Our people mover

(Disclaimer....I am not being paid or compensated at all from Nissan or anyone else for that matter for writing this post. Unfortunitely they did not feel the need to give me a free vehicle in exchange for my oh so important opinion of their NV ;). So these are just my random thoughts and ideas!) 

I tried to convince myself we didn't need it. 

It's too expensive. 

Gas mileage will be terrible.

It will be terrible to drive and park. 

But......I LOVE IT! Meet my new wheels! 

This is the party bus!! 

This is a Nissan NV 3500. We love it! We are a family of seven and this gives us lots of space. It isn't nearly as bad on gas mileage as I expected (not great but not much worse than our Dodge Durango was). And it drives like a breeze. You definitely feel like a "big" vehicle....but I love that too. The doors don't feel like they are going to rattle off when semis pass! 

It is longer though than most trucks or SUVs so parking is a bit more challenging. You just have to accept the fact that you are a big vehicle....so park a little further out and walk! 

But I love the fact that it has a nice big sliding door....no more worrying the kids are going to throw open their door into a neighboring vehicle! :) there is also a little "hallway" so kids don't have to climb over seats to get to the back. There is so much space, kids can even change or put on their shoes. Since I feel like we practically live in the car sometimes...this is a huge plus!! 

It seats 12 and has latch system in all three rows in the center seats. This is great for larger families. I also love having three benches! We can spread the kids out so everyone can reach buckles and have space for their toys and things. 

Here is some of the stats from the Nissan website (http://www.nissancommercialvehicles.com/nv-passenger/specs) 

Exterior 

V8 - 5.6-liter DOHC 32-valve

385 lb-ft of torque @3,400 rpm

317 hp @ 5,200 rpm

Towing Capacity - 8,700 lbs (w/ tow hitch)

Interior 

• 12-Passenger seating capacity
• Removable split seating for 324 seating configurations
• Available Technology Package

Safety 

• Driver and front passenger air bags 
• Roof-mounted curtain air bags for passenger protection
• Largest brakes in class with 4-wheel anti-lock braking system

Check back for the next post....I will show the ways I have found to organize the interior!