Paul Murrell tests the 2019 Nissan Qashqai with pricing, specs, ride and handling, safety, verdict and everything the over-50 driver needs to know.
Summary: It used to be called the Dualis, but the name change hasn’t hurt sales of this appealing not-quite-mid-size SUV.
2019 Nissan Qashqai
Pricing: $37,990 (Ti) plus on road costs (range starts from $26,490) (towards the upper end in this class)
Warranty: 5-years, unlimited kilometres, with five-year roadside assist (Nissan has joined the 5-year warranty crowd)
Safety: five-star ANCAP (2017 date stamped)
Engine: 2.0-litre DOHC 16-valve petrol four-cylinder
Power: 106kW @ 6000rpm
Torque: 200Nm @ 4400rpm
Transmission: CVT (continuously variable transmission) (not usually one of our favourites, but this one is a good one)
Drive: front wheel drive
Body: 4394mm (L), 1806mm (W), 1595 (H)
Tyre size: 225/45 R19
Boot capacity: 430 litres to 1598 litres
Weight: 1429kg
Turning circle: not stated
Towing: 1200kg (braked), 729kg (unbraked)
Spare: space saver temporary
Fuel tank: 65 litres (bigger than usual, so better range)
Thirst: 6.9L/100km (CVT, combined, 91 RON or higher unleaded recommended)
seniordriver consumption: 6.9L/100km over 425km
[review]
NISSAN WAS ONE of the first car companies to offer a range of SUVs and the model once called the Dualis, and now rebadged as the Qashqai, has been one of most successful for the brand, selling an impressive 38,000 locally between 2014 and October 2017.
The latest upgrade will ensure that it continues to sell strongly.
Strong pricing may cost some sales
We are testing the top-of-the-range Ti model. The Qashqai range arrived in Australia in December 2017, but the range topper didn’t get here until June last year. In the interim, the fort was held by the N-Tec model which will now be dropped (the reason for the delay in bringing in the Ti was Nissan’s desire to ensure it had all the driver-assistance technologies)
At $37,990 (plus on road costs), the Ti certainly isn’t in bargain basement country and will find itself competing against some very strong opposition, including the Honda HR-V VTi-LX, Hyundai Kona Highlander, Toyota CH-R Koba, Subaru XV and Skoda Karoq. The Nissan’s $38k price tag is higher than all of these top-end variants. And the Subaru includes all-wheel drive in its lower price, and some of the others in AWD guise are still cheaper than the 2WD Qashqai.
The good news is that the premium price gets you a well-equipped vehicle that includes Nappa leather trim, keyless entry and push-button start, adaptive cruise control, LED adaptive headlights with high beam assist, fixed panoramic sunroof with powered shade and attractive 19-inch alloy wheels. As befits the price, the Ti also gets memory driver’s seat, power adjustment for the passenger seat, ambient interior lighting, auto dimming rear view mirror, rain-sensing wipers and dual-zone climate control.
Like lesser variants, there is also a 7-0-inch touchscreen navigation system, digital radio, LED daytime running lights and tail lights, six-way power seat adjustment for the driver, heated front seats, 360-degree camera system with moving object detection, heated and folding power-operated side mirrors, privacy glass in the rear, six-speaker audio system and leather highlights on the steering wheel and gearshift.
Attractive exterior styling
Designing a small SUV that stands out from the crowd is a difficult trick, but the Qashqai designers have pulled it off.
The styling is neat, with sufficient styling cues to give the Qashqai character, but not so outrageous as to polarise opinion.
The hero colour in the range is a striking Vivid Blue, but it will cost you a $495 premium (as will Platinum, Gun Metallic, Night Shade and Magnetic Red – Ivory Pearl and Pearl Black don’t incur a price penalty). The blue works well on the Qashqai, showing off the black lower body cladding and silver roof rails to advantage.
Most people (us included) often mistake the Qashqai for its larger X-Trail sibling.
Gimmick-free interior
For some time, Nissans were let down by unimaginative interiors but the Qashqai interior shouldn’t offend anybody, or, particularly on the Ti, leave you feeling short-changed. The first impression is of a sober, well-considered design, and the materials used feel perhaps even better than the price would imply.
For some reason, the seating position in the Qashqai is high, and even setting the seat at its lowest possible setting, you still feel like you are perched on the seat rather than sitting down in it. Of course, a high seating position is one of the reasons people buy SUVs, so it may not be a problem for them.
