Nissan QASHQAI Review
Published: 31st July 2007
Nissan QASHQAI
Briefly, the trim level equipment list reads as: height-adjustable driver’s seat, electrically-adjustable heated door mirrors, all-round electric windows, air conditioning with glove-box cooler and pollen filter, and 16-inch alloys for the VISIA.
The ACENTA builds on this by adding lumbar support for the driver, automatic headlights and wipers, ultrasonic rear parking sensors, front fogs, dual-zone climate control and a central armrest for the rear passengers.
The all-singing and dancing TEKNA has leather upholstery, heated front seats, and xenon headlamps in place of halogen, 17-inch alloy wheels and the indispensable, Intelligent Key system. The TEKNA also benefits from a huge, panoramic roof, which is a £700 option on the ACENTA. Expensive? Not really as it is made from laminated privacy glass for filtering out UV rays and a ‘heat-soak’ function as well as an electrically operated, one-touch sunshade. What is more, the large amount of glass adds to the already spacious feeling within the cabin.
Because all occupants sit tall, there’s plenty of legroom and plenty of luggage space too: 410-litres under the cover, 860-litres to the window-line and if you lose the rear passengers and lower the 60:40 folding seats, the capacity is increased to a maximum of 1,513-litres to the roof.
General storage space isn’t a problem either. The 14-litre glovebox will take no less that 15 cans of drink, which we are told, beats the NOTE’s record by two. The centre storage box, below the sliding armrest, will hold up to eight CDs and the top two trim levels gain a 4-litre capacity drawer beneath the front passenger’s seat. Door bins, cubbies and cupholders provide map and oddments storage.
There are two diesel and two petrol engines available. The petrol engines are a 1.6 (115PS) and a 2.0-litre, which produces 140PS. The diesels are 1.5 (106PS) and 2.0 cDi units. The latter was in the test car, where it produced 150 PS at 4,000 rpm and 320Nm at 2,000rpm.
The torque figure speaks volumes about the performance and pulling power of this particular QASHQAI and for those that tow or need extra traction occasionally, both of the 2.0-litre engines can be specified with Nissan’s capable, ALL-MODE, 4WD system, selectable via a dial between the front seats.
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