There’s no diesel variant of the Townstar as Nissan believes the EV will be a success just like its predecessor but for those looking for an ICE variant, you’re in luck as there is a 129bhp 1.3-litre petrol that produces 240Nm and is paired to a six-speed manual gearbox. The single-motor EV produces 121bhp and it dollops 245Nm on your lap when you hit the accelerator pedal; given enough room, it will hit 62mph from rest in 14sec although it feels a lot more responsive off the mark. We found that even with modest input the Townstar EV’s front wheels would occasionally scramble for traction with all the low-end torque available. As we whizzed around Paris’ busy town centre and narrow streets, it was in its element - the onboard safety tech offered with the Tekna+ alerted us promptly to speedy motorcycles and parked cars, although it was a little on edge and falling leaves would set it off.

The interior is filled with cubby holes, a deep glovebox and a flip shelf that includes charging ports, keeping phones out of the way; higher-spec vans have a wireless phone charger in the centre console. The 8-inch touchscreen felt a bit slow to respond to our inputs, but the 10-inch screen found behind the steering wheel in the Tekna+ variant was impressive.