Photo: original image by autoevolution
The Nissan Qashqai is definitely a fan of Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic” track - when the first generation came around in 2006, many laughed at the weird animals called crossovers, while nowadays a growing number of consumers looks at a car in dismissal if this is not a crossover.
You won’t hear the Japanese automaker complaining though. Nissan studied the phenomenon they helped become popular to the tiniest of details, coming up with a super-balanced approachfor the 2014 Qashqai.
This time around, the CUV comes almost entirely from Europe. The second generation of the Qashqai is engineered in Cranfield (UK) and Barcelona (Spain), designed in London, while the factory that puts it together is located in Sunderland (UK). Yes, Nissan's people over in Atsugi, Japan, did have a hand in this, but their input was minimal.
The platform is all-new and we’re talking about the Renault Nissan Alliance Common Module Family (CMF) architecture. This will be shared with over a dozen models from the two brands, but, in the Qashqai at least, it makes for a solid yet colourless drive.
Yes, there’s no emotion whatsoever in the way the Qashqai drives, but this is about the only important flaw we found with the Nissan. In fact, the QQ, as our guest editor Mary likes to call it, is our pick in the non-premium crossover segment.
The serenity of the drive is particularly impressive here. Even at highway speeds, the soundproofing is excellent. Factor in the considerably improved cabin, which mixes a decent design with plenty of room and you end up with a proper partner for long trips.
Nissan’s Qashqai works just as well inside the city. This is the part where you’ll enjoy its ease of driving. As far as the driving part is concerned, there’s absolutely no compromise you have to make due to choosing this CUV over one of Europe’s much-loved hatchbacks.
We spent the most time in a model powered by the new 1.6 dCi diesel, which happens to be our choice of the range. The 1.5 dCi feels a bit behind the rest of the car, while the tame character of the Qashqai really doesn’t require a petrol engine.
When it come to the price, as well as to other details of the crossover, we’ll talk about these in our 2014 Nissan Qashqai review.
This time around, the CUV comes almost entirely from Europe. The second generation of the Qashqai is engineered in Cranfield (UK) and Barcelona (Spain), designed in London, while the factory that puts it together is located in Sunderland (UK). Yes, Nissan's people over in Atsugi, Japan, did have a hand in this, but their input was minimal.
The platform is all-new and we’re talking about the Renault Nissan Alliance Common Module Family (CMF) architecture. This will be shared with over a dozen models from the two brands, but, in the Qashqai at least, it makes for a solid yet colourless drive.
Yes, there’s no emotion whatsoever in the way the Qashqai drives, but this is about the only important flaw we found with the Nissan. In fact, the QQ, as our guest editor Mary likes to call it, is our pick in the non-premium crossover segment.
The serenity of the drive is particularly impressive here. Even at highway speeds, the soundproofing is excellent. Factor in the considerably improved cabin, which mixes a decent design with plenty of room and you end up with a proper partner for long trips.
Nissan’s Qashqai works just as well inside the city. This is the part where you’ll enjoy its ease of driving. As far as the driving part is concerned, there’s absolutely no compromise you have to make due to choosing this CUV over one of Europe’s much-loved hatchbacks.
We spent the most time in a model powered by the new 1.6 dCi diesel, which happens to be our choice of the range. The 1.5 dCi feels a bit behind the rest of the car, while the tame character of the Qashqai really doesn’t require a petrol engine.
When it come to the price, as well as to other details of the crossover, we’ll talk about these in our 2014 Nissan Qashqai review.
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