Among the Japanese stalwarts Toyota, Honda and Nissan, the latter appears to have been the busiest on the drawing board, with the results of that endeavour showing in its latest offerings.
Arguably the Japanese carmaker with the best-looking products, last year's launch of the new Nissan Sylphy compact sedan was an indication of things to come with progressive styling that appeals to the urbanite. That was quickly followed up by yet another hit, the Nissan Teana, the handsome executive sedan which drives as well as it looks, with a myriad of driver-pampering features contributing to its appeal.
That experience with an evocative design now comes with a continental flavour in the brand's latest offering that you see here. The Nissan Qashqai, as it's called, has been entirely designed and engineered in Europe, with extensive input from Nissan experts in Atsugi, Japan, of course.
However, while the car is available in 1.2 and 1.6-litre petrol and diesel variants overseas, local distributor Tan Chong Motor will only be offering the $141,800 (as of 7th Aug 2014) 2.0-litre Nissan Qashqai Premium variant here, for now.
Exterior
The Qashqai's fine form has been the fruits of the labours by designers from Nissan Design Europe in London, while the technical aspects of the car have been developed by engineers from the Nissan Technical Centre Europe in the United Kingdom and Spain. Built in the United Kingdom, the car could technically be classified as a continental car, albeit one with a Japanese badge.
Arguably the Japanese carmaker with the best-looking products, last year's launch of the new Nissan Sylphy compact sedan was an indication of things to come with progressive styling that appeals to the urbanite. That was quickly followed up by yet another hit, the Nissan Teana, the handsome executive sedan which drives as well as it looks, with a myriad of driver-pampering features contributing to its appeal.
That experience with an evocative design now comes with a continental flavour in the brand's latest offering that you see here. The Nissan Qashqai, as it's called, has been entirely designed and engineered in Europe, with extensive input from Nissan experts in Atsugi, Japan, of course.
However, while the car is available in 1.2 and 1.6-litre petrol and diesel variants overseas, local distributor Tan Chong Motor will only be offering the $141,800 (as of 7th Aug 2014) 2.0-litre Nissan Qashqai Premium variant here, for now.
Exterior
The Qashqai's fine form has been the fruits of the labours by designers from Nissan Design Europe in London, while the technical aspects of the car have been developed by engineers from the Nissan Technical Centre Europe in the United Kingdom and Spain. Built in the United Kingdom, the car could technically be classified as a continental car, albeit one with a Japanese badge.
Save for the V-shaped front grille, the new Qashqai is an entirely different machine from its predecessor. Like the plump kid in school who went through a gym regime and got dressed by a stylist, the new Qashqai is quite the stylish young adult.
Boomerang-shaped LED head lights, a sloping roofline and bold sculpted lines along the 'clamshell' bonnet, which extend out to the car's flanks before rounding off at the rear, all come together to give the car a suave, athletic appearance.
At 4,380mm long, 1,806mm wide and 1,590mm tall, the Qashqai is 50mm longer than its predecessor. At the same time, it also sits 16mm closer to the ground, giving it a sportier stance that's complemented by 19-inch alloys.
Interior
Entering the car, one will be able to pick up on the car's spaciousness, comfort and premium 'feel' that's in keeping with its looks.
Maximising the car's larger size, Nissan's designers have specially curated the interior space so that passengers get more leg, shoulder and headroom. Naturally, the car's large windows and panoramic roof further enhance that sense of airiness.
Equipped with the same NASA space programme zero-gravity inspired leather seats in the Teana, both driver and passengers will find riding in the Qashqai an immensely comfortable experience that's almost like sitting in your favourite arm chair at home - especially helpful over long drives.
Entering the car, one will be able to pick up on the car's spaciousness, comfort and premium 'feel' that's in keeping with its looks.
Maximising the car's larger size, Nissan's designers have specially curated the interior space so that passengers get more leg, shoulder and headroom. Naturally, the car's large windows and panoramic roof further enhance that sense of airiness.
Equipped with the same NASA space programme zero-gravity inspired leather seats in the Teana, both driver and passengers will find riding in the Qashqai an immensely comfortable experience that's almost like sitting in your favourite arm chair at home - especially helpful over long drives.
Features like automatic head lights, steering mounted controls and soft-touch materials lining the dashboard area complement the car's elegant style while the intuitive and functional centre console design sports plenty of compartments to store keys, phones and wallets.
While we could do without luxuries like a GPS navigation system and reverse camera, it would have been good if Nissan had included air-conditioning in the rear as it can get a tad warm at the back unless the air-conditioning was at a higher blast.
While we could do without luxuries like a GPS navigation system and reverse camera, it would have been good if Nissan had included air-conditioning in the rear as it can get a tad warm at the back unless the air-conditioning was at a higher blast.
The Drive
Despite its looks, the Qashqai isn't one to be pushed too hard, even if it does boast a 2.0-litre all-aluminium engine that puts out 144bhp with 200Nm of torque. While it picks up speed admirably from low to mid-range, the car's calm character and Xtronic CVT transmission ask that it be coaxed to speed. That said, engaging its manual mode will allow for a more spirited performance.
Think of this as an exercise in efficient driving and you'd be rewarded with a published fuel economy of about 14.5km/L. During our test drive, which comprised a mix of highway and city driving, we achieved a modest 11.7km/L return - not too bad for a car weighing close to 1.4 tonnes.
Performance demands aside, the Qashqai drives effortlessly, and handles more like a hatchback than an SUV. The ride quality is surprisingly impressive, as it soaks up imperfections on the road, large humps included, with ease. This was evident in how almost every passenger we had on our test drive got lulled into a nap as we drove along.
Despite its looks, the Qashqai isn't one to be pushed too hard, even if it does boast a 2.0-litre all-aluminium engine that puts out 144bhp with 200Nm of torque. While it picks up speed admirably from low to mid-range, the car's calm character and Xtronic CVT transmission ask that it be coaxed to speed. That said, engaging its manual mode will allow for a more spirited performance.
Think of this as an exercise in efficient driving and you'd be rewarded with a published fuel economy of about 14.5km/L. During our test drive, which comprised a mix of highway and city driving, we achieved a modest 11.7km/L return - not too bad for a car weighing close to 1.4 tonnes.
Performance demands aside, the Qashqai drives effortlessly, and handles more like a hatchback than an SUV. The ride quality is surprisingly impressive, as it soaks up imperfections on the road, large humps included, with ease. This was evident in how almost every passenger we had on our test drive got lulled into a nap as we drove along.
However, comfort here does come at the expense of sporty handling. Push it too hard round the corners and you'd be faced with significant body roll and possible understeer. Personally, we much prefer driving the car with its 'Sport' steering settings, which gives it a weightier, continental feel that matches up to the car's looks.
Conclusion
The Nissan Qashqai certainly checks the boxes for a car with appealing looks, practicality and ease of handling on the road.
It may not possess the speedy, dynamic verve of competitors like the Mazda CX-5, but it is definitely one of the most comfortable and affordable options in its segment - which is exactly why it makes sense to want it.
Conclusion
The Nissan Qashqai certainly checks the boxes for a car with appealing looks, practicality and ease of handling on the road.
It may not possess the speedy, dynamic verve of competitors like the Mazda CX-5, but it is definitely one of the most comfortable and affordable options in its segment - which is exactly why it makes sense to want it.
