Real Road Test: Nissan Prairie (Stanza Wagon). Very boxy, but is it good? 

That is pretty much everything you would need in a family car. Back in the day as a 20 year old man I would have laughed it off the road yet now I'd love to own one, funny how opinions change with age.

My mum had one with a wheelchair conversion for my brother. The front passenger seat was replaced with an electric swivel which swung out to take the wheelchair in. Clever, really. Mum loved the car, and it never broke down. Steven passed away in 2007, and this lovely example makes me nostalgic for those times and the blue Prairie. Thanks, Ian.

This is one of the most Hubnut cars out there.

My parents had a blue 1983 1.5 GL from new. It had both Datsun and Nissan badging. Numerous sessions of rust scraping and painting slowed the rot. We kept it until 2002, and it covered 165k miles. Many happy memories of adventures with that car 🙂

When we lived in Wales, our neighbours had one of these except theirs was mostly 3rd party metal.

A genuine hubnuttable car , why is it so many older Japanese gars are really under estimated and actually great cars .

This brings me back to my childhood, My Gran owned a Prairie. Was a very reliable car, we use to call it the Gran Mobile ;D. Kind of wish she still had it.

I bought a metallic blue one for my Mum and Stepdad to use. It was splendid for a few years until rust in the fuel tank clogged the fuel filter and suffocated it. Then sold for a 405 estate which we all agreed was worse in many important ways. I'm new to Hubnut. My son and I came to the Brooklands social and Miss Hubnut sold us a sticker. Sadly transport was a 2014 Jazz, the alternative of a 2007 Sirion did not appeal for the 224 mile round trip.

I remember these from my childhood what a very practical vehicle nice to see this example still on the road thanks Ian keep them videos coming great job

I genuinely hadn't noticed no b pillar until you pointed it out 😂 it's been a long week moving house. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Very interesting car that I'd not even noticed before! Perfect Hubnut 😁

I remember its launch day.. the same day the K10 Micra was launched in the UK... There was such hype that I rode to my local Nissan dealer on my pushbike to have a look... I was 17....

My old schoolmates' Dad had one, he was properly embarrassed by it as a teenager for being so uncool. 35 years later I've just amusingly shared this video with him. Memories.

Brings back a lot of memories. My dad had 3 of them during the 80s. A gold 83 a plate then and 85 c plate in blue and last off all 88 e plate in white.

I love Japanese brown chocolate interiors .I really miss that feature of Japanese cars and vans .my Toyota 4x4 townace and my Honda accord and Nissan Micra and Suzuki carry lovely and brown inside.

My dad had one of these in that Nissan blue metallic and did have the third row! Likely an import looking back on some of my dad's other purchases at the time. Many a happy family holiday to Humberston, towing a jet ski and my mother shouting so I could hear from the back 😂

Wow. I’d forgotten they even existed. These were everywhere back in my youth but just blended into the background. I never realised they were so innovative. Thanks for another blast from the past 👍🏼

We had a Nissan Prairie here in Australia in the mid to late 90s. Ours was the 1.5litre 7 seater (the only configuration available here). We bought it out of necessity when we had our 5th child and we couldn't all fit into our old car. We weren't expecting much except for transport but it turned out to be a wonderful and practical car. We all loved it. It drove much better than an air conditioned 1.5 litre with 7 people on board had any right to. We even took it 4WDing once and despite being only front wheel drive we couldn't get it stuck. We were following my bother-in-law in his Turbo diesel 4WD Nissan Patrol and he was trying to get us bogged. We got through everything he did. It surprised the hell out of him (and me too but I never admitted that). I'd buy one today if they still existed.

A friend of mine in Hertfordshire used one of these as a wheelchair adapted mini-cab back in the '80s and his was the only one like that in the county, as a result of which he got stacks of business.

I was always convinced I'd own a Prairy one day. A two tone one, preferably. I adore them, such a cute box .

The motor industry has since decided to develop ridiculous SUVs instead of these supremely practical options to estate cars/station wagons

I had one of these . In Australia they came with the E15 1.5 litre Pulsar motor . Very practical and clever design. With the back seat folded I had no trouble fitting a Honda CT110 in the back .

My primary school pal’s mum had a Prairie. I remember that the sliding “A-Team Van-esque,” doors caused quite a stir in the playground.

