Nissan Qashqai review (01/05/2014)
OK, so I know it was a massive gamble on
Nissan’s behalf to design, build and market the Qashqai, and in doing so shatter many of the conventions accepted as norms throughout the automotive industry. The company ditched popular models such as the Almera and the Primera and struck off in a whole new direction and, in the process, invented a whole new segment of family cars.
I also know that from the get-go that the world and its sister has adopted the Qashqai SUV as the family car of choice and sales of the car have reached preposterous levels since it was first unveiled back in 2006. The original version — through 2013 — has racked up nearly 1.3m sales globally and now that the new version has arrived, it would be rather stupid to predict there will be any fall-off any time soon.
It has also become apparent that a success such as the Qashqai has been is bound to spawn many copyists. The trick of producing an SUV lookalike with hatchback running costs not only appealed to the public, but to many rivals too, the majority of whom were only too keen to climb this massively successful bandwagon.
Cast your eye down the list of so-called ‘crossovers’ from the Dacia Duster, to the Suzuki SX4S, the Kia Sportage, the Hyundai ix35, the Mazda CX-5, Skoda Yeti, Renault Captur and so forth, and you realise that the segment is expanding rapidly. Why, even the premium brands are getting in on the act, what which such as the Mercedes GLA, the Range Rover Evoque and the BMW X1 already with us and a new contender from Audi forthcoming.
Nissan, therefore, is to be congratulated for not only creating a whole new market, but also exploiting it relentlessly. I have been hugely impressed by the company’s daring in pulling off what was, in essence, a massive gamble.
So why, given all the impressive stats and the incredible numbers of people who have joined the Qashqai family, does the thing not light my fuse? Well, I’ve never been a fan of faux SUVs and probably never will be. Subjectivity is part and parcel of any review process and there will always be some things which float the collective boats of some people and not others. That is very much the case here.
My dislike of the Qashqai does not in any way mean that it is a bad car — far from it. In fact it is quite a good ownership prospect indeed. It has a decent engine, has lots of space for families and their luggage, is very comfortable, drives well and is value for money. In fact, those characteristics probably tell you why has been so popular.
The trouble for any successful model is that when time comes to revamp it the manufacturer inevitably gets windy about doing anything too radical to the recipe in case they spoil people’s taste for the product. Ask Coca-Cola. In the case of the Qashqai Mark II, Nissan has been predictably conservative in not spoiling the broth.
Sure the car is bigger with
consequently positive effects on spaciousness; it also looks a deal more upmarket — outside and in — than the original (not a bad thing at all and undoubtedly a reaction to the more sophisticated looks of the ever expanding
opposition) and it is better specified than previously.
Nissan has also decided to drop the seven seat Qashqai +2 option — buyers seeking that extra level of practicality will instead be steered towards the forthcoming new X-Trail — so the car is now firmly rooted in the five-seat
family car market, but that is not necessarily a bad thing and should not impact on sales potential.
The new car is lower and wide than before, but Nissan has still managed to squeeze more interior space out of the design. Remarkably there is more front and rear headroom available, there is more legroom for rear seat passengers and the boot is considerably bigger. Another key characteristic of the original was the lofty driving position and wisely Nissan has not tricked around with this element.
Seating has also been refined for greater comfort levels and, in the SV model we tested (and which is going to be the most popular seller) there was a decent range of standard kit with such as 17” alloys, leather steering wheel and gear knob, all round electric windows, cruise control, auto wipers and lights all coming as part of the deal. And it is worth noting too that Nissan has managed a bigger spec without too much of a hike in the price.
On the road the Qashqai is
refined and composed on most surfaces and although the front wheel drive layout will provide more than a hint of understeer, that’s really only to be expected. Even so it handles Irish conditions very well and is not discommoded by particularly rough surfaces.
The engine is a familiar unit from the Renault parts bin and while its performance (top speed just shy of 190kph and a 0-100kph time of 11.9 seconds) is not spectacular by any means, its consumption rate of around 4 l/100km (in the region of 70mpg) and emission levels 99g/km, make it an even more plausible option for the family buyer. There are other diesel and petrol engine options, but I can tell you this is the one to have.
On the evidence I’ve seen, the Qashqai will remain a motoring phenomenon. It does not do anything spectacularly well, but then it doesn’t really have any quirks either. It will serve its purpose as a family load lugger with ease and distinction. Indeed, I can confidently predict that this car will remain one of the best-selling cars in this land and many others too. Just don’t expect to find me in the queue to buy one.
from €24,495 — €27,695 as tested.
a particularly frugal, if not a spectacular, performer the 1.5 turbodiesel is the engine of choice in the line-up on offer. A good unit to live with.
basic XE spec. is pretty thin on goodies, but the middle-range SV has pretty much as many bells and whistles as anyone could ask for at the price.
excellent family car with very many virtues. Hard to find fault with, other than that I don’t go for any of these ‘crossover’ types at all really.
