As far as I know, I do not have any children. But driving the QashQai for a few days makes me think I wouldn’t mind. Everything about this car screams happy family.
Initially, I didn’t know what the QashQai (pronounced cash-kai) is meant to be. I’m not being simple, I knew it was meant to be a car. The replacement for the bland Almera. But it is also something new. It is not a gas-guzzling 4x4. It is not a bland family barge like your Dad had and much to the relief of lots of parents, it is not another MPV. So what is it? Well I don’t think anyone has actually come up with a category title for it, so I’m going to. You’ve heard of the family hatchback category. Well this is the happy family category.
You have to jump up into this car. I think the extra exertion compared to dropping into a hatchback must trigger an endorphin rush that makes you feel good. Because as you pull away, the cheap feel of the gearshift doesn’t register. What does register is how light, airy and cheery the car feels. You also notice the nice design treatment of the dials and the quality of the dashboard and controls.
It is sprightly, despite having only a small diesel engine. The high driving position gives you great visibility without feeling like you are in an ostentatious 4x4. When you see a parking space the good turning lock and light steering mean you can just swing in. Mums and Dads used to keeping the kids quiet whilst attempting to parallel park will like this enormously.
Driving around suburbia, speed bumps and surfaces beginning to break-up reveal a Nissan weak spot. These minor obstacles seem like a big deal to the Nissan running gear. The car thumps off the bumps and grumbles over the poor road surfaces. It feels like some components are just not very solid. The more expensive Nissan Navara is the same.
Out of town and in my case, hacking down the A2 towards Kent, the driver’s controls prove to be well-though out. I simultaneously used the steering wheel controls to find something worthwhile on the radio and set the cruise control for a contra-flow full of speed cameras. This was all made very easy by the design and location of the buttons. As I set the cruise control however, I wondered if the engine was a little unrefined at cruising speed. And did it lack reserve power like a much smaller car?
Not at all, it was driver error. The gates on the gearbox, as with many Nissans in the range, are very close together. I was so busy playing with the radio that I had picked up 4th rather than 6th. It sounds like a learner’s error. But if you buy a QashQai, I promise you at around 50 mph, on some wet afternoon, you will make the same mistake.
Putting the car into the correct gear, the engine continues to perform sublimely. It is handy about town and sufficiently refined and smooth when outside. Once past the M25, the A2 has its fair share of roundabouts and if you approach them briskly, whilst the QashQai will make it round, it takes lot of steering input. But, if you are carrying little people you shouldn’t be approaching roundabouts briskly; it will only result in Capri-sun being spilt and smarties lost under seats.
Having been very brave with the overall conept, Nissan have wisely kept all the basics simple and effective. All the seats are comfortable, even over longer journeys. The boot is ample for a family’s needs and loading is easy with no high lips.
Despite all this practicality, the car feels young at heart. It is full of nice touches, like the elliptical dial clusters and fins on the bonnet that catch your eye as you drive.
Summary
The QashQai is the definition of a modern family car for people that don’t want an old-fashioned estate or MPV. It is built to a price, but that price is very affordable when new.
On the used market, depreciation seems steady and slight, so both early sellers and nearly new buyers should be pleased.
Road test car details:
Nissan QashQai
1.5 dci
OTR from: £13,699
0-60: 12.2
MPG: 52.3
CO2: 145
Words: Matthew Tumbridge