THe Elgrand Versatile MPV

Above thought about the Elgrand.

Versatile MPVs usually are the most popular imports from Japan because such vehicles aren't that readily available in the European car camp. The Toyota Alphard, for example, proved so popular in the grey market that it eventually caught the attention of Toyota Motor Thailand.

There are other Japanese brands that offer an alternative to the Alphard - now on sale officially in 2.4- and 3.5-litre forms - like the Honda Elysion, Mazda MPV and Nissan Elgrand - all dubbed full-sized MPVs with the ability to seat 7-8 people.

But the only model today that can really match the Alphard in terms of freshness is the Elgrand launched in Japan a few months ago. And you won't need to guess where this sample, driven by Motoring this week, comes from since Nissan Motor Thailand has yet to follow into Toyota's footsteps by starting sales of the Elgrand.

The key question is: should the Thai Nissan office sell the Elgrand? To cut the chase, the answer is definitely yes because if Toyota finds it feasible to sell the Alphard, then there should be no reason why Nissan shouldn't do likewise.

The Elgrand, after all, is a comfort-oriented people-carrier that well-off Thais like. It should even sell in higher numbers, as you might suspect, than the 370Z sports car that's officially sold by Thai Nissan.

Here are a couple of good reasons why the Elgrand looks cool against the Alphard, despite sharing so many similarities like a similarly conceived package, engine range, driving manners, specification and price.

Go into detail and you would note the Elgrand's marginally superior packaging. Against the Alphard, the Elgrand sits on a longer wheelbase length of three metres (50mm more) and is fractionally longer overall (65mm) and broader (20mm).

Such MPVs usually have more than enough headroom for passengers, so Nissan seemingly wasn't too bothered about the Elgrand's 75mm lower height. Such a thinking works in styling terms, for that gives the Elgrand a sturdier appearance than the Alphard's somehow clumsier proportions.