I bought one new in 88 when I was in the army in Germany. Just the best family car - used to call it the Tardis as it never seemed to run out of room in the back! 12 years later and 150,000 miles it had been all over Europe from St Tropez to Edinburgh with only normal maintenance - a couple of clutches etc. Very easy to work on. Best car I ever had.

Here in NZ we had a five speed column change manual or automatic. Very very rare, even when new

My mates parents had one in the 90's. I remember we borrowed it a few times. It was brilliant.

I remember getting a lift in one of these in the 1980s to school. Same colour as well !! 👌

We were using a mot failure one at an RAF station a while back, ferrying pilots and staff to and fro aircraft. Always started, but the bodywork was in bad shape.

It's always nice when the sandals match the interior.

My late father in law had a Prairie back in the mid to late 80's, always thought the side profile looked like a Metrocab.

I spent many a school holiday going away in one of this awesome Praire !

I used a prairie as a tour bus in the nineties . It was brilliant.. The duo in the front and the gear in the back ... never saw any groupies but on occasion gave a pensioner a lift home from the gig ... Rock n Roll ! 👍🏻☮❤

The last one I saw belonged to a guy I used to work for some 15 years back. Him and his partner upgraded to a Mitsubishi Nimbus mpv after that, before they had a screaming falling out and he ended up with an r31 Pintara. The graph paper gauges were everywhere for a while. I also remember them on the VL Commodore, but that had a Nissan motor so not surprising.

What a fabulous car! I did miss the rear wiper test though 😭 I’m just as obsessed with the things as you are!

One of my school friend's mum had one of these back in the day, and as I was a frequent visitor to their house after school, I got to ride in the back of it quite often. Ah, the memories ☺️

That is awesome. Not seen one for very many years. When I was younger, my dad had a car workshop/petrol station. We had an elderly gentleman regular customer that bought one new. I always used to pump his petrol for him. Poor old fella was not so good on his feet. He raved about how much easier it was to get in and out of than his old mk5 Cortina. If your friend decides to sell, I would very much appreciate it if you point him in my direction. Thank you.

I like this one. Huge inside and great 80s interior.

Great review and nice to see one of these again.

Hi Ian, just a comment on the front indicators, the side 'indicators' were in fact side marker lamps for the North American market as the rest of the markets were this car was sold, the side marker lamps were wired up as indicators instead as both use the same wattage bulb. I hope this helps? Great videos! 👍👍

Oddly I found this interesting car. Keep up the great work you do Ian.

I completely forgot these existed until I saw this very car at Festival of the Unexceptional back in 2018. Brilliantly under-appreciated, it's like a Ford B-Max of the 80s.

What a treasure you've found. I don't really remember these growing up during the 80s in the UK. Japanese cars always looked a bit too weird at the time but they've aged incredibly well, as this attests

Had one just like it in the noughties. A great reliable car, lovely and comfy with enough power and 35mpg. Like having your own personal taxi..

I remember one of my teachers having one in the late 80's. We all took the piss out of it back then, now I'd have one in a heartbeat...

I haven't seen a Nissan Prarie for years. They always reminded me of slightly smaller versions of taxis. As always a thorough review Ian. I know feel like a Nissan Prarie expert. Thanks.

I had both the 1500 and the 1800 of this shape. They were perfect for bringing up a family and we loved them for their practicality. Very reliable, we never had any problems with them over a considerable mileage.

When a car was a car. Means of transportation. Now a car is a cinema, theater, office, 2nd home. Full of stuff that will break down, or is outdated before that. Wonderful review, Ian!

When these hit the market back in the 80's, it was like a space ship had arrived. My Dad gave serious consideration to one, sadly he purchased a Kadette instead. Damn.

I had two of these 84 and 88 great family car. I removed the rear seat and passenger seat to move a three seat sofa . It was more useful than a van !

We sold a handful of these back in day in the U.S. We had them in four wheel drive as well, amazingly practical.

I thought all Prarie's had dissolved quicker than an Alka Seltzer - looks great

The last time I saw a Nissan Prairie in the UK was lying upside down in a drained reservoir in Glennifer Braes Country Park here in Scotland!

