The Nissan Qashqai is well known to me, as I have owned two of them myself. I bought these at the height of the Qashqai popularity, and enjoyed driving both, however they were manual transmission models, and I now prefer to drive auto cars. I drove the Qashqai 1,5 L Dci Tekna for a few days last week, and it brought home to me how good this SUV or Crossover really is. The 5-door hatch is what I drove. The Qashqai comes in 1.2L variants, but I like the 1.5 L diesel as it has that grunt that you want, and the added fuel economy.

The Tekna is the top spec, and accordingly it has a higher price tag to go with it- R434 000.00, however this car is really specced well above its price tag. It is a good looking car, with its raised 182mm platform, and roof rails for outdoor fun, it has a glass roof for extra light, and is comfy and spacious within. The 19’’ inch alloys give it a sporty air. It comes with LED daytime running lights and halogen headlamps.

Into the cabin, and you have partial leather seats, a leather steering wheel, and a ergonomic dash area. For Winter cold, it has front heated seats which the ladies in my life really enjoyed, navigation system, Bose 7-speaker sound system, and hands free Bluetooth and cruise control on the steering wheel. So all very convenient and close at hand for maximum control.

The rear seats have a 60/40 split and the boot is big at 430L and 1585L folded. So going on holidays, and or, weekends will be no problem with luggage. The drive is good & smooth, and the engine is responsive. Overtaking on the city roads presented no problem at all. It has the award winning 1.5 L diesel engine, that pushes 81 kw @4000rpm, and 260 Nm torque. It has a 65 L fuel tank and sips fuel at 4.2 L/100km claimed, so long trips are not an issue. It is not a speedster, so 185km/h is what you are looking at, and it has a 6-speed mauaal transmission, which is smooth as silk.

Safety is taken care of with 6 airbags, and whizzing around the Highways of Jozi the following came in handy. ABS broaking and EBD-(electronin brake distribution) are standard so you feel secure on the road. Hill start assist for the times you stop on a incline, Intelligent blind spot assist, forward braking and forward collision system all come in handy.

The raised platform does not give any instability at all and it drives pleasantly.
The Nissan Qashqai comes with 15 000 service intervals, takes 50pp diesel and has a 3 year/ service warranty, and 6-year roadside assist warranty as well.

Summing up my drive, its worth the R433 000.00 price tag, and will save you loads on fuel. The drive is good and the power is adequate. Space and comfort is at a premium. The car was taken from Mark White Nissan, situated at Fourways Crossing in Fourways. They have been a part of that community for a while now. Their number is 011 840 1960.