SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8
Pics by Nissan@Motorpress
Posted: 2 April 2018
The numbers
Price: R407 000
Engine: 1461 cc Renault K9K, four cylinder, SOHC eight-valve, turbodiesel
Power: 81 kW between 3100 and 4000 rpm
Torque: 260 Nm between 1750 and 2500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 11.9 seconds
Top speed: 182 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 6.0 l/100 km
Tank: 65 litres
Luggage: 430 – 1585 litres (gross)
Ground clearance: 182 mm
Turning circle: 11.7 metres
Maximum towing mass (braked): 1350 kg
Warranty: 6 years / 150 000 km with roadside assistance
Service plan: 3 years / 90 000 km at 15 000 km intervals
There have been some changes in Nissan’s Qashqai line-up since last year. We now have an additional 1.2-litre turbopetrol model named Acenta Plus CVT, the 1.5 dCi Acenta gained a slightly posher sister called Acenta Plus (our test car) and a 1.5 dCi Tekna replaced the 1.6 dCi Acenta automatic.
Quick facts: If you want automatic your only choices are 1.2 turboes. All the diesel cars have six-speed manual transmissions. All have front-wheel drive only. For maximum equipment and safety kit it’s the range-topping 1.5 dCi Tekna.
Briefly its standard fittings, over and above Acenta Plus, consist of a glass roof; navigation; Bose Premium audio with 7” touchscreen display; surround view with moving object detection; blind spot warning; cross traffic alert; forward emergency braking and forward collision warning.
Lower down the range, graduating from Acenta to Acenta Plus, you gain leather upholstery; warmed front seats; powered adjustments for the driver with seat elevation and lumbar control for both; roof rails and 19” alloy wheels with 225/45 rubber.
There was a facelift too: Outside changes include new alloy wheels that reduce drag, a chunkier front bumper, revised grille and restyled headlights with “boomerang” DRLs. The rear bumper skirt was reworked as well.
Inside the car a new, flat bottomed steering wheel features upgraded controllers; interior door handles and vents are made of higher quality materials; single touch up and down for all windows is standard throughout the range; redesigned front seats have tapered shoulders for added support; a new shark fin antenna improves reception and the hands-free microphone was moved to the overhead lamp unit for better performance.
More sound deadening material, plus thicker glass on rear windows, makes things quieter, retuned dampers and stiffer anti-roll bars improve handling performance and something called Active Ride Control uses engine and braking interactions to reduce fore-and-aft pitching. We mentioned it in our 2014 report on the 1.6 dCi with X-tronic ‘box but Nissan’s engineers describe it better.
That’s all very well, but we wondered what happened to that 1.6-litre diesel we wrote up back then and was still available just a few months ago? It appears that the 1600 cc K9M engine has been reserved for the larger and heavier X-Trail. Guess we’ll just have to adjust. Mind you, when comparing figures, the 1500 is only six-tenths of a second slower to 100 km/h, achieves 1 km/h less at the top end and it’s noticeably lighter on fuel.
Driving impressions: Performance is brisk and smooth, interior fittings look more expensive, the car feels solider and quieter and it rode excellently over the nasty ripples and short, sharp little bumps out past the veggie farms. The motor turns over at about 2100 rpm in sixth at 120 km/h with decent roll-on ability.
Unfortunately, letting velocity drop to below about 100 means that it just misses its sweet spot, so you may need to grab fifth for quick results. The torque curve climbs steeply to 1750 rpm and then flattens out until 2500 before dropping off somewhat less briskly than it climbed. It’s a small engine so you expect to stir the box a bit don’t you? On that note, this is one of few cars with a gearshift indicator that actually suggests you change down occasionally.
The loading bay is neatly rectangular with small oddments bins on each side, a light, four lashing rings and a couple of bag hooks. The 215/65R16 steel spare and its tools are kept below the floorboard although Tekna offers only a puncture kit. That’s because its big Bose amplifier occupies most of the space. Seat-top backrest releases can be reached from behind provided you release the luggage cover first. They fold 60:40 to lie almost flat, expanding cargo volume from 430 litres to 860 (VDA).
When our 6’1” tester tried out the rear seating area he awarded nine points out of ten for headroom and eight each for knee space and parking for feet. Facilities include three full belts with head restraints, a second courtesy lamp, grab handles, two ISOFix anchor sets with top tethers, an armrest with cup holders, twin seatback pockets, a couple of stash boxes and tiny door bins.
Moving forward, pilot and co-pilot get wrapped snugly in supportive seats, there are plenty of storage spaces and the short gear lever is easy to reach. It works smoothly and positively and a proper footrest is provided for an idle clutch foot. The self-setting electric parking brake has one annoying quirk; it cannot be released unless you put your foot on the main brake first. This upsets one’s take off rhythm and smacks of unnecessary mothering.
Although there is no touch screen at this level, all necessary electronic aids and functions can be accessed via scrolling buttons on the steering wheel. Controls for music and HVAC (automatic, twin channel aircon) are easy to use, with separate buttons for front and rear speed defrosters.
Five-star EuroNCAP safety kit includes six airbags, ABS brakes with EBD and BAS, hill start assist and the baby chair anchors mentioned earlier.
Qashqai for 2018 is almost the same as it was before. Just different. And better. We liked it.
Test car from Nissan SA press fleet
Tekna version shown
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.
If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles. And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.
Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.
This site is operated by Scarlet Pumpkin Communications in Pietermaritzburg.
Unless otherwise stated, all photographs are courtesy of www.quickpic.co.za
Copyright this business. All rights reserved.
SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8