Time to ‘urban proof’ yourself

NISSAN QASHQAI: THE NAME IS A MOUTHFUL, BUT IT’S ECONOMICAL AND GOOD LOOKING

My first encounter with the original Nissan Qashqai (no, I don’t know how to pronounce it either) was about 10 years ago and I was ready to hate it.

As the recent, and exceedingly proud owner of a very offroad-capable SUV (a Subaru Forester), I used to get cross with people who would buy the softest of “soft roaders” – the sort of cars which look all butch and capable, yet can do little more than mount the proverbial Sandton pavement. The Qashqai was the epitome of the suburban SUV craze which was just then starting to take off.

My criticisms of soft roaders at that time – and, note, most have improved by leaps and bounds since then – was that they wallowed around corners, didn’t handle or brake well and were sluggish when it came to acceleration, never mind being thirstier than a sedan equivalent.

And that first Qashqai comprehensively blew away my biases.

It was well-made, economical (even the petrol-engined version) and pretty good looking. But the clincher was the way it handled – sharp, tight and not far off what you expect from a good hatchback, despite the increase in height.

The latest Qashqai has continued where its predecessors left off. Nowadays, Nissan doesn’t even hint at any gravel scrabbling role for the Qashqai – it no longer offers all-wheel-drive in any variant, for example – positioning it instead as a vehicle with which you can “urban proof” yourself. Very clever.

And it is a great car for the city – whether you’re a young up-andcomer or a family … or even an empty-nester like me.

Like all Nissans, it is built well (I always half expect a Samurai warrior to be sent to a Nissan production line to sort out the responsible worker if the company receives quality complaints).

It also seems to have gone a bit upmarket from the first version and the cabin is now a really high-class place, one in which you don’t mind spending time.

Being a Japanese vehicle, everything is laid out logically and controls are light and easy to use.

This last attribute is not to be sniffed at. Heavy steering is not sporty, it’s just plain irritating. Ditto with heavy manual gearboxes. The Qashqai is burdened with neither and is an especially pleasant companion in city traffic, even in the version with a clutch.

The manual gearbox is the way to go for me in this car, because the auto alternative is a CVT (Constant Velocity Transmission) which can whine and make the engine scream, all in the name of supposed fuel efficiency.

It is interesting to compare the acceleration and top speed figures from Nissan’s official specs for the Qashqai. These clearly show the CVT robs the car of a significant amount of performance.

The version we had on test was the top-spec 1.5 DCi Tekna, which is powered by the tried and tested 1.5 litre diesel, which makes 81kW and a really useful 260Nm or torque.

It is the latter which gives you the meaty mid-range grunt for overtaking. Because it’s a diesel, it is really frugal and I got under 7 litres per 100km in urban driv- ing and just over 5l/100km on the highway – and I wasn’t even trying hard. In this day and age, with fuel costs becoming an increasing burden, that is something to bear in mind.

The Qashqai’s petrol engine is a 1.2 litre turbo which promises decent economy – but, from experience, you have to thrash it more because of the small capacity, so your fuel usage might be a bit less than the official Nissan figure.

In the Tekna version, you get the bells of whistles of driver assistance systems, including blind spot warning – which will beep and flash a light in the mirror if there is a car in your blind spot.

Because I’ve driven a lot of cars, people often ask me for my opinion on what to buy. Ten years ago, I would have instantly, and only, recommended a Subaru. If you’re in the market for a family SUV today, don’t put your money down until you’ve tried the Qashqai.

It is a great car for the city