The black colour scheme isn’t overwhelming, and the controls and switchgear are all where you expect to find them and clearly marked. A real bonus for aging eyes is the use of an easily readable font in a large size. Most people will quickly feel at home in the interior.
One feature that really is due for an update is the infotainment system. There’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and the graphics have that old-fashioned look that modern computers have moved on from. And there’s no head-up display. But it all works as it should and isn’t difficult to master.
Digital radio (DAB+) is always welcome (although typically, it drops out fairly quickly once you leave suburbia).
Good interior space
The Qashqai is a little difficult to pigeonhole – it’s larger than most small SUVs, but not quite as big as most mid-size SUVs.
Being larger than some other SUVs delivers good interior space. The back seat even manages to provide useful headroom, despite the panoramic sunroof’s space-stealing characteristics, but three fully-grown adults will feel squeezed and won’t want to spend any more time back there than they have to. The lack of rear air vents will also add to their discomfort.
There are ISOfix fittings on the two outer seats and a top tether on the centre seat.
Safety is well taken care of
Nissan’s decision to hold off on releasing the Ti until it could be offered with a full suite of driver assistance features was a sensible one.
The Qashqai scores a five-star ANCAP rating (date stamped 2017), but be aware that the score is based on results achieved in Euro NCAP tests rather than local testing.
Luggage space will meet most needs
Appearances to the contrary, the boot space in the Qashqai sits towards the top of the class with 430 litres. Drop the rear seats (60:40 split) and you can free up close to 1600 litres.
Clever ideas include underfloor storage compartments (always good for keeping valuables out of sight) and they have the added advantage of keeping smaller items secured.
Not so laudable is the space saver spare, but to be fair, Nissan is far from alone in not offering a full-size spare wheel.
Engine outputs a little disappointing
Nissan’s naturally-aspirated 2-litre petrol engine (the diesel is no longer available) makes a less-than-exciting 106kW at 6000rpm and 200Nm at 4400rpm. Plenty of competitive vehicles in the class comfortably exceed these numbers.
However, it’s an engine that will be easy to live with on a day-to-day basis. You certainly won’t feel left behind in traffic and even on the open road, overtaking presents no real challenges. At the national speed limit, the engine is turning over at around 2000rpm and long-distance cruising is relaxed as a result. As always, the large 19-inch wheels and corresponding low-profile tyres can be a little harsh, exacerbated by the slightly firm suspension settings.
The CVT transmission (only the entry-level ST is offered with a manual gearbox) is well-matched to the engine and it isn’t as prone to slurring up and down the rev range like many of its ilk. As revs rise towards the red line, the engine starts sounding very busy and empathetic drivers will avoid the upper limits of the tacho.
The Qashqai suffers from one of our favourite bugbears: cruise control does not maintain the set speed on long downhill stretches, necessitating either regular applications of the brake (which disables the cruise control) or using the manual downchange to get some engine braking.
Another grizzle concerns the so-called Intelligent Lane Intervention System. Like so many similar systems, it panics at the slightest indication that you are moving towards the limit of your lane. As a consequence, particularly on country roads, most people will probably switch it off. And it goes without saying that a driver assistance function can’t assist a driver if it has been switched off.
Worth a compliment is the larger-than-average 65-litre fuel tank. The Qashqai is happy to run on 91 octane fuel and over 450km, we matched the claimed combined fuel consumption of 6.9L/100km. That means a useful range (or, alternatively, less regular visits to the local service station). Another omission that some may say is a good thing is stop/start technology – it’s another one of those extras that many owners automatically disable.
Affordable motoring, and peace of mind
Nissan was a little tardy coming to the party with a longer warranty, but now offers a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, combined with five years of complimentary roadside assist.
Scheduled servicing needs to be carried out every 10,000km or 12 months (whichever comes first) which is a little more often than some others, many of whom now recommend servicing every 15,000km. However, capped price servicing applies for the first six visits (up to 72 months or 60,000km, again, whichever comes first).
Service costs are $226, $309, $236, $435, $245 and $339, which all sound more than reasonable.
Summary
The top-spec Qashqai will appeal to a broad cross-section of buyers willing to overlook the slightly high price.
Given that it’s slightly larger than small SUVs and slightly smaller than medium SUVs, it may be a classic Goldilocks case of “just right”.