Compare the2023 GMC SavanaVS 2021 Nissan NV Passenger

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the GMC Savana are height-adjustable, and the middle and rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Nissan NV Passenger doesn’t offer comfort guides on its middle or rear seat belts.

The Savana has standard child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The NV Passenger doesn’t offer child safety locks.

The Savana offers an optional collision warning system, which detects an impending crash through forward mounted sensors and flashes a bright light and sounds a loud, distinctive tone to warn the driver to brake or maneuver immediately to avoid a collision. The NV Passenger doesn't offer a collision warning system.

The Savana’s optional lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. The NV Passenger doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The Savana has standard OnStar®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The NV Passenger doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Savana and the NV Passenger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear parking sensors.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Savana, with its three-star roll-over rating, is 1.4% to 7.8% less likely to roll over than the NV Passenger, which received a two-star rating.

The Savana’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the NV Passenger’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 55 percent more GMC dealers than there are Nissan dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Savana’s warranty.

The Savana has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The NV Passenger doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the van’s engine.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Savana has a standard 150-amp alternator (220-amp - Savana optional). The NV Passenger’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Nissan With 13 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks GMC higher than Nissan.

The Savana’s standard 4.3 V6 produces 15 more horsepower (276 vs. 261) and 17 lbs.-ft. more torque (298 vs. 281) than the NV Passenger’s standard 4.0 DOHC V6. The Savana’s optional 6.6 V8 produces 26 more horsepower (401 vs. 375) and 77 lbs.-ft. more torque (464 vs. 387) than the NV Passenger’s optional 5.6 DOHC V8.

The Savana has 3 gallons more fuel capacity than the NV Passenger (31 vs. 28 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the GMC Savana, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the NV Passenger.

The Savana has standard front gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The NV Passenger’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The GMC Savana may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 700 pounds less than the Nissan NV Passenger.

The Savana 2500 135” WB is 1 foot, 4.6 inches shorter than the NV Passenger, making the Savana easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Savana 3500 155” WB offers optional seating for 15 passengers; the NV Passenger can only carry 12.

The Savana has 4.9 inches more front hip room, 3.2 inches more front shoulder room and 2.4 inches more rear legroom than the NV Passenger.

The Savana 3500 155” WB’s cargo area provides more volume than the NV Passenger.

The Savana’s cargo area is larger than the NV Passenger’s in almost every dimension:

The Savana’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the NV Passenger’s (6300 vs. 6200 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Nissan NV Passenger is only 8700 pounds. The Savana 2500 135” WB offers up to a 9600 lbs. towing capacity.

The Savana 3500 155” WB has a much higher standard payload capacity than the NV Passenger (3210 vs. 2800 lbs.).

The Savana 3500 135” WB has a much higher optional payload capacity than the NV Passenger (3540 vs. 2800 lbs.).

The Savana offers an optional under hood light to help in making nighttime maintenance checks, adding fluids, etc. The NV Passenger doesn’t offer an under hood light.

The Savana has a maintenance free battery for long life without checking the battery’s water level. The NV Passenger doesn’t have a maintenance free battery, so the water level in the battery’s cells must be checked often to prevent damage.

The Savana offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The NV Passenger doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The engine computer on the Savana automatically engages the starter until the car starts with one twist of the key and disables the starter while the engine is running. The NV Passenger’s starter can be accidentally engaged while the engine is running, making a grinding noise and possibly damaging the starter and ring gear.

The Savana has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The NV Passenger doesn’t offer automatic headlights.

The Savana’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Nissan charges extra for heated mirrors on the NV Passenger.

The Savana’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The NV Passenger’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

Insurance will cost less for the Savana owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Savana will cost $460 to $1260 less than the NV Passenger over a five-year period.

The GMC Savana outsold the Nissan NV by 437 units during the 2021 model year.