A Big Family Van: The Nissan (Envy) or NV Passenger

Our family grew and we outgrew our Toyota Land Cruiser, the vehicle I said I’d drive until it died. The children won, in numbers that is, and we had to purchase a passenger van, a van I said I’d never drive. My family and friends, who know me, have been waiting for this day because time and time again I’ve said, “You’ll never see me driving a van.” When the mention of a van was made the jokes and comments came flying at me. Even people at church have enjoyed poking fun at me and I’ve enjoyed making fun of myself too. I’ve had a ton of people ask to see our new rig, and me behind the wheel, but so far there is no photographic evidence available, of me behind the wheel, that is. Sorry. I will, however, show you our new tank. We purchased the Nissan NV Passenger van in the middle of December, so I’ve now had plenty of time to get a feel for it and figure it all out, I think.

 

Before making such a large purchase, I did have some requirements for any vehicle that we would get because I knew that what we bought was going to be driven for several years. The biggest must have for me was to have it fit in our garage. Yes, I’m spoiled and I don’t like to go outside in the snow, or clean off windows when it’s cold. This Nissan fits into our garage by inches, maybe not even an inch, but millimeters. Whew! 

Leather seats were high on my list, but is that even a possible feature in passenger vans? I don't really know my options in passenger vans. I've never really researched them because I knew we'd never need one. When you’ve got a ton of children, leather is the easiest thing to clean when it comes to puke and mud, am I right? I also love heated seats, but I didn’t think that was ever going to happen, so it really wasn’t on my list.

My fear of driving such a large vehicle had me yearning for a backup camera, but I wasn't getting my hopes up until my lovely husband offered to install one for me. He knows the way I drive and probably knows that a  backup camera would be quite beneficial to the frame of any large vehicle that I drive.

Let me tell you though, I think we found the perfect vehicle for our family with everything on my list and a ton more! I’m leaning towards saying that I actually like this van better than my old Land Cruiser, but is it really fair to compare these two vehicles: a 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser to a 2012 Nissan NV Passenger Van? My only complaint would have to be that the van is a little too wide and a little too long, but when you’re adding 4 extra seats what can you do about it? Check out the Nissan NVP.

  

First of all I’ve got 6 car-seats and booster seats in this van that fits 12. Crazy, right? I know. I’m thankful that some of the seats have the latch system and we are able to take advantage of that.  Our Land Cruiser didn’t have the latch system and sometimes car-seats would get unbuckled by accident. Speaking of the seat-belts, the seat-belts in this van are awesome! Each seat has its own seat-belt attached to the seat and not the sides of the vehicle making it easier to get to your seat. They also buckle in opposite directions so, you don’t have to worry about unbuckling the seat-belt right next to you.

The seats in the Nissan are also amazing. The website says that there are 324 different configurations that can be made with the seats. For our purposes we’ve taken one seat out to allow for extra space, and making it easier to get to the other seats. The very back row seats 4 people, while the 2 middle rows seat 3 people each, leaving two bucket seats in the front. Did I mention that all the seats are LEATHER and each seat comes with its own removable head rest?  With small children we don’t necessarily need the headrests so, we’ve taken some of them out, as you can see in the photos. I also have HEATED SEATS in the front. Holla!!

I’ve been completely spoiled by this Nissan. There are features in the vehicle that I don’t have in the Land Cruiser. The back up camera, or rear sonar, has been a dream. It also has front sonar to detect how close I get to objects in front of me. Who knew that this was an option for passenger vans? I didn't until we began looking into this van. Now I don't need an aftermarket camera installed.

A navigation system was also included in our Nissan which I have been getting used to using. I’m not going to lie, I’ve always been one to use Google Maps and print out my directions. I’m old school like that. There are also USB plug ins for your phone which connects to the system using the touch screen on the navigation. It’s all very new to me, this technology stuff. Up in the front of the Nissan there’s dual climate control so, when I’m freezing cold and Jared is burning up we can set our own thermostats. 

There's a crockpot hiding out in that insulated bag!

 

What I absolutely love is that there are 2 outlet plugs in the vehicle. I’ve been able to haul my crockpot to church and keep my soup warm at the same time! There’s one in the back of the vehicle and one in the center console in the front of the vehicle. Charging my laptop will probably be happening in the near future from the center console. The center console also houses an extra USB port as does the middle row for a total of 3 USB ports in our party wagon.

Speaking of console, have I mentioned how much space and storage this Nissan has everywhere? For starters, I can fit my huge purse in the center console and lock it up if I need to. With 9 children, I don't carry a small purse. ;) 

Under the driver's seat there's also a secret storage drawer. I call it secret because I never would have found it had I not seen a video about it. Shh! Don't tell anyone about it or they'll start going through my Nissan looking for my secret stash of chocolate. 

 

It's command center right here!

There are also cup holders in all the rows and 4 different sized cup holders up front! That’s a win if I ever saw one. Hopefully I won’t have the children’s water bottle rolling around all over the place. When not in use the cup holders slide back in place so they aren't a nuisance.

I’m pretty spoiled with the controls on my leather-wrapped steering wheel too. I can control music, cruise control, and even make phone calls with the Bluetooth system.

At the top of the Nissan are climate controls for the back of the vehicle, that way when the children complain about being hot or cold I can control it all from my seat when I'm driving. The thoughtfulness of a compartment just for my sunglasses is perfect because I am always losing my sunglasses. Now I can always keep a pair in the vehicle.

Every row in the vehicle has reading lights that are super easy to use. Just push on them, and they turn on or off. It's almost like we're in an airplane with a row of overhead lighting and vents. Vents are also located in every row in the ceiling as well as heating vents in the floor making the vehicle more evenly heated or cooled.

Isn't it beautiful with the snow falling in the background? Speaking of snow, I've been a little nervous to drive this monster in the snow because unlike my Land Cruiser it is NOT 4WD. We've been blessed with a few snow storms recently, and with the cold temperatures nothing has been melting. Since I didn't have the choice of staying home, I had to take this big tank out in the snow and ice. Yikes! I was less than thrilled to be out on the road in this vehicle, but much to my surprise it handled incredibly well. There is the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system that helps the van sense its surroundings to know how much brake pressure is needed or if speed needs to be reduced. My husband loves driving in snow and ice, and often enjoys turing donuts in his vehicles. Since this beast was new to us he tried to make it slip and slide, but this tank wasn't having it. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the tank to fish tail out of control.

One last detail that beats out my Land Cruiser is the power off the line from this Nissan. I know, you shouldn’t have races, but this Nissan definitely has more power with its V8 5.6L engine compared to the Land Cruiser’s 4.0L engine.

And, because I’m vain and all about looks, this Nissan has beautiful chrome wheels and grille. Guys totally dig it. Most of the people who gawk at us are men. Did I mention that a lot of people stare longingly at us? I’ve been told that our swagger wagon looks “Hummer-esque” and at first glance it looks like an SUV. My children even told me that while I ran into a Starbucks there were people walking around the Nissan totally checking it out, not knowing that there were children inside.

So, how does our family of 11 fit into the Nissan NV Passenger? Here's a little peek at where everyone sits. We've taken one seat out for a little more space and movability. No one feels cramped and there's a ton of square footage for extra stuff. The height and width of this tank make it easy to move around in, and there is plenty of leg room for your average adult. There are little nooks and crannies all over where I’ve been able to stuff my Costco-sized groceries.

So there you have a it, a tour around our party wagon, short bus, beast, or tank as some have called it. Hope you enjoyed getting to know our new Nissan. Now you’re itching to get one for yourself aren’t you? You'll be the NV or envy of all of your friends and family! Good luck!