Ah, a Prairie. I remember those from the 1990s when they were widely used a cheap family runabout but haven't seen one in the flesh for ages. I guess what wasn't exported to Africa eventually succumbed to rust. (Apparently the concept of MPV predates the Espace by two years!)

Remember these being quite common when I was young, especially in gold metallic

I remember seeing those everywhere as a kid, I remember them being quite a big car / expanded stanza/sunny

Holy shit. When i saw the thumbnail and saw it roll up, i thought it was the size of the Tercel wagon. And then the shot of Mr. HubNut sitting in that cavernous space...

Wow I haven’t seen one of them on the roads for a long time

The FF layout was unique worldwide for about a year from introduction until the similarly-sized Chrysler K-platform MPVs were introduced in North America. The Japanese competition from Toyota and Mitsubishi were front-mid engine, rear drive, as was the more compact Nissan Vanette, which remained in production in developing countries into the nineties.

Stunning ....let down by rust. You spoil us sir first a Daewoo Espero now the Prairie. I also love the argyle pattern on the seats never seen that before.

I had utterly discounted these for years because of the bizarre postman pat van inspired looks but that b pillar free design is nothing short of inspired. Sometimes beauty is just in the designs fitness for purpose. Remarkable example too.

A car with this degree of practically is worth having a look l have thank you again for reviewing an interesting car van mpv like the door arangement and the fact you can sleep in it

Wow, the 1990s memories come flooding back, the Nissan Prairie was an excellent car to own and drive

My dad had one, I loved it and I'd love one for myself

Another car I’d forgotten existed, they just disappeared and like others I never knew it had no B pillar.

Don't know the last day I saw one of these in the road! They all seemed to come in a maroon colour and I remember a car magazine describing it as a Micra that swallowed a freight container! But Car also said it was a van sized car that made sense.

Amazing to see this. Our US market '87 Stanza wagon had a fuel injected 2.0 liter engine. In addition to the folding window winders, the driver side rear sliding door actually had a mechanical interlock to prevent it from sliding fully open while the fuel filler door was also open. There was actually a remote volume control high up on the dashboard to compensate for the low position of the head unit. Air conditioning was dealer installed but fully integrated. We bought optional folding seat cushions for the cargo area, with associated lap belts. Nissan NA advertised that a wheelchair user could slide the rear door open enough to lift and store the folded wheelchair in behind the front seat. Very clever.

Those alloys really lift the plain, boxy, but utterly practical Prairie ( in beautiful condition, well done owner). The MPV really was the best design for family/spacious cars, such a shame it became subverted into the enlarged fake 4x4 SUV which are everywhere today. One day test drive a mk1 Ford C-Max, an MPV with great ride & handling, and space!

What a beauty. Pity it's not for sale; I would love this in my collection.

Wow, that's a busy vehicle, lots of complicated design everywhere .loads of glass, a conservatory on wheels...I love it!

Those sliding rear doors, operate better than my current, 2014 Ford B max. A work Colleague had one, which I envied. Way Back When. I also envied his next choice a Datsun Laurel Saloon. What a car. See you in the next one. 👍👍

I was surprised just how enjoyable to drive these were when I had a pootle in one (one of Eddie's previous Prairies coincidentally), far more nippy than you' imagine they're going to be and as you say, far more car-like than you'd expect too.

The missing B-pillar screams ..... body flex ! 💪

most memorable because of the sliding doors but never realised there was no B pillar! seemed to be popular as taxis for a while

Wow, a neighbour had a Nissan Prairie when I was a kid. It served them for while but was traded in for a K11 Micra which for their family of five must have been a tight squeeze.

What a great practical little car, if somewhat un-exiting! Years ahead of its' time.

All of the beige and lots of space. Wonderful car 😎

Brilliant video Ian 👍 what a great car love it

My mum's elderly neighbours had a blue one. How I laughed and thought it dull and plain. They knew something I didn't. Any more out there? I'd love a column change!

Don't forget the Mitsubishi Colt Vista! VERY similar to the Stanza Wagon here in the U.S. Meanwhile the two 'Twin' Silver Stanza's(BOTH bought NEW by their original Owner's Flower Shop delivery service..)have been moved indoors and will be saved.

My dad had the 50th anniversary two tone model. The dials and vent controls were green tinted instead of orange, and the front seat belt were hung from the roof. In comparison to this Prairie, the 50th anniversary is a little more advanced.

