The Nissan Qashqai represents what many petrolheads hate: electrified technology-filled crossovers. But for Nissan, they’ve struck gold with it. With the Japanese brand selling 335,000 in just over three years, it’s their clear best seller and Nissan’s Sunderland Plant has pumped out more than 1.3 million of them since 2007. The new Qashqai has upgrades across the board in Nissan’s quest to garner more market share in the hotly contested crossover segment.
A Striking Design
Nissan has elected a sharp exterior design for the new crossover. The bold front grille is reportedly inspired by the patterns of ancient Japanese armour scales, whilst the headlights add to the sharp, modern look.
At the rear, the sleek design continues – although it’s not so dramatic. The rear lights have four individual elements, which supposedly mimic the front grille and are a new shade, known as “super red”. The new N-Design grade replaces some of the gloss black with the body colour, whilst it also features unique 20-inch alloys. The Qashqai’s design is definitely striking and will likely turn a few heads, especially in Fuji Red or the new Dark Ocean, although I’m not sure this new colour will get pedestrians asking: “Is that Qashqai blue or maybe green?” as Nissan claims it will.
A Plush Interior
Nissan has revised the interior as well as the exterior, although the changes inside aren’t quite as radical. The two highest trim levels, N-Design and Tekna+, receive Alcantara on the dashboard, door inserts, door armrests, centre storage console lid and even the knee pads. The top-spec model features quilted leather seats, whilst the N-Design gets these with Alcantara inserts as well. Upper grades get ambient lighting, which uses LEDs to change the interior aesthetic and can be controlled through the central touchscreen.
An Innovative Powertrain: e-POWER
The Qashqai’s headline powertrain is Nissan’s own e-POWER system. Using a turbocharged 3-cylinder engine to generate electricity, the Qashqai then uses that power when driving. This means the driving experience is similar to that of an EV, mainly because it’s quiet and torque is almost instant, but e-POWER also brings regen baked in and the ability to drive with just the accelerator. The key to e-POWER’s smoothness is that there is no gearbox and the wheels are only driven by the engine, meaning this system is a lot simpler than a conventional plug-in hybrid powertrain. However, if you still prefer combustion power, there is a mild hybrid available although it appears that these are the only two powertrains offerings at present.
Assistants and Assistance
The new Qashqai features plenty of tech, all with varying degrees of necessity. The Around View Monitor uses cameras around the car to help the driver squeeze in and out of tight spaces and see where the wheels are positioned. The ‘Parking Spot Location Memory’ remembers frequent parking spots using GPS and allows the car to fit perfectly into the spot by remembering its precise location. The Autonomous Emergency Brake function is now more reactive than before, whilst, to the annoyance of many, the Emergency Lane Keep System is now automatically activated. This being said, Nissan has now made it easier to disable this by placing a shortcut to the Driver Assist Custom Mode on the steering wheel.
Now, onto the voice assistants. The new Qashqai is the first Nissan with Google built-in. This brings the Google Assistant for voice controls, as well as inbuilt Google Maps. Not enough? Qashqai customers with a data plan subscription can also access the Alexa voice assistant as well. The best of the connected features on the Qashqai is probably their own Connected Services, which can warn the driver if they have left the windows open or the car unlocked. The driver can then close the windows and lock the car via the app, which will also warn owners if the car has been towed or is suspected to be stolen. It can then be immobilised and the authorities will be informed of it.
More Popular Than Ever?
The Qashqai has grown enormously in popularity due to the recent crossover craze, taking the crown as the UK’s best-selling car in 2022. Upgrades across the make it even more desirable and are exactly what consumers are looking for. The e-POWER option also serves as a great stepping stone into electric vehicles. The future is bright for the Qashqai as it takes another giant leap forward.
