It was just a decade ago when Nissan unleashed its curious Qashqai upon us. With its high hatch, it claims to have created the Crossover segment and it sort of did, didn't it? Looking like a typical hatchback if somewhat raised, and over the course of its history receiving a 'plus 2' configuration, going from affordable compact utility vehicle to almost-premium levels of kit and trim, the Qashqai has been a great success. It's Nissan's urban flagship and let’s be honest with the demise of the Sentra and Tiida a C and B Segment styled city car was needed.
We got to experience the new Qashqai through the urban sprawl between Oliver Tambo Airport, through Pretoria and back to downtown Johannesburg. A great test-bed of the car in what is surely meant to be its natural habitat. Want something with offroad cred then get an X-Trail, folks. The accompanying hashtag is #cityproof and Nissan is hell-bent on proving it. There’s an array of derivatives available, four drivetrains each in two spec levels bringing the tally up to eight models from the entry-level 1.2T Visia to the range-topping 1.5dCi Tekna. That’s diesel and petrol, CVT automatics and manuals duly covered. Prices range from R334,900 for the entry-level 1.2 at Visia to the top model diesel Tekna (complete with glass roof) at R434,000.
I opted to drive the 1.2 T Acenta petrol which nails the sweet spot at R367,000. For that price, the Acenta trim level delivers a leather steering wheel, auto lights and wipers, fog lamps and full air conditioning on top of the already burgeoning trim kit of the Visia (e.g. Halogen lamps, cruise control etc.). This is the car I did the bulk of the drive on and am pleased to report it benefits from Nissan's great helm feedback, rides comfortably and with a six-speed more than up to the task of switching between long highway hauling and city driving.
Initial verdict
It was Fatboy Slim who said, if you're already number one, why try harder? Nissan must have skipped that memo and instead continues to strive towards excellence with the Qashqai. The market has grown exponentially since 2007 so it has to work harder than ever to be noticed in the crowd of crossovers but the Qashqai still represents an engaging prospect at a fair price point. Now with looks in line with last year's X-Trail. Which we certainly enjoyed.
Pricing:
| 1.2 T Visia | R334,900.00 |
| 1.2 T Visia + Alloys | R346,700.00 |
| 1.2 T Acenta | R367,000.00 |
| 1.2 T Acenta CVT | R381,000.00 |
| 1.2 T Acenta Plus CVT | R394,000.00 |
| 1.5 dCI Acenta | R394,000.00 |
1.5 dCI Acenta +
| R407,000.00 |
| 1.5 dCI Tekna | R434,000.00 |