Sir John Whitmore 60s racing legend, Daytona Couple racer and all round cool dude used to have one of these as a daily driver and really rated them!

If I remember correctly, the original road test in Wheels magazine was impressed by the body roll too. They ran the review with a picture of the prairie heeling over, the door open and the driver leaning out.

Amazing. My dad has one of these for a wee while back in the day. It was grey or silver. I remember the handbrake being in an odd place and I thought the sliding doors were cool. I was about 5 when he had it

Be great to see a hub nut road test of a space cruiser! The mk2 prairie had 7 seats a friend of our parents had one but they said at the time (early 90s) and since the original Datsun prairie was more practical and had more space inside

Known as "Multi" here in Canada. Extremely rare even here on the west coast where cars don't rust all that much.

Great cars, had 2 a 1.5 which was slow with heavy steering. A 1.8 Anniversary 2 with electric windows and sunroof and I think power steering. Very reliable and easy to service yourself not very quick but the kids never got car sick. The back seat was fixed by 2 screws and 4 bolts once out you had a van size space. I think what killed them was rust at a point where steering, drive shaft passed through the bodywork making welding hard. A car mag said only 1 on road a couple of years ago, your test may be that car. My 2nd favourite car and I have had a lot of cars, favourite is Toyota Yaris Verso my present car. Keep up the good work.

I remember these back in the day, but had absolutely no idea they had no b pillar! Engine sounded lovely and smooth. Your comments about it pre-dating the Scenic were exactly what I was thinking too. Lovely old bus from when Nissans were still actually Nissans 👍.

Had two of these back in the early 90s. The 1.5 '86model followed by the 1.8 '88 model. Very practical but the later car completely rotted along both sides of the roof!!

I had one for 6 years back in the day, it was a excellent family vehicle and so pratical, but the rust got to it in the end, happy times with it though

Great review,I had the next generation one of these with aircon on an 89 F reg supremely versatile comfortable reliable vehicle. The two sliding doors are the best and I really didn’t treat it with respect but it was as close as indestructible as it gets,it only went in the end as the tin worm took hold.

A 1985 (ish) Datsun Stanza remains to this day the most comfortable car I have ever been driven in. The rear seats/suspension were simply perfection.

I have always wanted one of these since the day I saw one in the Nissan dealership I worked at in the late 1980's. I don't like the wheel trims on your example, the ones fitted to the one I saw were much better, but the colour is the one that I want.

I remember riding to school in a Stanza. It was owned by a neighbor who would raise the garage door start the engine and turn on the A/C. They turned on the A/C to give the vehicle a chance to cool the interior before it got out into the sun. Even pre cooled the A/C could barely cool the interior on a sunny 80° day. With the 2L , with 97 hp, and 4sd auto is was pretty slow also.

I remember going to Firsway Nissan in Leigh in circa 1987 to look at a 'B' reg one of these with my Dad and I thought it was so cool with the sliding doors and seemed so futuristic (to a nine-year old) compared to our 1980 Datsun N10 estate. He also looked at a Toyota Space Cruiser and a Mitsubishi Space wagon. He ended up with a LWB 3.3 litre diesel Nissan Patrol in the end which he sold just before I passed my test :( Always liked these Prairies though!

A nice big practical box with many neat touches. I love the wheels. Almost Lamborghini Countach like.

Not seen one in years very practical seats and boot space is very handy i guess that is the same 1.8 engine in the early datsun bluebird rwd my granddad had very reliable engine.

The door layout is fantastic, always loved the sliding door on my Previa. Great, as you say, for tight parking spaces. The Galaxy always failed badly on this.

My dad bought one of these when my brother was born in the late 80s he was the 4th child so we couldnt fit in a conventional sedan anymore. We only got the 7 seater 1.5 in aus

Sold in Canada as the Nissan Multi; the M11 was sold as the Nissan Axxess.

back in my Kings Heath years my neighbour had one which quite often didn't like atarting in the mornings

Used to pass by a light metallic blue one of these on my walk to primary school in the early 80s. Always fascinated me. Had I seen the door open to reveal no B pillar I would have thought it was a space ship. :) I think the designers of the Metrocab had a good look at this.