In a classic case of cross-badging products for a specific market, Nissan’s famed MPV the NV200 (Evalia in India) has been rebadged as the Chevrolet City Express for the American market. The new City Express wears the split grille with the golden bow tie in the centre and gets a reworked front fascia to make it look more familiar to the Detroit based car maker’s family. The 2015 City Express also marks Chevrolet’s entry in the small cargo van segment.
The LS base variant of the City Express comes with dual rear sliding doors, power windows, 40/60 split rear cargo doors that open 90 and 180 degrees, solid rear doors with available tinted-glass windows, centre console storage with a standard file folder bin, fold-down mobile workspace passenger seat, 20 interior cargo-mounting points, six floor-mounted D-rings, six exterior roof rack mounting points, vinyl flooring, a 150-amp alternator and a 12-volt power outlet.
There is also an LT variant which comes with features like cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity, backup sensor, remote keyless entry with automatic locking and power adjustable ORVMs. There is also a technology pack on offer which will add 5.8-inch touch-screen radio, navigation, Sirius/XM Satellite Radio with a three-month subscription, Bluetooth, USB input jack and a rear-view camera system to the LT trim.
In terms of powertrain, the City Express uses the same 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine tuned to produce 131 HP and 188 Nm of torque, also seen on the Nissan NV200. The MPV offers 122.7 cubic feet (3474-litres) of cargo space and an estimated payload capacity of 680 kgs. Prices for the base LS variant starts at $22,950 (Rs. 13.89 lakhs), while the LT variant has been priced at $24,510 (Rs. 14.83 lakhs). With the NV200 already on sale in the US at $21,150 (Rs. 12.80 lakhs), the Chevrolet City Express has been priced at an $1800 premium than the Japanese version.
Compared to Nissan, Chevrolet does offer a powertrain warranty of five years and 1,00,000 miles, as opposed to the Japanese manufacturer’s five years and 60,000 miles. The City Express comes with Chevrolet’s Complete Care scheduled maintenance program for two years or 24,000 miles, something Nissan does not offer as inclusive on its MPV. The City Express will arrive at Chevrolet dealers across the US, early in the fourth quarter of this year.
