Nissan’s Ancient Minivan Finally Gets a Glow-Up

Nissan’s restructuring plan is in full swing, but not everything is gloom and doom. Between axing 20,000 jobs, closing seven factories, and shutting down two design studios, there’s still a ray of hope: fresh products. We’ve already seen the new Leaf, Sentra, Micra, and China’s Frontier plug-in hybrid truck in recent months, and now an aging model finally moves to the next generation.

Fifteen years and several facelifts later, the Elgrand is at last all-new. Nissan stopped selling minivans in the United States after the Quest died at the end of the 2017 model year, but it hasn’t abandoned the segment elsewhere. At the Japan Mobility Show, this boxy family hauler appears as a production version of the Hyper Tourer Concept introduced at the same event a couple of years ago.

Given that it replaces such an ancient vehicle, it’s no surprise the new Elgrand represents a major departure in design. It shares little with its predecessor aside from its upright body, which maximizes interior space. Being a new car, it must have full-width light bars front and rear, while the pixelated accents could make you think Hyundai is launching an Ioniq minivan.

It’s a striking-looking thing, but then again, so are many of today’s Asian-market minivans. The Toyota Alphard/Vellfire doesn’t exactly fly under the radar, nor does the Hyundai Staria. In the premium segment, the Volvo EM90 and Buick GL8 also turn heads. The rise of luxury minivans at the expense of traditional sedans is clear, as the new Elgrand boasts a far more upscale interior, complete with nicer leather and woodgrain trim.

Nissan managed to cram 22 speakers into the cabin, including Bose speakers built into the front headrests. Thankfully, the dual 14.3-inch screens haven’t devoured all the buttons. There are still plenty of physical controls on the dashboard, including one on the center console to activate the surround-view cameras.

This Elgrand is a flagship version with captain’s chairs in the second row, though more affordable configurations are expected to offer a three-seat bench in the middle. Other highlights include an  entertainment system with dual screens for second-row passengers, who also benefit from sun blinds and generous seat adjustments.

Under the hood, Nissan equips the minivan with its third-generation e-Power setup, meaning the combustion engine doesn’t directly drive the wheels. Instead, the turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder serves as a generator to feed a battery pack. This latest version, already used in Europe’s Qashqai, gives the ICE a thermal efficiency of 42 percent.

While the crossover uses an electric motor only at the front, the Elgrand adds another at the rear. Nissan says it has refined its e-4ORCE all-wheel-drive system to minimize car sickness by providing a smoother, more comfortable ride.

The fourth-generation Elgrand will go on sale in Japan next summer, with other markets to follow.