Tan Chong Motor Sales officially launched the 2018 Nissan Qashqai in Singapore at its Leng Kee showroom last Friday. The Nissan Qashqai - the best-selling model in the Nissan lineup - is now available with significant enhancements, which further develop its premium character. The upgrades focus on four areas - a contemporary new exterior design, higher levels of interior quality, improved driving performance, and the addition of new Nissan Intelligent Mobility technologies to deliver even greater levels of customer comfort, reassurance and trust.

The most dramatic enhancements to the Nissan Qashqai are to its exterior. Featuring a contemporary new look - a style Nissan calls 'Premium Dynamism' - the upgrades are visible from every angle. At the heart of the Qashqai's redesigned front face is the latest incarnation of Nissan's iconic 'Vmotion' grille, which frames the new Nissan badge. For 2.0L variant, it has a completely flat finish.

This is because the radar, which forms part of the Qashqai's Intelligent Emergency Braking system is now located behind it. A flat finish allows radar waves to pass through it unhindered. A second version of the badge, contoured in a more traditional way, is fitted to 1.2L variant. In profile view, the enhancements to the Qashqai are expressed through a new range of premium alloy wheel designs in 17-inch and 19-inch sizes. All have been aerodynamically optimised to reduce drag.

The new Qashqai has also increased in overall length by 14mm to 4,394mm. The impact of the premium upgrades to the Nissan Qashqai is most obvious in the cabin. They have resulted in a higher level of perceived quality and refinement, a more driver-oriented interior and an enhanced feeling of total control.

Entering the car, the striking new steering wheel is the first thing drivers will notice. The D-shaped horizontal base provides easier entry and exit for the driver, as well as a sportier look and feel. This D-shaped multi-function steering wheel, with premium satin silver detailing on the central spoke, features a new four-way controller for the combimeter display for more intuitive use and less 'eyes off the road' time. The boot is a truly flexible load space, with a carrying capacity of 430 litres, which increases to 1,598 litres when the 60:40 split rear seats are folded flat.

The Nissan Qashqai has always been renowned for its confident drive. On ride comfort, the priority was calmer body motion and improved impact shock. This was achieved by retuning the dampers, reducing the single wheel spring rate, and modifying rubber components. The anti-roll bar stiffness has been increased to maintain handling performance. There is now reduced body motion when going over large bumps thanks to changes to the car's Intelligent Ride Control system.

To enhance handling, the engineering team has created a more secure feel and improved line traceability through corners. This has been achieved with a new thicker steering shaft and changes to the steering effort build-up around dead centre. As with its predecessor, the new Qashqai is available in two engine variants - a 1.2-litre, which puts out 113bhp and 165Nm of torque, and a 2.0-litre, which puts out 142bhp and 200Nm of torque.

New Nissan Intelligent Mobility technologies have been added to the Qashqai. The Intelligent Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection uses four cameras to give the driver a virtual bird's-eye-view of the car with selectable split-scene close-ups of the front, rear and curbside. Incorporating Moving Object Detection, it can also detect moving objects around the vehicle, and can give the driver a visual and audible alert.

The Intelligent Emergency Braking helps to avoid or mitigate collisions using a combination of forward-facing radar and a camera. The Qashqai also comes with Blindspot Warning, which is based on radar data that detects vehicles in the blindspots adjacent to the car. Other technologies include Intelligent Driver Alertness, Lane Departure Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Intelligent Auto Head Lights with new Adaptive Front Lighting System, Intelligent Trace Control, Intelligent Engine Brake and Intelligent Ride Control.

Prices as of press time (inclusive of COE)

Nissan Qashqai 1.2 DIG-T Lite - $104,300
Nissan Qashqai 1.2 DIG-T Premium - $107,300
Nissan Qashqai 2.0 Premium - $126,300