Road test - Nissan Qashqai

Author: Ian Strachan

Nissan’s oddly named crossover vehicle, the Qashqai is actually named after a nomadic tribe to be found in the mountains of south-west Iran.

So that makes it just perfect for driving around the middle of Birmingham. That said, with neither a nomad nor a mountain in sight, it made a very good job of nipping through the city traffic. A combination of great visibility, a commanding driving position, and nimble handling, made negotiating the city's jams about as pleasurable as it gets.

Nissan seems to have developed an interesting range of 4x4 vehicles while I wasn't looking. There's the hefty Pathfinder, the venerable Patrol, the excellent X-Trail and the Navarro pick up, not to mention the nicely-styled Murano.

The Qashqai is an attractive "crossover" vehicle. It has all the looks and capabilities of a 4x4, (provided you've specified the all-wheel drive option) but with sports car styling. It's one of the few crossover vehicles to elbow its way into the UK top 10 best sellers list.

And with a very pleasant 2.0 litre diesel engine under the bonnet this is much more car-like than many of its competitors.

The first thing that strikes you about the Qashqai is its confident, distinctive styling and a massive, panoramic glass roof .  Cleverly this is a car that looks at home on a motorway or crossing a mountain range.

It handles remarkably well for its size and height. I drove the four-wheel drive Tekna specification which handles as well as any all wheel drive vehicle I've tested. Cornering is sure footed with little or no body roll and a sensible suspension set up ensures a comfortable ride.

The 2.0 litre diesel engine provides more than adequate performance throughout the speed range, delivering power smoothly but with plenty of mid-range pull. It's helped by a pleasant six speed manual transmission. 

Fuel consumption in mixed driving comes at more than 40 mpg and the Sunderland-built Qashqai will take you from 0-60 mph in around 10 seconds.

The interior is light and spacious - particularly with that huge glass roof - with plenty of room for five adults. The large luggage area can be further improved with a folding rear seat. There's lots of storage space around the car including a centre console storage box, a huge cooled glovebox, large door pockets, a sliding storage container underneath the passenger and lots of oddment space.

Equipment levels on the Tekna specification are generous. Standard features include heated leather seats, keyless ignition and locking, smart 16 inch alloys, six CD autochanger with six speakers, automatic Xenon headlights, cruise control, dual zone climate control, electric folding door mirrors, foglamps and Bluetooth compatibility.

This is a solid compact SUV that takes up less space on your driveway than a Ford Focus, and at £25,745 won't break the bank. A very good effort.

Road test by Ian Strachan Communications Ltd

Ian Strachan is a motoring and business writer and PR consultant. He can be contacted on 01543 490932 or 07949 202596 or via email: ian@strachan13.freeserve.co.uk