ECONOMY DRIV
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Mild hybrid versions of the Qashqai officially return up to 45.6mpg.
The full-hybrid e-Power ups that figure to 55.5mpg.
SOME PRODUCTS BECOME synonymous with family life.You don’t buy your kids any old brand of construction toy, you buy them Lego. If they crave ice cream, only a 99 with a Cadbury’s Flake will do. Similarly, if you picture a family SUV in your mind’s eye, the car you’ll be staring at is likely to be a Nissan Qashqai.
But despite the Qashqai’s ubiquity and ongoing popularity (it was the UK’s best-selling new car in March and is second only to the Ford Puma small SUV in the sales charts so far in 2024), its position as the default family SUV is under threat.There’s more competition than ever, not only from traditional models such as the Kia Sportage (our reigning Family SUV of the Year) and Volvo XC40, but also from electric alternatives such as the Skoda Enyaq.
So, in an effort to keep it ahead of these challengers, the Qashqai has been significantly revamped, inside and out, with a big upgrade in tech among the changes.
You won’t struggle to tell the new Qashqai apart from the outgoing model. The U-shaped front end and chrome trim that adorn the outgoing Qashqai have been replaced by a more striking design with a high bonnet line and a large grille (said to be inspired by the scales of traditional Japanese armour), bordered by razor-slim LED light strips.
Changes to the Qashqai’s sides and rear are less radical, including a redesigned rear bumper, new lights with dynamic indicators, and new gloss black trim along the lower doors on high-end models.
Depending on which specification you choose, alloy wheel sizes range from 18-20in, and the Qashqai’s colour palette has expanded with new paint choices. Five of these are available in a two-tone scheme, with a black roof contrasting with the rest of the car.
Five of the paint options include a contrasting black roof
Inside the latest Qashqai, the centrepiece is a new Google-powered infotainment system with a high-mounted 12.3in touchscreen. Navigation help is provided via Google Maps, with Google account holders being able to log in and transfer saved locations and points of interest between their smartphones and the car.There’s also Google’s voice assistant, which enables drivers to operate various functions by saying ‘Hey Google’. It can also remind you to close the windows or lock the car from your phone if you’ve forgotten to do so.There’s voice control, too, and if the Google-based infotainment system in the latest Volvo EC40 electric SUV is anything to go by, it should be very good at recognising natural speech.