A van is a van is a van? There’s no agreement as to what a van is, precisely. It rather depends where you are on the planet. With the 1992-99 AD Max, Nissan tried their hand at the European type of van. Another good idea ruined by bad timing, as it turned out.
The Japanese understand “van” as base-spec wagons / delivery vehicles; the only tangible difference with deluxe wagons usually being the interior layout and the price. In most English-speaking countries, vans are one-block cabover vehicles with or without a high roof, either truck- or car-based. In European markets, these box vans also exist, but have always shared hauling duties with strictly car-based high-roof hybrid wagons. The French were particularly prolific with these “fourgonettes,” as they called them: the Renault 4, Citroën 2CV, the Simca 1100 and many others got this treatment.
The first-generation Nissan Sunny AD (1982-90) was followed by the second, which dropped the “Sunny” from the nameplate, but kept the genetic links. The overwhelming majority of JDM orders were for the “van” (i.e. wagon), that was launched in 1990. But from early 1992 onward, the AD Max was added to the range.
From the B-pillar forward, it was a B13 Sunny. Nissan marketed it as such in Europe in the ‘90s, albeit as a panel van only. The engine under the hood of this one is probably a 105hp 1.5 litre 4-cyl. petrol, though some early ADs could be ordered with a 1.3 and Diesels (1.7 and 2-litre) were available.
Twin rear wipers on a commercial vehicle? We’re in Japan, all right.
The AD Max’s immediately distinguishing feature was its quirky side window arrangement. There was a “straight” version available as well, with a long horizontal window running the whole length of the high roof, but Nissan emphasized this one in their brochures. This particular unit lives in my general area, and I’ve seen it a few times over the years. It had black aftermarket wheels a while ago, but recently switched back to stock steelies.
Aftermarket steering wheel aside, we have the symphony of grey that one can expect from a mid-‘90s Japanese van, or any vehicle except a Toyota Century, I guess…
Nissan carried on making the AD Max until 1999, when the new generation took over. The AD reverted to being a regular wagon-like “van” and the Max was not invited for an encore.
Apparently, the AD Max failed to gain traction on the JDM. I have not been able to figure out any sales of production numbers, but the it seems to be a very rare sight these days, so there must be a reason.
The only other Japanese carmaker that tried their hand at this body style was Daihatsu, also circa 1990. The problem is that Japanese buyers ended up preferring the original over the copy: Renault started importing the Kangoo in 2002 and it was a hit with younger families: it was also more practical (the side door was key to its success) and more pleasant in its presentation than the AD Max had ever been. Nissan tested the water a bit too early and far too timidly for their own good.
That is a great find. The blue colour is really nice and I would imagine rare on the van variant with most likely being white. I do find it rather appealing and it would make a nice light camping unit.
The window configuration is quite unusual.
The rear window configuration immediately reminded me of the Nissan Pulsar NX Sportback. Clearly that’s not a coincidence.
And of course also the Nissan Pathfinder. Both the Pathfinder and the Pulsar NX were styled in California at Nissan’s studio there. maybe the Ad Max was too?
I find myself liking this car (um… van, I guess), though it’s hard to believe that it left the factory looking like this. It looks like a vehicle that would have been custom-made for something like the plant-nursery delivery business… if such a thing existed.
And for some reason, I’ve never seen one of these available on any of the US JDM importer websites…
Do those Toyota Proboxes that I saw everywhere in Japan count as vans or estate cars ? They look really useful.
Those are 100% vans, just like the AD.