Winning formula
Nissan can fairly claim its original 2007 Qashqai original invented the idea of a tall hatch – as opposed to a lowered SUV. Its proposition: more room and image than a hatchback, for little sacrifice in economy and dynamics. I said it would fail. Even Nissan wasn’t all that confident. Yet it promptly started selling at three times Nissan’s prediction. The idea simply caught fire.
Nowadays about half of cars sold this size are crossovers. The Nissan is still the best seller among all the subsequent rivals. It’s designed, engineered and made in Britain, and it has accounted for one in five of all the cars made in this country since 2007. And here’s an all-new one. Seldom was the cliche ‘no pressure then’ more heavily freighted.
Nissan’s been careful not to upset a winning formula. So it’s bigger, but only slightly. Sharper to look at, but still recognisable. More sophisticated in its electronics and driver assist, but still straightforward and intuitive to operate. It’s obsessively developed to slot into urban family life.
Diesel engines are history. At launch, all the grunt work is done by a 1.3 petrol. I’m in the higher-power 156bhp manual FWD. Overall weight hasn’t risen because the body is 60kg lighter: bonnet, doors and front wings are aluminium and the tailgate is plastic. The little engine is just about plucky enough. Low down, its mild-hybrid kick masks the lag. Higher up it’ll joust in the motorway overtaking lane provided you hold your nerve.
The suspension is taut, the ride busy but not harsh. There’s some lateral shuffling over uneven roads, too. It doesn’t feel embarrassed in corners, resisting roll and squeal well enough. It doesn’t vouchsafe its driver much recreation, but for a crossover it’s fine.
It feels all-of-a-piece and wobble-free. Suspension, body, steering column and seats are mounted together with solid integrity. All of which gives it a sense of quality that even some of the ‘premium’ crossovers can’t match.
As it moves into gen three, rivals have marshalled their forces to chip away at the Qq. A Peugeot 3008 has the cabin quality, a Skoda Karoq the practicality, a Citroen C5 Aircross the family friendly seats, a Mini Countryman the driver appeal. In such a congested class, nothing can hope to be across-the-board champ. But for the family buyers the Qashqai is laser-focused on, it’s hard to argue against. Besides, a vast number of existing Qashqai owners are ready for a trade in. They’ll slide right in to the new one.