Test drive Nissan Qashqai
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Qashqai also belongs to the two mentioned classes in terms of its size, its length is quite good 4 meters. As a result, it is slightly roomier on the inside than the classic C-segment car, while at the same time it is more driver-friendly on the outside than SUVs (say the Toyota RAV3).
Nissan firmly believes that the Qashqai is not an SUV. Not even close. It's just an interestingly designed passenger car that you could wish for with all-wheel drive that stands a little off the ground. So it sits more in the car than off-road, but the seating areas of the entry (and exit) seats are still high enough to make it more comfortable than in "classic" passenger cars.
Qashqai will fill the gap between Nota and X-Trail in Nissan's sales program and will also be included in the price. Hint: you can get it for 17.900 euros, but the best choice would be a version costing a little less than 20 thousand euros with a base 1-liter gasoline engine (capacity of 6 “horsepower”), but with a slightly better package. Tekna (which already includes automatic air conditioning). In this case, only ESP will need to be paid extra, as it will only belong to higher equipment packages.
The equipment packages, as is customary in Nissan, will be called Visia, Tekna, Tekna Pack and Premium, and this time Accent will not be the designation of the equipment package, but only in design (in materials and colors), a slightly different, but equally equipped cabin.
The interior of the Qashqai is dominated by black (or dark) tones, but the materials used are of sufficient quality (both in appearance and feel) that this does not interfere, at least on first experience. The steering wheel is (however) adjustable in height and depth in all versions, there is sufficient longitudinal movement of the front seats, there are no open and easily accessible places for small items, and the rear bench (divided) folds in one movement. (only the backrest folds) and the Qashqai thus gets up to 1.513 liters of flat-bottom luggage space (but slightly higher loading height due to the vehicle's higher ground clearance). Because it's slightly longer than its competitors in the class (with which it's otherwise comparable in price), the base boot size is also among the larger 410 liters.
Qashqai will be available with four engines. At the start of sales (this will happen in mid-March), under an interestingly folded hood there will be two petrol or one diesel. In addition to the already mentioned 1-liter petrol four-cylinder engine (it is similar to, say, a Micra SR or Note), there is also a new two-liter four-cylinder engine that was first used in the Japanese Lafesta model (It is also the first Nissan or Renault car created on a new platform C, and Qashqai is the second car built on this basis) and is capable of developing 6 horsepower.
The first kilometers showed that the Qashqai, with its mass and front surface, is quite easy to handle (the 1-liter engine, which we were not able to test, will be much heavier here), but it has a quiet and quiet operation.
Diesel fans will be able to get a 106-horsepower version of Renault's famous 1-liter dCi engine at launch (we couldn't verify that either) and a 5-horsepower XNUMX-liter dCi. will be available in June. The latter proved that Qashqaia is easy to move around, but cannot boast of low noise levels. Interestingly, the difference in price between the weaker gasoline engine and the diesel will be about two thousand euros, which could strongly tip the scales in favor of the gasoline engine and make it the more salable Qashqai model.
Both weaker engines will only be available in combination with front-wheel drive (petrol with a five- and diesel with a six-speed manual transmission), while the more powerful one will be available with two- or four-wheel drive (petrol with a six-speed manual or continuously variable transmission). gears). transmission variator, and diesel with six-speed mechanics) or classic automatic transmissions).
The All Mode 4×4 all-wheel drive system is already known from the Murano and X-Trail, but that means the engine mainly drives the front wheels. Using a rotary knob on the center console, the driver can choose whether front-wheel drive is permanent or allows the car to send up to 50% of torque to the rear wheelset as needed. The third option is a "locked" four-wheel drive, in which the engine torque is divided in a constant ratio of 57 to 43.
The front suspension of the Qashqai is a classic spring-loaded cross-rail mount, while at the rear, Nissan engineers have opted for a multi-link axle with inwardly sloping shock absorbers. The upper transverse rails are made of aluminum (which saves four kilograms of unsprung weight), and the entire rear axle (like the front) is attached to the subframe. The power steering is, as usual lately, of the electric variety, which means (as is the case lately) the feedback is a little small, so coordination with vehicle speed is good both at high speeds and in urban environments. ... ...
There is no doubt that the Qashqai will spend most of its life on the city streets (and after the first experience in the constantly busy Barcelona, it drives them well), but because of the chassis design and the possibility of buying four-seat cars. All-wheel-drive won't be put off by slippery or wobbly feet - and with the right amount of off-road capability, it can brag. This can be a big advantage for clients.
First impression
Appearance 4/5
At first glance, an SUV, but not an overly exuberant variety. He bears little resemblance to (cute) Murano.
Engines 3/5
The two-liter diesel is too loud, both weaker engines are likely to have lower performance. Something is missing in the middle.
Interior and equipment 4/5
The equipment is quite rich, only the color combinations of the interior can be brighter.
Price 4/5
Already, the starting price is pleasant and the equipment is rich. Diesels are much more expensive than gas stations.
First class 4/5
The Qashqai will appeal to those who want to look like an SUV (and somewhat happily), but don't like the weaknesses and compromises that have to be made with a classic SUV.
Dusan Lukic
Photo: Factory
