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Nissan Qashqai – still a top seller

The Qashqai was conceived as a family car and it remains true to its roots – good dimensions, not too big, not too small, plenty of room, a big boot and wide-opening rear doors. It’s easy to get in and out of – for people and the cargo – and it’s easy to drive. Despite the relatively small 1.3 under the bonnet, it’s lively enough in the 156hp for we tried.
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17 January 2022

What is it?

Probably the first of what we have come to call a crossover, that grey area between family car and SUV.

Hard to believe it’s been with us for 14 years and while the technology has changed along the way the concept hasn’t – roomier than a family hatch, a higher driving position while retaining pretty good dynamics.

The oddly named Qashqai – and there are still people who struggle to pronounce or spell the name – has turned into a massive success for Nissan and it has spawned many a rival from other brands. It has led to the segment becoming the largest in the UK, but the Nissan remains the top sellers despite not having the looks, dynamics or even the cache of other brands.

Now in its third generation, the time had come for us to revisit the Qashqai which has been given a complete make-over with only the engines staying the same. Even so, Nissan has taken an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach to the latest makeover, making it just a little bit larger and a lot easier on the eye.

No more diesel engines, however, and power is now provided by Nissan’s established 1.3 petrol unit with mild-hybrid assistance. It comes in 138 and 156bhp, the lower as manual FWD, the higher with manual or a new CVT auto. This year a replacement for the diesel arrives in the shape of a  series hybrid with petrol engine driving a generator which charges the hybrid battery.

The range weighs in with the Visia at just £23,535. It has a lot of the safety equipment but has smaller wheel and the low-power 1.3 engine. At the other end of the scale is the highly specified Tekna with all the bells and whistles at £33,500.

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What do we think?

A new platform for the Qashqai allows a slightly longer wheelbase and more room in the cabin while the car is lighter than before thanks to increased use of aluminium panels and a plastic tailgate. The electronics are now more sophisticated but easy and intuitive to use.

The Qashqai was conceived as a family car and it remains true to its roots – good dimensions, not too big, not too small, plenty of room, a big boot and wide-opening rear doors. It’s easy to get in and out of – for people and the cargo – and it’s easy to drive. Despite the relatively small 1.3 under the bonnet, it’s lively enough in the 156hp for we tried.

On the road the ride feels smooth enough and the front-wheel-drive is not embarrassed by the corners and there’s very little rock and roll. The whole package feels solid enough and well suppressed road noise combine to give a premium feel to the car.

Fuel economy during our time with the car worked out at just over 40 miles to the gallon

As with all its cars, Nissan has loaded the Qashqai with driver assistance and our review car, equipped with automatic transmission, came with parking assist, active cruise control and lane-keep assist.

dash

On top of all that was Nissan’s next stage ProPilot which links to the Sat Nav and actually slows you up as you approach  roundabouts or sharp bends and the like.

There was also a head-up display, matrix headlamps and wireless Carplay, all helping to ease comfort, driveability and general day-to-day ownership.

The automotive fad these days appear to be for increasingly confusing controls and irritating touch screens. Nissan does not appear to be following the flock, however, at least in its European models and bring us ‘normal’ and a screen that doesn’t dominate the entire dashboard.

There are what many would call old fashioned controls for the HVAC and there’s even a radio volume and tune knob. There are button on the steering wheel which can be used to make short cuts.

Seats feel supportive while there’s a massage function which I activated by mistake and could not work out how to stop until I reached the end of my journey (the switch is down on the right hand side of the driver’s seat).

There’s room enough in the rear for adults and the general fixtures and fittings have a quality look and feel to them. There’s also bags of room in the boot and higher spec models have a powered tailgate, there’s also plenty of storage cubbies and USB ports.

seatsboot

NISSAN QASHQAI 1.3 TEKNA 

P11D Value: £37,195

Engine: 1.3 litre perol

Power: 156hp

Top Speed: 124mph

0-62 mh: 9.5 secs

Fuel economy (on test): 41.3mpg

CO2: 146 g/km

First year road tax: £220

 

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Chris Wright

Chris Wright

Chris Wright has been covering the automotive industry nationally and internationally for 30 years. Following spells with consumer titles he became News Editor of Automotive Management (AM), Editor of Automotive International, International Editor for Detroit-based Automotive News, and Editor of Dealer Update. He has also co-authored several FT Management Reports and contributes regularly to Justauto.com

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