In 2007, the Qashqai was supposed to make people forget about the Nissan Almera. And I think it's safe to say that it has.
Nissan moved away from the dull middle class and focused on crossovers. It was such a mainstay at Nissan, that they've presented...
the third generation already. It's a completely new car, even though it shares a few components with other cars. However, that's just...
because it shares its platform, but as a whole, it's brand-new. And very recognizable as Qashqai as well.
You can only make a first impression once, and it's all about getting into a car for the first time.
And when it comes to this car, it's a pretty good first impression as well. The used materials look very nice, and they feel the same way.
The finishing is very neat as well, so that's some easy points there for Nissan. Nissan themselves say they're aiming at the semi-premium market with it,
and it looks very good to me. That's what it's all about.
The styling of the design is very tight. It looks very clear, and in front of me I've got a digital instrument cluster. Depending on the version...
you get, you can have a slightly bigger or a slightly smaller instrument cluster. This particular car has the bigger screen.
You can adjust it to your own liking as well. If that makes it any clearer is another question, but it allows you to make changes.
Besides that, you've got a multimedia screen on the dashboard. The screen is nice and straight, and it's positioned very clearly.
Just like the instrument cluster, you can choose between two sizes, and also just like the instrument cluster, this car has the biggest screen available.
The system itself isn't too comprehensive, but operating it is relatively simple. It's nice and quick as well.
If that's not enough for you, you can connect your phone with Apple CarPlay. If you want information projected right in front of you,
you can always use the head-up display.
What's nice as well, is that there are physical buttons for several key functions in the menu's.
You don't have to swipe or search for stuff, you can access all of the main menu's with the press of a button.
What's even better, is that there's a turning knob for the audio controls. I really like that as well.
And since we're talking about positive things, there's a whole physical panel to control the climate control. That's really good.
The car has grown in every direction, which also goes for the wheelbase. That means there's more interior space. And in the front,
I've got nothing to complain about. If anything, I think the seat is a little bit short.
And I'm not saying that only because I'm tall. I mean, the seat kind of ends after my buttocks.
On the other hand, the seats do offer a lot of side-support, which is very comfortable.
In the back, the space is a tad more limited. I mean, the legroom is alright but when it comes to headroom, it's pretty cramped.
If you want to take four full-sized humans with you, you'll have to squeeze quite a bit. Small kids would be much more comfortable.
If we move even further back, we arrive at the boot, which has increased around 50 litres in size, up to a total of 479 litres.
That's pretty good. Also, there's a double floor with two hatches, which you can also use as dividers.
Like I said earlier on, there's some familiar technology present in this car. And I'm mostly talking about the engine.
You can't have any diesels, but there are some petrol options available. And they're the 1.3-litres we already know from Renault and...
Mercedes-Benz. You can have the engine in two flavours. One with 140 horsepower and one with 158 horsepower.
The first version is only available with a manual six-speed gearbox, whilst the second version can be connected to a CVT-automatic.
And in time, there's going to be a four-wheel drive version and there's going to be an e-Power-version.
An electric version without a plug, but with a 1.5-litre petrol engine and a generator. Electric driving without charging.
Anyway, it's not the future yet, so I'm just driving the 158 horsepower-version with a manual gearbox.
And you really need that gearbox, because this drivetrain is focused on changing gear quite a lot.
On paper, the performance is pretty similar to that of the previous generation, but the power peaks at much higher revs now.
That means there's not a lot going on in lower revs. Or rather, if you stay below 2.000 RPM, it doesn't really do anything if you put your foot down.
It'll take a while before the engine responds and when it does, it still feels slow. Only when you go above 2.000 RPM, the engine wakes up.
Underneath, it doesn't really. So having said that, the engine isn't to be called very enthusiastic. On the other hand, it sure is a very quiet engine.
That means there's a lot of calmth in the interior, and that's worth something as well.
That's all because it's a very light engine. Something you'll easily notice when you let go of the throttle, because it barely brakes on the engine.
That's probably because of a very light flywheel. However, we never saw this engine act like that in other cars.
In other cars, there's still something happening below 2.000 RPM. So if that's already the case with the 158 horsepower-version,
I'm kind of afraid to get into the 140 horsepower-version.
Besides the engine, there's more familiar technology. The chassis for example, which is an evolution of the chassis of the Renault Megane.
However, Nissan says, they've designed a body which is 50% more rigid than its predecessor, whilst being 60 kg lighter than before.
The body that is. The car as a whole has gained a little weight. That's because it has more equipment and systems aboard now.
And that weighs something too.
The Qashqai comes with a torsion-axle at the back as standard, which is semi-independent. The four-wheel drive version will have fully...
independent suspension, and the same suspension will be fitted to the Tekna Plus-trim level, with 20-inch wheels. And that's the version I'm...
driving right now. And it's a nicely balanced suspension. It's nice and sturdy without it being uncomfortable, except for the fact...
that there's a bit of roll. It heaves about in corners a little, or when you swerve, but it's not a big thing to mention.
I might've noticed that because the rest of the suspension is very good.
The steering is a tad more direct now, which means it reacts very well to steering movements.
The steering itself isn't too communicative, but that's not a problem considering at this cars personality.
The suspension is a lot better than the drivetrain, I can tell you that.
When it comes to safety systems, Nissan has made some progress again. The base version already comes with a lot of features.
The car has a very good automatic cruise control and the lane assist feels very solid as well.
Other than that, there's a high-beam assist and for the more luxurious versions, there's some other features available as well.
Prices for this car start at €33.500, which gets you the the 140 horsepower-version, but I'd recommend considering spending an additional...
€4.500 for the extra amount of power. As a base version, it's got more than enough features, and having said that, the new Qashqai is a good deal.