If you’re in the market for a family hatch, why not look at a Nissan Qashqai? Hold your horses, I hear you say, the Nissan Qashqai is not a family hatch. However, when Nissan launched the original Qashqai, it intended to create a niche sector but, in doing so, became a direct rival to the Ford Focus and VW Golf. Why? Well, Nissan ended production of the Almera and Primera, and then launched the Qashqai as a new way to attract sales and it worked… Performance 3.5/5 We had the 113bhp 1.2 DIG-T petrol engine. Even though it may be small in size, this engine has 190Nm of torque meaning performance figures are fairly respectable. This version of the Qashqai will reach 62mph in 11.3 seconds from a standing start and has a top speed of 114mph. Ride and Handling 4/5 Two words sum up the Qashqai for me - not bad. The Qashqai is actually not too shabby when it comes to weighing up its ride and handling traits, although it’s no match for a Ford Focus. In the true sense of the word, the Qashqai’s direct rivals include cars like VW’s Tiguan, Ford’s Kuga and BMW’s X1.The Nissan Qashqai is not as good to drive as the Ford Kuga or the BMW X1 but it is above average. Cornering can be decent fun while body roll is pretty standard for a car of this size. Ride comfort is impressive as the suspension soaks up the vast majority of undulations on the road network. And refinement is also a positive, blocking out wind, engine and road roar from infiltrating the cabin – overall, passengers will be pleased at the levels of comfort that the Qashqai offers. Interior 3.5/5 If you are familiar with the original version of the car, then you’ll notice a dramatic change on the inside. The quality of the materials used has gone up a couple of notches - still not the best in class - but a major improvement over the scratchy plastics on show in the previous iteration. As with most new cars, gone is the traditional handbrake, replaced with an electronic one, apparently down to customer feedback. We still prefer the traditional bar but sales say otherwise. Wider (20mm), longer (47mm) and 15mm lower dimensions give the second-generation Qashqai more space meaning comfort levels are up for the driver and passenger. This also translates into a larger boot; load space has increased by 20 litres taking the total size to 430 litres with the seats in place and when folded this expands to 1,585 litres. Enough to fit a bike and a couple of bags in. The boot space is equivalent to that of a VW Tiguan give or take 40 litres in the Tiguan’s favour. However, fold the seats tand the Qashqai has more space as the Tiguan expands to 1,510. That means the Qashqai 75 litres more space when the seats are folded. Nissan offers the Qashqai in four trims: Visia, Acenta, Acenta Premium and Tekna. Our car was in Acenta trim with highlights including aircon, hill start assist, cruise control and a five-inch infotainment screen. Costs 4/5 On the costs front, the 1.2-litre petrol is fairly frugal averaging 50.4mpg and emitting 129g/km of C02 emissions. Our version of the Qashqai starts from £19,580. Verdict 4/5 The Nissan Qashqai has evolved with this drastically improved second-gen model offering more efficient engines, low emissions and more style. The interior is much better than before, too. The previous car created a whole new sector, and this raises the bar even further – and is sure to win even more conquest sales from prestige badges.
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