Leading the way

Nissan’s Qashqai is now in its second generation. finds out if it deserves its place at the top of the sales charts

Despite appearances the Qashqai is strictly family transport for the road and, for the most part, it’s very good at what it does.

The second generation arrived with a far more upmarket look than the model it replaced. The nose is sharper, better defined, with angular headlights and distinctive LED daytime running lights framing a grille with a large badge at its centre surrounded by a thick U-shaped chrome strip.

At the back the lights mirror those at the front with an angular design that wraps around the flanks. It also wears the required amount of plastic cladding, as well as roof bars, to give in the necessary air of ruggedness that this class demands.

Inside build quality impresses and there’s plenty of nice detailing.

The high seating position gives you an excellent view of the road and, if you opt for the panoramic glass roof which runs the full length of the car, a great view of the sky too. You’ll also get a cabin that’s flooded with light.

Not that space is something that you’ll be short of. Passengers in the front and back are well catered for – although there’s no seven-seat version this time around – even if you’ve got a couple of taller people riding up front and, while a fifth passenger might feel the squeeze from their companions either side, they’ll enjoy some compensation thanks to a transmission tunnel that won’t impact too much on legroom.

Remember, this is a car with the same footprint as a family hatchback but, because of the additional height – it’s 1,590mm tall compared to a Golf, which stands at 1,452mm – it offers considerably more room.

The boot is impressive, offering 430 litres of luggage space. It has a false floor – with storage below where you can stow the parcel shelf – that also doubles as a load divider. Folding the rear seats flat liberates 1,585 litres.

There’s plenty of storage space in the cabin too with a good-sized glovebox and plenty of cubby holes for your odds and ends.

Now you’re familiar with the layout let’s get behind the wheel.

From here you’ll learn that all the instrumentation is logically laid out and all the switchgear has a nice solid feel to it.

The infotainment system is excellent. The touchscreen is responsive, the display crisp and the menu system easy to navigate. The physical buttons that flank the screen are a little on the small side. Equipment levels are generous and on Acenta models you get climate control, Bluetooth handsfree and audio streaming (pairing a phone was a piece of cake), automatic lights and wipers.

The diesel engine under the bonnet of my test car provided decent performance and feels lively and willing on the road. It’s aided by the slick gear box with its well-spaced ratios.

The cabin is well insulated too, with tyre, wind and engine noise at a minimum, even at high speed.

The Qashqai maintains its composure in corners, with direct, nicely-weighted steering offering decent levels of feedback so you exploit what is a reasonable amount of grip.

Nissan’s torque vectoring system – which brakes individual wheels to reduce understeer and produce a more positive turn-in – gives the