Nissan has unveiled details of the all-new, third generation Qashqai. It’s larger than the model it replaces and promises extra interior room and comfort.
The wheelbase is increased by 20mm with the overall length up by 35mm. There’s a marginal increase in height (+25mm) and width is greater by 32mm. The body in white is lighter by 60kg yet it is 41 per cent stiffer than the outgoing model.
The longer wheelbase of the new Qashqai provides extra knee room for rear occupants. Front and rear headroom has increased by 15mm. Overall luggage capacity is up by 50-litres from the previous generation.
The front end has large Nissan V-Motion grille, finished in chrome with a secondary pinstripe of satin chrome. It has slim full LED matrix headlamps and the press release says it has boomerang signature daylight running lights.
Gen-three Qashqai will be available for the first time with 20-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels (the previous generation offered up to 19-inch wheels) that fill the arches.
There is a 10.8-inch head-up display for navigation, driver assistance and road information projected onto the windscreen.
Qashqai’s infotainment provides simple integration of smartphones, in-car WiFi for up to seven devices. NissanConnect Services is a dedicated app with which to interact with and monitor the vehicle. It is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and also wireless Apple CarPlay.
Connectivity is offered to all occupants with front and rear USB charging connections with both USB-A and USB-C ports.
Power comes from a choice of three high-tech engines. One is a 1.3-litre mild hybrid with either 116 kW and 240 Nm, or 116 kW and 260 Nm. There’s an e-Power unit with 140 kW and 330 Nm. It is offered in 2WD and 4WD and there’s a six-speed manual or a new Xtronic transmission.
On the safety front, Nissan’s Intelligent forward emergency braking with predictive function is able to “see” the road beyond the car in front to detect if that vehicle suddenly brakes. The Qashqai applies the brakes to reduce the likelihood of a crash.
Should you still crash, the Qashqai has a central airbag, which deploys from between the two front seats, to prevent the front row occupants from making contact in the event of a side-impact. It has a range of front and side airbags.
An advanced headlight system adapts the shape of the beam according to the road conditions and other road-users. The beam is divided into 12 individual elements that selectively deactivate upon detection of an oncoming vehicle. The shape of the headlight beam changes so oncoming road-users will not be dazzled.
New Nissan Qashqai will be available in 11 body colours with five two-tone combinations, creating 16 variations to choose from.
Not that these are global details which may not apply to Australian imports, we will provide details of the Aussie models as soon as we receive them.
