THE new Nissan Qashqai is here and it’s one of the most popular Nissans in Mzansi!
Nissan claims to have sold two million of the first generation Qashqai all over the world and the second generation looks like another big hit waiting to happen for the Japanese carmaker.
Its crisp design makes it slightly bigger than before and new technology includes LED daytime driving lights. Premium versions get full LED lighting.
The overall size is longer, wider but lower which improves interior head, shoulder and leg room with 430 litres of boot space.
There is a new intuitive interface display which allows drivers to customise and adjust settings of the car’s functions. Drivers can change how early or late the automatic headlights switch on to when the three-flash indicators need to activated.
Other display features include Bluetooth and USB connections. The USB is also a faster charging port.
There are a number of driver assistance features included:
- Front collision avoidance
- Driver attention support
- Traffic sign recognition
- Lane departure warning
- Moving object detection
- High beam assist
- Intelligent park assist
- Blind spot warning
- Intelligent emergency braking
- Around view monitor – also called helicopter view
According to Nissan, the newest Qashqai is up to 40kg lighter than before and the engine range consists of new turbocharged units.
Kicking off the petrol line-up is a new 1,2-litre DIG-T turbopetrol that uses an average of 5,6 litres of fuel every 100km over start-stop city driving and open road cruising.
There is a 1,6-litre turbo-charged unit that also uses the same amount of fuel as the 1,2-litre DIG-T turbopetrol.
Two turbodiesel models are available too. One is the 1,5-litre dCi engine that uses 3,8 litres of fuel every 100km. The other is the 1,6-litre dCi that sips 4,4 litres every 100km.
Depending on which engine is selected, the Qashqai is fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox or new Xtronic continuously-variable-transmission gearbox.
The starter Qashqai sells for R343 500 but various customised features and versions cost more.