It's big, I thought, as I parked it in the garage next to my wife's Audi Q3. On paper, they are the same size, but the Qashqai looks bigger. It really fills out its dimensions, unlike the Q3's rounded corners.
"Crossover" is what Nissan calls its tall passenger cars. I automatically think SUV when I see Qashqai. High ground clearance and unpainted plastic along the spoiler, wheel arches and over channels to cope with rough roads. But 4-wheel drive is only offered with the largest engine option, – not with the 1,2 liter engine that I drove. That is basically why I choose the designation SUV light for the Qashqai. The car belongs to the Golf class, and although it is tall and large for the class, it does not weigh much more than a well-equipped Golf.
The expression and, too also covers the driving characteristics. The Qashqai feels somewhat light on the road. Basically, I think it's a positive feeling. It is quick and responsive. I take the Qashqai to a place where the road makes a bump just before a bend. By giving in over the bump, I can judge how steadily the car settles into the subsequent turn. With the Qashqai, I felt that the rear wheels almost lifted over the bump, - a worrying thought since, for example, the Q3 picks up the bump through the undercarriage - but the Qashqai still handled the bend nicely.
The 1,2 liter is taken from Renault and can be found, among other things, in the Renault Scenic. It has 115 horses and the torque curve is flat at 190 Nm from 2000 to 4000 revs. In terms of performance, it corresponds to a 2-litre 10-15 years ago. Compared to Volkswagen's 1,2 TSI 110 HP, the turbo kicks in a little later, but the impact is not as noticeable as in the Volkswagen. One can also compare the engine in terms of performance with PSA's new three-cylinder 1,2 liter with 110 HP, although it does not run as cultivated as the Renault engine.
I experienced the Qashqai's engine as quiet, vibration-free, responsive and very easy to drive. It surprised me how well the little engine worked in the big Qashqai.
I didn't feel the need to gear very often. On the country road I alternated a little between fifth and sixth gear. The two gears are quite close. In fifth gear, the engine maintains exactly 2000 revolutions at 80 km/h and thus within the engine's optimal rev range, but I could just as well shift up to sixth at around 65 km/h and accelerate calmly and effortlessly upwards.
The engine sound was unobtrusive, and off and almost absent. At first I perceived the car as quiet since I could hardly hear the engine, but when I chatted with my wife while we were driving to an out-of-town department store, I felt that the interior noise must still be louder than in the last cars I've driven. The soundscape has the character of road hiss, - not rumble of tires against the road, - and in no way abnormally loud compared to other cars in the Golf class.
On the comfort side, I would emphasize good sitting comfort. The driver's seat had electric adjustment, and it was possible to find a very good sitting position for my 1,88 meter tall body and shoe size 46. I chose to sit a little higher than I usually do. A high seating position gives a good sense of space both in front and behind. The luggage compartment is 430 under the hat shelf. It is actually the same size as the Volvo V60, but 30 liters less than the Audi Q3.
"My" Qashqai had equipment grade N-connecta. It is quite well equipped, in fact so well equipped that I couldn't find anything on the equipment list that I absolutely had to have. Among other things, it has automatic lighting, blind spot warning, anti-collision system with emergency brake, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, navigation, speed limit display and lane departure warning.
"You're going to unplug it soon," it came from the passenger seat. The lane change warning alerted hastily as I steered through the bends along the Enebakkveien from Oslo out towards the department store The casualty. They specialize in buying up damaged consignments and offering them to consumers at a reduced price. I liked the speed limit indicator very much, as the speed limits after Klemetsrud alternate between 50 and 60 about every 100 metres.
Qashqai N-connecta costs NOK 317 in dark gray metallic. It's a lot of car for the money. Few cars in this class are more beautiful than the Qashqai. I especially like the crease on the rear side windows that run in a line up along the rear spoiler. This is car design at the highest level. The car is also beautiful inside, but when it comes to general look-and-feel, there is a limit to how much it is possible to achieve within the price. Neither the controls on the steering wheel, the switch panel at the bottom left of the dashboard nor the infotainment system give any distinct feeling of quality, so to speak.
The Qashqai does not give the same feeling of quality that you find in more expensive cars such as Volvo and Audi. It is simply because the Nissan Qashqai is a more affordable car. The beautiful design still gives a feeling of quality. It's almost like IKEA, where you can find beautifully designed lamps and sofas far cheaper than the high-end brands. IKEA still manages to keep prices down, among other things, by using cheaper materials and more efficient production methods.
The department store The casualty At Enebakk, goods are sold cheaper than other shops because they are B goods, either after an accident along the road, or due to date marking. It makes it exciting to walk between the shelves, because you never know what you will find. This time we ended up filling only a small carrier bag with a few small items.
So we chose to take the long way home with the Qashqai in the fine autumn weather.
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