Oh, all right… Strikes me the new Nissan Qashqai offers no more ocular excitement than any other generic. But, let’s face it, armed with a face like a bucket of smashed crabs and wrapped in the couture of a carthorse cough sweet, its predecessor was an absolute munter. Didn’t stop it selling in the fahsands, though, did it? Which just goes to show where Yummy Mummy’s true motoring priorities lie; a little extra height off the ground affording that all-important false sense of security behind the wheel, less unpleasant bending for the child-seat strap tussle and easier tailgate access to the groaning weight of Waitrose bags.
The mums may not mind what it looks like, then, but they surely must have a care for interior space, practicality and ergonomics? Well, here, happily, there’s little that falls short of the largely wholesome.
The new dashboard design scores for instrument binnacle clarity and much improved steering-wheel switchgear, but lets the side down by dropping the sat-nav screen too far south in a centre console that, though higher in quality, majors on practicality rather than visual appeal.
Click here to see the last time we ran a Nissan Qashqai long-termer, back soon after the launch of the Mk1 in 2008.
Perfectly comfortable albeit, the front seats don’t quite match the blissful snugness of the previous generation offering, and I have been wrestling to find an ideal driving position. But that may be simply because I’m missing the bulletproof ergonomics of the lower-slung Leon. Rear seat space has improved in all dimensions. The seats fold flatter than before, and that they neither slide nor recline doesn’t appear to worry the children, the opinion of whom has not yet been sought as to comfort lest the answer is one we don’t wish to hear.
Twenty litres larger, the loadspace has become quite clever. Not necessarily guaranteeing it doesn’t become part of my burgeoning collection, the parcel shelf may be stored under a new false floor. The twin panels of said floor may either be used to compartment the space to harness errant shopping, or reversed to reveal a waterproof lining ready for hosing off after the dog has imported added reek by once again rolling in fox pooh.
Standard equipment levels strike me as being astonishingly high, with everything from proper keyless access and start to a bewildering array of safety technology thrown in. Then again, this specimen does cost over £7000 more than the cheapest Qashqai you can buy, the only option fitted here being £525 worth of Ink Blue paint.
Now, residual plastic nappies aside, so far behind has the Qashqai now left all 4x4 pretensions that this 1.5-litre turbodiesel variant isn’t even available with all-wheel drive. We’ll tackle the powertrain, undercarriage and dynamics in detail next month. For now, however, suffice it to say I’m less than thrilled to be once again smelling the glove of diesel refuelling forensics, and a little concerned that a car of this size is being asked to cope with just 109bhp; an output even lower than that of the diminutive 1.2-litre petrol alternative.
Engine downsizing in the interests of fuel economy and CO2 is all very well, but not if you have to eviscerate the poor thing to make proper progress. Real world? Initial fuel consumption returns suggest we’re nearly 30mpg down on the quoted average.
Stay tuned for regular updates over the coming year in our Nissan Qashqai long-term test review.
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