Apparently it’s pronounced ‘cash kai’, but perhaps ‘cash cow’ would be more appropriate as Nissan has sold 450,000 of the things in Japan, Australia and Europe since ’07. Here, Nissan New Zealand doesn’t have sufficient stock to satisfy demand.
So what makes cash cow, sorry, Qashqai, so popular? A somewhat unusual replacement for the mainstream Primera, Qashqai wasn’t popped out of one particular mould.
It looks like an 4WD, but New Zealand’s ST and Ti spec models are front-wheel drive only, so it’s not a SUV. That’s not a bad thing because in reality few 4WDs ever venture off-road.
Two-wheel drive Qashqai is better suited to the ‘Remuera taxi’ morning school run as it still has the convenience and practicality of a soft-roader 4WD, but without the eco footprint.
Size-wise, Qashqai slots in the Nissan range between the smaller and somewhat conservative Tiida, and X-Trail, the latter sharing Qashqai’s platform.
This does leave Nissan without a conventional mid-sized hatch/wagon, on paper at least. In reality Qashqai fills that gap nicely as it’s 100 per cent car-like to drive (while offering better visibility) and has a useful sized load area.
A big plus is the driving position. Slot yourself behind the wheel and you immediately feel right at home. The clean, simple-looking controls and instruments are right where you’d expect them to be. Rear-seat passengers enjoy excellent leg and head room.
The range-topping $37,000 Ti tested here was a pleasure to drive. There’s 102kW and 198Nm of torque on tap, and it feels like it.
Steering is light, but there’s a reasonable level of feel. Handling is on the car rather than SUV side of the ledger. It feels composed and predictable when cornering, however low-speed ride is a little on the firmish side.
When driving on coarse chip there’s noticeable road noise from the 215/60 R17 Bridgestone Dueler tyres, but Qashqai most certainly isn’t alone in that regard.
Qashqai’s a viable mid-size hatch that’s fun to drive, well built and has a good level of specification.
