Is the new look fresh enough to keep it relevant?
Exterior – Front
So, let’s start with the styling at the front of the new Nissan Qashqai facelift and I must say that it has changed quite a bit. The main change is the grill. It has lost its chrome surround and has grown to a massive grill that takes up most of the front and for me it is taking time to get used to it. It does work with the headlights though as they have change and we will get onto that in a moment. The grill though is over 2 times it sizes, and it makes the Qashqai interesting to look at. Now for the headlights, the top part is the same as before, but the lower main headlight part has now split from the LED Daytime Running Light, and it is now connected to the grill to complete the grill look. It does have some LED Daytime Running Light parts in it though so at night it looks quite good. The chrome has also completely gone from the front of this car as it has now been replaced by this matt grey bar connecting the headlights together. Lower down we get a much smaller and plain central air vent with the same side vents as before. if you get rid of this black bar at the bottom though separating the main grill and lower central air vent, does it remind you of a Lexus. Personally, I think it does but what do you think. Let me know in the comment section below and whilst you are at it don’t forget to like and subscribe.
Exterior – Side
Moving round to the side and there are some changes to the wheel design making it more modern and unique. We also get some new colours too, but bodywork wise everything else is the same on the side.
Exterior – Rear
Moving round the back and there are changes but some of them I’m not sure they are good ones. Let’s start with the elephant in the room. The taillights. They have removed the red film element on the outside and I am fine with that as Renault and Volkswagen are doing this and it looks quite good. The thing is though on this car they have left the inner elements of the lights a light white colour making it look like someone has smashed the taillights removing the outer plastic. Personally, if the inner elements were a red colour, then it would have worked very well but as they are I’m not a fan of them. When they are lit up you don’t notice the white parts as they are red, but I think they should also be red when the lights are off. They do have new graphics though which do look good. The badge and lettering is the same as before but we do get a new bumper design which looks more simple and cleans the rear design up. Let’s have a look at the engine and gearbox options you can have with the new Nissan Qashqai Facelift.
Car and engine specs and price
So, for the engine range there are 2 petrol engines with mild hybrid technology and there is one full hybrid engine. The first engine is a 1.35 litre turbo engine with 139 bhp. it can do 0-62 in 10.2 seconds, and it can be had with a 6-speed manual. It is also front wheel drive. The next engine is the same 1.35 litre turbo engine, but the power has increased to 157 bhp. this reduces the 0-62 time to 9.5 seconds. This powers the front wheels, and the power goes through either a 6-speed manual or a CVT Automatic gearbox. The final engine is a 1.5 litre full hybrid engine, and this has 188 bhp and a 0-62 time of just 7.9 seconds. The power goes to the front wheels through a single speed electric. The e-power system is a bit different to other cars. This is because the wheels are powered by an electric motor and the engine provides electricity like a generator. It’s quite interesting really. The price of the new Nissan Qashqai starts at £30,135. Let’s have a look at the interior.
Interior – Design
So, climbing inside the new Nissan Qashqai facelift and we do get some very slight changes. To start with the surround on the infotainment system is slightly different and the infotainment system has also been updated and is now based on Android Automotive. This means you can have Google assistant and google maps built in. It also comes with wireless android Auto and Apple Car Play. It is very easy to use and has a simple layout too. The rest of the dashboard design is also slightly different and is more minimal than before. we do still get physical climate controls though which I do like, and the centre console is the same with a small gear selector toggle. The instrument cluster graphics are also the same as to is the steering wheel and door cards. The overall material quality is the same too which I am fine with. Right let’s have a look and see what it is like in the back.
Practicality
So, getting into the back of the Qashqai and there aren’t any changes to report of. The legroom and headroom is ok for a 6 footer and you also get your own air vents as well as arm rest and rear heated seats. Unfortunately, you don’t get your own climate control system like you do on the German rivals. This would have been a nice touch. Let’s have a look in the boot.
Boot Size
So, opening the boot you are welcomed with 504 litres of boot space which is not bad and is as good as some of its rivals. Folding the seats down you get 1,600 which again is good but there isn’t any centre passage for long items so you would have to fold one part of the seats down only leaving one seat up as it only has a 60:40 split pattern.
Summary
So, what do I think of the new Nissan Qashqai. Well, the interior upgrades are good, especially the infotainment system and the practicality is still decent. The exterior design in my opinion isn’t as good as before but it does keep it modern and fresh against its rivals. If you are looking for a premium SUV then this may be the one to go for but there are better options, for example the Volkswagen Tiguan and Kia Sportage but this shouldn’t be missed out.
Exterior 3.5/5
Interior 4/5
Practicality 4/5
Total 11.5/15
Model | Nissan Qashqai N-Design |
Engine | 1.5l Turbo, 188bhp, 0-62 = 7.9 Seconds, Front Wheel Drive |
Transmission | Single Speed Electric Motor |
Price | £29,620 |
On Sale | Now |
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