Nissan revealed its face-lifted Qashqai compact crossover SUV to Ireland in late October 2024 refreshed both inside and out. Qashqai has always been very popular with Irish families for its compact size and practicality. The model has been produced by the Japanese car manufacturer since 2006 with the second generation in 2014 while the third and latest generation was launched in 2021. Qashqai is positioned between the Juke and X-Trail SUV in Nissan’s crossover SUV line-up. This version keeps the same dimensions as its predecessor - an overall length of 4,425mm, wheelbase of 2,665mm which allows for good interior space front and back and boot capacity of 504 litres that can be expanded to 1,447 litres.
The sharp new design is quite eye-catching, especially in the mid grey exterior colour of my review car. The restyle includes a new brand identity of logos and font, a reshaped front grille and LED-enhanced front and rear lamps, a new rear bumper and new alloy wheel designs - in this case very smart looking 19-inch diamond cut alloy wheels.
The well-finished interior gets new seat designs and some nice new materials including soft-touch Alcantara upholstery across dash and doors. However, for me the interior needs a bit more relief from the black headliner and the dark PVC and burnt-umber inserts around the cabin. The huge sunroof stretches back to over the heads of the rear passengers and allows those in the rear to see the stars on a clear night. It can also tilt open.
Seats proved extremely comfy; the driver’s has 8-way power adjustments with lumbar support and two seat memory settings; the passenger’s seat just has manual adjustments. Front seats can slide, recline and tilt.
The main feature is the long 12.3-inch central touchscreen. The infotainment system has Google built-in services. However, you have to go through a few sub menus to access some settings - swiping across for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Google Assistant, and Nissan Connect Services. Alternatively, you can just use voice command saying ‘Hey Google’ to get the feature you want without fuss!
There are knobs for volume control, air conditioning and for climate controls.
The traditional large instrument cluster with two ‘busy’ dials shows all relevant information, but the big Head Up Display on the windscreen shows your current speed very clearly so you don’t have to take your eyes off the road.
There’s a wireless phone charger on the dash and two small C-type USBs with two more in the back. Rear doors open wide to allow using child seats with ease. Adults here enjoy quite good head and legroom, the former despite the slope of the roof and the end of the sunroof. The middle seat back lowers as an armrest with a pair of cupholders inserted. The tailgate is power-operated and the boot has a variable floor to allow you maximise load space and full marks to Nissan for the temporary spare below the floor.
Grades are SV, SV Premium, SV Tech (my review car), and SVE. Features on my car included Hill Start Assist and Auto Hold, Intelligent Front Emergency Braking with pedestrians, cyclist and junction assist, Forward Collision Warning, a dusk sensor, good blind spot monitors on side mirrors, rear parking sensors, and an excellent 3D Around View Monitor giving a 360deg view all around your car - you can split the screen for close ups of the front, rear and kerbside views when parking. Options were a Cold Pack at €600 of heated seats/windshield/steering wheel, a BOSE Premium sound system at €850, metallic paint €700 or two-tone paint at €1,000.
Driving modes are Sport, Standard and Eco.
The range includes this 1.3 138hp four-cylinder Mild Hybrid petrol version matched to a user-friendly 6-speed manual transmission, and a CVT automatic version which is €3,500 more expensive to buy. An e-Power variant uses a petrol engine to charge the battery that powers the electric motor to drive the wheels. It was easy to get a good driving position and I enjoyed driving the car on all types of roads, appreciating the quietness of the powertrain and the comfort onboard. While the claimed fuel consumption is circa 6.1 L/100kms, my average fuel consumption varied from 6.5 to 7.5 L/100kms depending on routes travelled, still good for such a small-engined motor. The car can go from 0-100km/h in 9.5 seconds. Annual road tax is €270.
This third generation of the model was awarded a maximum five stars for safety by Euro NCAP when launched in 2021.
Qashqai is named after the Qashqai people, a Turkic people who live in mountainous Central and Southwestern Iran.
This car is priced from €46,300, the CVT automatic version is from €49,800. Prices exclude dealer delivery related charges.
