Once upon a time, there was a car with an unpronounceable name. Eventually, people learnt how to let the name roll off the tongue. But they still couldn’t spell the name. Still, it didn’t matter, because the car was good. Very good. The ride and suspension was good, the gearbox was good. The steering was solid and the engines were good. All of them, petrol and diesel. The looks were not as good as the rest but the overall package was good. In fact, we could say it was excellent.
21 000 Qashqais were sold in South Africa and 2 million globally. But then the time came for a redesign. The new Qashqai is longer, wider, lower and, importantly, much better looking than its forebear. It’s more muscular, with cleaner front and rear styling, albeit more like some of the competition’s offerings. Signature LEDs are now added and lighting has larger lenses. But is it still good?
We sampled the middle of the range 1,5 dCi 4×2 Acenta and we found that the ride was still good, even with the optional 19-inch wheels with low profile tyres, not the standard 17-inch with higher profile tyres that would no doubt make the ride even more compliant. The 1,5-litre tubodiesel engine has been tuned to produce 81 kW and 260 N.m of torque (between 1 750 and 2 500 r/min), as compared with the previous 1,5’s 78 kW and 240 N.m. It is also rated as the lowest CO2 emitting engine of the range at only 109 g/km.
The steering felt a bit lighter than the outgoing model’s excellent feel, but was still good for an electrically assisted setup. The gearshift action felt as though it had a longer throw, but still had a good positive action. The engine exhibited a touch of turbo-lag but otherwise performed well, being both smooth and quiet, not an easy feat with diesels, even modern ones. It’s worth noting that both the 1,5- and 1,6-litre diesel units require 50ppm fuel. The claimed overall fuel consumption for the 1,5 is just 4,2 L/100 km while we were getting just under 6 on the launch route in Gauteng. Front foglamps, and auto lights and wipers are among this model’s standard features, while the safety equipment list includes six airbags, ABS, EBD, BAS, VDC, hill start assist and an electric park brake is now fitted.
The interior looks upmarket with classy instrumentation, larger bottle holders, matching white on black displays and soft-touch materials. The cloth upholstery is very comfy but leather seating is still available on the 1,6-litre models. Space is plentiful, both in front and in the rear, and the boot is compromised only by the fact that a very sensible full-size steel spare wheel needs a lot of under-board room to reside.
The centre armrest hides a large storage bin that also houses the USB and aux ports. An optional Techno pack gives you heated front seats and mirrors and a touchscreen infotainment system that incorporates sat-nav, parking aid with four exterior cameras, Facebook and Google access. This costs R16 700 above the base price of R330 500. Also available is a design pack including silver roof rails, privacy glass and 19-inch wheels for R12 800.
At the time of launch, the 1,2 turbopetrol was not available, nor was the 4×4 version.
So, the Qashqai is now grown up. Some may find it a bit too big for their liking but Nissan has that base covered by the also accomplished Juke, while the new X-Trail is out later this year. The pricing has become a bit steeper but there is a good range from which to choose. Overall, it looks as though the Qashqai could well remain the leader of the crossover pack.
SPECIFICATION:
Model: Nissan Qashqai 1,5 dCi Acenta
Engine: 1,5-litre transverse four-cylinder turbo diesel
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 81 kW at 4 000 r/min
Torque: 260 N.m at 1 750 – 2 500 r/min
0 to 100 km/h: 11,9 seconds
Fuel consumption: 4,2 L/100 km
CO2: 109 g/km
Towing capacity: 692 kg
Service plan: 5-years/90 000 km
Price : R330 500
