding a job in a soon-to-be-boarded-up video store, the safest work to get is in the delivery business. Parcels are not expected to be teleported from manufacturer to homes for a while, so strapping on a brown or yellow-and-red outfit may be a great way to earn a few bucks and get a workout while you're at it.
Your No. 1 tool will be your wheels in this line of work. Most likely, you'll be spending countless hours at the wheel of a Ford Econoline, GMC Savana or Chevy Express. If you're lucky and work for an enlightened company, you might find yourself roaming the earth with a Ford Transit Connect. A rich, highly advanced organization? A Mercedes Sprinter. Should you have a horseshoe up your rear, you might get a brand-new 2012 Nissan NV.
Alright, you got me. It is tough to get excited about a commercial van. I've spent little time with these vehicles over the years; in other words, some wheel time here and there. I've got an IKEA trip with a Transit, two moves with a Sprinter, a few days with an Econoline (all new vehicles BTW) and now, a couch in an NV under my belt.
“What's so special about a white box on wheels?” you ask. In reality, not much. For Mister Delivery-boy-man-guy, the right van can make a big difference. When it comes to the new NV, Nissan has done something new (or old, depending on how you see it) and it shows – if you pay close enough attention. I guarantee that if and when you see an NV on the road, you'll do a double take. “What's the deal?” Well, the NV is based on the Titan pickup platform, its engine does not intrude into the cabin as it does in the other vans. The result is two-fold.
First, this explains why the NV looks different. Unlike the competition, it has a long hood which messes with the proportions; the NV seems bigger and squatter. It is in fact longer than the extended version of the Econoline by roughly 10 cm, at 6,111 mm (240.6”) overall. Secondly, and don't be fooled, the NV's cargo with standard roof height is not as generous as one would think. At 6,629 litres (234.1 cu. ft), it's actually not as capacious as the regular Econoline which offers up 6,734 litres (237.8 cu.-ft) of interior cargo volume.
 |
| At 6,629 litres (234.1 cu. ft), it's actually not as capacious as the regular Econoline which offers up 6,734 litres (237.8 cu.-ft) of interior cargo volume. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |