Long-term test update – 16 May 2008
Borrowed the Qashqai from my colleagues over at CAR for a few nights. Its custodian was running a little experiment and seeing how long he could go between refills.
I drove the Qashqai until there was one block left on the fuel gauge. By this point the on-board computer showing range left had given up co-operating and went blank with 68 miles showing. I drove a further 57 miles before I blinked and refueled.
Disappointingly it took on only 57.12 litres of fuel, meaning there were almost eight litres still in the tank – maybe another 80 miles worth!
By Simon Harris
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Logbook
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Total Mileage
Since Last Report
Overall MPG
Since Last report
Fuel Costs
Other Costs
Highs
Lows
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11956 miles
341 miles
33.7mpg
33.4mpg
£1121.63
none
Four-wheel drive confidence
Kerbweight and mpg
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Nicked the Qashqai off young Pulman again recently; it was the perfect support car for our recent trip to Rockingham to film Derek Bell driving the best hardcore Porsches. You’ll read about it in our June 2008 issue. The day was pretty amazing. I couldn’t believe that Derek actually agreed to come. And I was gobsmacked when he said he’d bring his own ultra-rare hardcore Porsche – the 924 Carrera GTS.
I even got to drive it. Trouble was, it wouldn’t start when Derek came to leave. And I mean really wouldn’t start; wouldn’t be pushed, wouldn’t be jumped, nothing. The solution came in the form of the Qashqai and a tow rope. That’s a bit of provenance for you. I can hear the Bonhams auctioneer now: ‘Nissan Qashqai, 2.0-litre diesel, one owner, several borrowers, once used to tow Derek Bell and his 924 along the A6003 near Corby. Do I have £50,000?’
By Ben Barry
Click here to watch Derek Bell in action as he drive the Porsche 911 2.7 RS and the GT2
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We practically forced young Pulman to take on the Qashqai, but now he barely gets to drive it. I was recently dispatched to the Yorkshire Moors to shoot Phil Short’s Audi Quattro, and the Nissan’s combination of smooth-riding suspension (a boon for photographers snapping out of the tailgate), load-lugging capability, ground clearance (handy for parking up on the side of the moors) and frugality saw it as the best car on staff for the job. Still, you’d have the Quattro, wouldn’t you?
By Ben Barry
To read our feature on the Audi Quattro make sure you buy the May 2008 issue of CAR Magazine. Click here for a preview of the issue.
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Four seasons in one day – 1 April 2008
Got back from a distinctly summery week in Spain to kick off the spring only to wake up to snow – and the prospect of a long drive to see the in-laws. No problem; the Qashqai’s got four-wheel drive.
Having cleared the white stuff from the windscreen, I started the Nissan and flicked the dial to ‘auto’ – no old-fashioned transmission levers here. Tackling the ungritted slope of our cul-de-sac was no problem at all, but the greatest benefit is surely the overwhelming confidence that comes from having an extra pair of driven wheels in adverse weather on a 150-mile journey.
So overwhelming, it almost swamped my reservations about driving a diesel family hatch that weighs 1.8 tonnes and returns only 33mpg.
Oh, and the fourth season? An unwatered plant had shed its leaves in the spare bedroom.
By Glen Waddington
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There are only two gripes I have with the Qashqai. One is sat-nav’s lack of a post code function. The other is the total absence of an iPod port or digital radio. They’re not even on the option’s list.
Luckily I have found the answer. Pure’s tiny portable Highway is a paltry £70, and brings the delights of Radio 1Xtra into my Qashqai. Others may not consider access to 1Xtra a necessity, but on the long journeys my car excels at the station is life-saver.
The Highway plugs into the 12v socket, sits behind the sat-nav and has always given me a clear signal. It transmits digital broadcasts on an FM frequency and easily retunes if an analogue station interrupts.
My only niggle is the tangle of wires, but that’s partly my fault. I haven’t stuck the aerial to the windscreen because I take the Highway with me into every car.
