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Say hello to the Qashqai, Nissan's latest in-breeding effort to develop the once elusive "mini sport utility" vehicle. Nissan hopes that this car's demographic will be itinerants, sparking a sense of adventure in everyone. |
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| 29 Oct 2008 | Text and photos by Amery Reuben. |
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This smaller, European being exists to complement the Murano, and yes, it is European. Despite being conceived in Japan back in 2003, the Qashqai is really about as European as a Japanese made entity can exist today. It was penned down by Nissan Design Europe, which is based in Paddington, London. Then, it was engineered and developed at Nissan’s Technical Centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, UK, and for the British market, is built alongside the Note and Micra in Sunderland.
While we’re most likely to receive stocks from Nissan’s assembly line in Japan, differences are negligible. That aside, Nissan realises that not everyone needs such a big car, especially here in Singapore. And for many here, being who they are, would rather live with just the image of owning an SUV, without the associated gadgetry, complications or costs for that matter.
It’s a car all right
And we felt that way from the moment we stepped into it and sat at the helm. This starts from the good ol’ fashioned, sedan-like driving position. You aren’t uncomfortably high up for the world to scrutinise, and those seats hug and bolster pretty well. The steering is adjustable for both tilt and reach, but unfortunately, does not have mounted audio or cruise control buttons. There’s a generous amount of head and leg room for all passengers, except maybe at the rear centre seat.
Fit and finish standards are typical Nissan, and while it doesn’t leave much to the imagination, at least they are solidly put together with no tacky, sub-standard surfaces and materials.
The 2.0-litre MR20DE pumps out 138 bhp at 5,200 rpm and 198 Nm of torque at 4,400 rpm. It comes with a new X-tronic continuously variable transmission, and together with the rest of this car’s moving mechanicals, forms the bulk of its 1,500 kilogramme kerb weight.
The Qashqai also dials in at 4,315 mm long, 1,780 mm wide and 1,615 mm in height, shorter than the Murano by a noticeable amount (4,770 mm, 1,880 mm and 1,685 mm) and by typical four-wheeler standards, it isn’t massive either.
On a more adventurous note, the wading depth of this car is pegged to an impressive 450 mm. But it’s not like any of you would dirty your new car anyway.
410-litres of boot space are all yours when the rear seats are folded down. That’s over 400 cartons of milk, mind you. The high roof makes rear legroom widely available in all senses of the word, more than what you might get from a Grand Scenic. But the thing that we liked most of all was the expansive glass roof that literally lit the cabin up with daylight. It can be terrible if you leave it open at twelve noon. But otherwise, it achieves that nice “romantic” effect at night that most of our girlfriends fancy. |
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| Gallery (click picture to enlarge) |
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4-cylinder 16-valves DOHC |
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CVT-M6 with 6-speed manual shift |
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