THE image of the traditional white van has transformed over the years, with a focus on improving the vehicle's style, comfort, and performance.

The stereotypical van driver image has also moved on. Hasn't it? Maybe. But the image of the van certainly has.

Okay, you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, the van will always be a workhorse. But like its more glamorous saloon/SUV/crossover cousins, the stylists have been earning their money.

So too have the marketing people with comfort and performance now important factors. The Townstar an excellent example, having won numerous awards since replacing the popular e-NV200 van.

It seems from Nissan's point of view that the days of the diesel are over with the Townstar available only with either a petrol or electric powertrain,

There are two wheelbases, the L1 driven and here and the longer L2.

Both have a spacious load space of 3.3m3 (L1) or 4.3m3 (L2), and a payload capacity of between 600 and 800kg and a maximum braked towing capacity of a class leading 1,500kg. The cabin is protected by a full width bulkhead.

Access is via wide-opening 180-degree double doors to the rear with a low loading lip and a pair of sliding doors on the side of the van making access a real doddle.

Securing boxes, pallets, furniture or anyequipment is aided by multiple harness points.

Rapidly entering and leaving a vehicle is ever more important for delivery drivers and the Townstar's ergonomic design allows for excellent entry and egress while on the move.

The electric powertrain features a 45Kwh battery, connected to a 122hp electric motor, supplemented by intelligent energy management and battery thermal cooling technology to optimise its performance.

This means a class-challenging range of 183 miles combined (or up to 269 miles on the city cycle), figures I have to say I got nowhere near, although rainy conditions at the back end of winter do not help battery life. Having said that it still outperforms the range of closest rivals.

But like all electrically powered vehicles it offers swift acceleration, important in and around town making deliveries and it does seem quicker than the 0-60mph time of 14 seconds. It offers a fairly quiet driving experience, with little of the booming you would expect from a mostly empty, enclosed space behind the driver.

Both modelsare also pretty full of creature comforts and with a starting price of well over £32,000, it just as well as it features technologies like Intelligent Emergency Braking, Hands-Free Parking, Intelligent Cruise Control, and surround view monitor.

The entry level Visia offers remote locking and deadlocks, air conditioning, LED front lights with daytime running light, electric, heated door mirrors, auto headlights and wipers and a DAB system with Bluetooth.

This range-topping Tekna+ is pushing the £40,000 mark and adds climate control and heated steering wheel, front rear and side parking sensors and Nissan's ProPILOT Assist advanced driving assistance system which, along with the camera provides drivers with extra assistance, particularly in view of there being no rear view mirror.

The interior is comfortable with loads of head and legroom. It is dominated by and 10-inch colour central screen that includes connectivity viaApple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation and control of the more than decent sound system.

Charging supports both AC up to 22kW and 80kW DC CCS quick-charging allowing the battery from 15 to 80 per cent in just under 40 minutes.

It is covered by Nissan's pan-European five-year or 100,000-mile warranty, five-year roadside assistance, and in this case, an eight-year or 100,000-mile battery warranty for the EV version.

A small commercial vans go, this Nissan offers plenty as well as car like driving manners