Nissan Qashqai – the ultimate urban crossover

The new Qashqai is already a comfy, quiet, economical and practical crossover, but for 2021, it gets more sophisticated and dynamic than ever. Besides the sleek design and Nissan's all-new advanced NissanConnect 2.0 infotainment system, the most prominent feature in the Qashqai is the Nissan Intelligent Mobility (NIM) suite giving you more confidence and control on the road.

Nissan is offering the Qashqai in six flavours: 1.2 Turbo Visia, 1.2 Turbo Acenta, 1.2 Turbo Acenta CVT, 1.5dCI Acenta Plus, 1.2T Tekna CVT, and the newly introduced Qashqai Midnight Edition.   

All the trim levels are powered by Nissan’s 1.2L Turbo petrol engine, creating 85 kW and 165 Nm of torque except for the Acenta Plus, which houses 1.5dCi diesel mill good for 81 kW and 260 Nm. The engines send power to the front wheels only through either 6-speed manual or Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT).  

Nissan has updated the powertrains to make them more fuel-efficient with lower CO2 emissions. The company says the 1.2L Turbo delivers 6.2l/100km of fuel economy while the diesel is more efficient at 4.2l/100km. Not bad for an urban crossover!

Nissan has added new headlamps with LED daytime running lights, redesigned alloys, and the V-Motion front grille to make this urban crossover more dynamic. The silver finish roof rails and glass roof on the top-of-the-line Tekna give the Qashqai a premium finish.

Get inside and the ultimate urban crossover welcomes you with the sporty D-Shaped steering wheel, a new instrument cluster, a panoramic sunroof (available on Tekna), and high-class finishing materials. However, the biggest highlight of the interior is the NissanConnect 2.0 infotainment system with a 7" touch-screen supporting both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as a rear-view camera.

The 2021 Nissan Qashqai ensures the safety of the occupants through the Intelligent Mobility suite that includes Intelligent Forward Emergency Braking, Intelligent Forward Collision Warning, Intelligent Blind Spot Warning, Intelligent Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Intelligent Around View Monitor, Intelligent Ride and Trace Control, Intelligent Engine Brake, and Hill Start Assist. The Qashqai also has the five-star Euro NCAP rating.

If you don’t mind driving a manual car, we suggest you opt for 1.5 dCI Acenta Plus owing to its fuel economy and standard features. If safety is more on your radar, the Tekna would be the best pick with an intelligent around-view monitor, intelligent blind-spot warning, cross-traffic alert, forward emergency braking, and collision warning.

On the other hand, if you want to stand out in the crowd, the new Qashqai Midnight Edition ticks every box and turns heads. As the name suggests, it sports the black theme all over; black wheels, black spoilers, black mirror caps, black roof rails, a darkened front bumper insert, and a darkened grille. The same black theme continues inside as well.   

The 2021 Nissan Qashqai starts at R408,400 and goes as high as R508,400. The 1.2T Midnight Edition costs R480,800. (All prices correct at time of publication.)

The 2021 Nissan Qashqai is certainly one of the best urban crossovers, offering a comfortable and economical drive. However, it is not the most-practical SUV on sale, so you should also consider the VW Tiguan, Kia Sportage, and Hyundai Tucson.

Want to know how the Nissan Qashqai compares to similar vehicles on SA’s roads? Check out the reviews section of the MotorHappy blog, where we review at least two new vehicles every month.

Please note the imagery supplied in this blog was taken off  www.nissan.co.za