A compact & competent SUV – NISSAN QASHQAI

With the latest edition of Nissan’s popular Qashqai range, the model has suddenly grown up. The previous generations (initially sold as the Dualis in Australia) were pretty average by all measures – they did the job, but nothing really well.

The newest version changes all that. While it doesn’t knock it out of the park, the Qashqai is very competent. Still in the compact SUV segment, there are three versions offered – petrol, hybrid and full electric. Their prices vary from $34,665 to $54,365. 

I wouldn’t say my expectations were very high, but on reviewing the Qashqai Ti followed by the Qashqai N-Design e-Power, I was pleasantly impressed.

Nissan claims the use of more lightweight materials, and advanced stamping and welding techniques, to increase strength and reduce weight. The bonnet, front fenders and doors are made of aluminium, and the tailgate is made from composite materials.

The Ti which I tested first has a turbocharged 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine which gives quite reasonable performance and good economy. At just under $43,000, it’s a well-equipped car, with some excellent finishes, brown and black part-leather trim on heated seats, and smart-looking 19-inch alloy wheels.

I was impressed by the car’s quality of finish and on-road dynamics, which are notably better than those of some recent competitors from a certain country.

Nissan Qashqai Ti: brown and black part-leather trim on heated seats; physical buttons below the screen, with a volume dial and climate control system further down the console.

The second Qashqai that I drove for a week featured the hybrid setup, in the N-design e-Power model. In this car, the system uses the 1.5-litre petrol engine solely as a generator of electricity and it is not connected to the driven wheels. There’s no need to plug the car in and on the road; it changes seamlessly when the petrol engine fires up. It’s an excellent system giving strong acceleration.

The flagship N-Design comes with 20-inch alloy wheels, Alcantara and leather-look interior trim, a big head-up display, panoramic glass roof, hands-free tailgate, and many other features.

Nissan’s designers have avoided taking the route of all controls accessible via a screen – there’s a welcome row of physical buttons below the screen, along with a volume dial and climate control system further down the console. They’ve also avoided the over-active beeps, alarms and interventions that other manufacturers haven’t got a proper handle on yet.

Well done, Nissan. All of these factors add up to make a properly grown-up Qashqai – and a very effective competitor in the marketplace.

There’s also Nissan’s appealing 10-year warranty. And very pleasant that both the review cars were finished in beautiful colours too.