In the hot seat- New model begs to be different

Review by Talha Randeree

Although it has a name that is near impossible for some to pronounce, this car is becoming renowned for ‘perfect balance’.

To quantify, when I say balanced, I don’t necessarily mean the car is absolutely stable when cornering at high speeds – it is still a bit top heavy. When I say balanced, I’m talking about the balance the car strikes between luxury, fun and general roadworthiness.

Let me start off with the looks: The Nissan Qashqai is a very pretty car. From the day-time Xenons, which gives the vehicle a smooth, cat-like stare, to the defined lines that run across its body, and a front end that makes you want to gawk, to the 17-inch Alloy rims, although not standard on the base model, the Qashqai is undoubtedly unique.

Nissan claims the new model has been completely re-worked from the old one- and it is! Simply, after feeling the first surge of added turbo ‘oomph’ following acceleration, I was expecting to find at the very least a 1.6-litre turbo-charged engine inside. Couple this with the fact that I was cruising along at 120km/h in 6th gear, and the car was still humming at 1500 revs per minute, the truth about the engine was astonishing.

Shockingly, the engine inside was smaller than that – much smaller in fact. Nissan has created an excellent 1.2-litre turbo charged engine that produces an amazing 85 kW of horsepower! 85! From a little 1.2… and that’s just the base model.

Nissan has introduced the new Qashqai in five models.

The base model 1.2T Visia comes with a nippy petrol engine, but being the base model it is a bit scantily clad. Step up though, and you can have the same engine vehicle but with awesome extras, including the NissanConnect System and rear facing cameras in the model I drove, the 1.2T Acenta. For those wanting to ditch the petrol and go with the bigger engine diesel cars, the 1.5dCi Acenta or 1.6 dCi range is perfect you. The 1.6 dCi comes in auto or manual.

The thing I loved most about this car was definitely the chassis. The ride was smooth, and with Nissan’s Active Ride Control, misjudged corners would not be an issue as the chassis would be able to step in and assist you in making that corner all good again. Sure it is still a little top heavy, but that is because it is an SUV. With the excellent chassis you get, the car remains poised, and the only real inclination that it was an SUV was the ride height.

Honestly, I only have three gripes with the car.

Personally, I think all the models should have been introduced as All-Wheel Drives, and not just the one.

Secondly there was a tiny bit of turbo lag, but that may have just been because the car was brand new.

Finally, in a car that looks and feels this good, leather seats should be standard! The car was undoubtedly comfy, but leather seats are just classier.

All in all, this car boasts great economy, because even though I was constantly pushing the car, it still managed an excellent 9 litres for every 100km and Nissan claims with sane driving it can do 5.4 litres to every 100km.

This car would be the perfect accompaniment for the farmer looking for a vehicle to rumble through the dusty farm roads, the city-slicker, because it would still look perfectly fine during the school run, or for the person who wants something more trustworthy on our country’s ‘excellent’ roads.

The base model sells for R281 000, but if you’re willing to spend that money I’d suggest the 1.2T Acenta with all the extras!