By Ben Pulman
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Safety first – 18 March 2008
No, that’s not my car! But I was quite chuffed to recently here that, according to the latest Euro NCAP stats, the Qashqai is the safest car ever tested for adults. As I have no kids (that I’m aware of) I’m quite happy with that.
Nissan has also been trumpeting the fact that over 100,000 Qashqais have been sold since the car was launched, with 18,000-plus finding homes in the UK. Such is the demand even Nissan’s press office have yet to get one as a daily runabout. Funny, I’ve hardly seen another one on the road.
But while the PR office pines for a car, they do have some interesting stats about the Sunderland factory where the car is made. Each day 850 are produced, with 4608 spot-welds per car, administered by 298 robots. And while Mini might crow about the umpteen different variations it can churn out in Oxford, just 298 different types of Qashqai have been made. Each takes 10.5 hours to build, which is darn quick, with an average of 2750 components per car. So now you know.
By Ben Pulman
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Parked up in Waitrose the other day. It’s the thing to do don’t you know, running around town in your (faux) 4×4. Anyway, I returned from my shopping trip to find a Land Rover Freelander parked next to the Qashqai.
Other members of the CAR office who’ve borrowed the Qashqai’s key have mentioned the bluff front end and enormous wing mirrors. And the wind noise they create. But parked next to Land Rover’s smallest car the Qashqai looked very compact. I was strangely proud.
By Ben Pulman
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The medium-sized hatch is dead. Discuss. Five years ago we might have wondered the same thing about the family saloon, but now that Mondeo man has been replaced by BMW bloke attentions have turned to the class below. No longer is it Golf against Focus, because Renault opened a can of worms with the Scenic. The market is now populated by cars like the Golf Plus, Skoda Roomster, the Mini, and of course Nissan’s Qashqai, all competing for your cash.
Nissan made the brave step of replacing the unloved Almera with a jacked-up faux-4×4, and that’s why we’ve got the Qashqai for ten months to see if it’s all it’s, er, jacked-up to be. Our hopes are high, because while Nissan may have abandoned mainsteam market segments, the niche products it makes (Note, 350Z, etc) are all rather good.
My initial impressions have however been limited. We’ve had the keys for over a month and I’ve spent four nights with the Qashqai. My car seems to already be the car of choice for early morning or late night runs to the airport.
But don’t take that as a bad thing. Every journalist carefully picks the car they leave at the airport knowing they might face a late night slog when they return. Each of us wants as little hassle as possible, so I think I’m beginning to see why messrs Chilton and Barry keep pilfering the keys.
Our mid-spec Acenta car (£17,899) has standard parking-sensors, dual-zone air-con, auto lights and wipers, and cruise control on top of every Qashqai’s electric heated mirrors, electric windows and Bluetooth-ready CD radio. Add to that a 2.0-litre diesel engine with peak outputs of 150bhp and 236lb ft, an airy cabin thanks to a £700 panoramic roof, and sat-nav (£1350, and which replaces the parking-sensors with a rear-view camera) and it’s got everything you need for a long journey.
That sat-nav does make it pricey though, because our car is £21,874, thanks to ticking the options boxes for metallic paint and the switchable four-wheel drive system. A bit too much for a tall-riding hatch if you ask me.
But I’m prepared to give the Qashqai the benefit of the doubt, because my brief experiences have been promising. It’s nice to mooch around using the engine’s torque, whilst looking down on people, yet not having to worry about the heft of a two-tonne 4×4. In fact, it feels just like a high-riding hatch, and it’s only 94mm taller than a Peugeot 308.
The next few weeks should give the Qashqai an even tougher existence though, and finally all in my hands. It’s going to the Lakes to pick up 40 years of CAR Magazine, and will provide transport around the country during the Christmas break. That means trips to Liverpool, York and Edinburgh, and if global warming hasn’t spelled the end of ice, maybe we’ll get a chance to test the four-wheel drive system, too.
By Ben Pulman
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