The strength of Qashqai’s appeal is reflected in its outstanding reception in the marketplace since launch in March 2007, it has turned into the fastest selling model in the history of Nissan Europe and over 500,000 Qashqais and Qashqai+2s had been delivered by the end of 2009.
Now the 2010 Qashqai is here, and its mix of hatchback size and small SUV height shows no sign of losing its appeal. The biggest visible exterior changes are to the nose, which features a sharp new bumper design, gloss black grille, updated headlamps and heavily sculpted bonnet. It’s sleeker than before, and the car looks like it weighs less. At the rear, new LED taillights bring the styling into the 21st Century and its boomerang shape takes its design queue from the 370Z sports car. Borrowing its name from a desert-dwelling nomadic tribe living near the Zagros mountains in South Western Iran, Qashqai is described by Stephane Schwarz, Design Director at Nissan Design Europe as an ‘Urban Nomad’. “It’s tough and compact for the city but sleek and agile for journeys away from the town,” he says. “That’s been achieved by fusing a light, elegant and sporty upper body to a tough, planted lower body.”
The dynamic exterior is matched by an asymmetric interior, providing a focused cockpit environment complete with deeply recessed instruments for the driver and a relaxing, airy space for the occupants. High seating positions provide the sense of security normally found in an SUV, yet Qashqai is a more dynamic performer with the accelerative and handling capabilities of a hatchback. The interior has taken a step upmarket with some subtle changes, which have a significant impact. Ambient lighting and a white on black TFT display between the dials add a feeling of quality. All major and minor controls have been wrapped around the driver, who is separated from the front seat passenger by an unusually high centre console. Incorporating a cutaway section on the driver’s side for the handbrake, the centre console also houses twin cup holders and a storage box with integrated sliding armrest. Cabin storage has been improved, and it’s now possible to fit a remarkable 15 cans of pop in the cooled glovebox. The seats themselves are sculpted in both front and rear which adds to the purposeful feel of the interior. In keeping with Qashqai’s sporting potential, the front seats have side bolsters with a high foam density to provide extra support when cornering. The rear seats, which fold on a 60/40 split, offer optimum comfort for two, but Qashqai is a full five seater with three-point safety belts for all occupants. Folding the rear seats to increase load space is simplicity itself. The base of the seat is fixed and all that’s required is a single-handled operation to fold each backrest section. When folded, the load floor is virtually flat from the tailgate to the back of the front seats. There is no need to remove the head restraints before folding the backrests. Thanks to Qashqai’s overall height and its substantial ground clearance, driver and passengers sit higher than they would in a conventional vehicle.
Boot space remains the same, with 410 litres up to the parcel shelf, 860 litres up to the roofline and 1,513 litres if you fold down the rear seats. The current line-up of Visia, Acenta, N-tec and Tekna trim levels will be continued, with highlights being the inclusion of Bluetooth telephone connectivity throughout the range, parking sensors and dual-zone climate control on Acenta, Nissan Connect navigation and media player from N-tec up and a Bose stereo and leather upholstery on Tekna models.
There are two petrol engines and two diesels, the first of the four being a 1.6-litre petrol with 113bhp, front-wheel drive and a five-speed manual gearbox. It can return 42.8mpg and accelerate you from 0-62mph in a reasonable 11.8 seconds. There is also a 2-litre petrol with 138bhp, which can return 36.2mpg and hits 62mph in just over ten seconds. It is available with front- or four-wheel drive and a six-speed manual or CVT automatic transmission. The entry-level diesel is the 1.5-litre dCi, with 105bhp, acceleration to 62mph in 12.2 seconds and 55.3mpg average fuel consumption. Top of the range is a 2-litre dCi with 148bhp and precise ‘five squirt’ fuel injection technology, resulting in a quieter and cleaner engine. It’s the quickest Qashqai, with 0-62mph taking 9.5 seconds, and it beats both petrol engines for economy managing 44.1mpg in front-wheel drive, six-speed manual guise. Four-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic transmission are also available.
Buyers after an eco Qashqai will want to wait a short while, as a 129g/km Pure Drive model is on its way, with economy of 57.6mpg. There’s invariably a wide gap in braking performance between an SUV and a conventional car with the 4x4’s higher centre of gravity translating into less controllability in an emergency as well as longer stopping distances. However, despite sitting higher than a rival hatchback, Qashqai’s braking performance is competitive with a traditional hatchback thanks to the most advanced braking and traction control systems currently available. Discs brakes all round with standard anti-lock (ABS) are boosted by Brake Assist and Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD). Brake Assist maintains maximum deceleration during an emergency stop while EBD constantly alters the front rear balance to achieve optimum brake performance, automatically compensating for differing load conditions.
From certain angles, it has the agility of a passenger car, from others the tough stance of an SUV. One thing is sure Qashqai is one of a kind, there’s nothing else quite like it on the road. Qashqai is an alternative to the norm. A fusion of different themes and concepts, it blurs boundaries and twists expectations. Its clear combination of sporting attitude with the space and ability offered by a typical compact SUV makes it stands out in its segment of the market place.
