FirstDrive: Nissan QashqaiAs the love affair with SUVs wanes, Nissan thinks the crossover Qashqai might fill an important gap. Donal Byrnereports
Some experts have been predicting it for about three years - and the current warnings of the extent of global warming may confirm it - but it looks as if the days of the controversial SUV (sports utility vehicle) are numbered.
Mounting resistance to large four-wheel drives in urban environments has been building and has been underpinned by the decision by local authorities to increase tax and parking permit fees.
And the American love affair with the SUV has also been on the wane.
Sales of these vehicles in the United States reached some three million in 2000, but are already dropping towards the two million mark.
However, the gap is being filled by the arrival of a new type of vehicle - one that has all the attributes of a car but still has the profile of an SUV - the crossover.
Since the first indications of the decreasing popularity of SUVs on the international market, car companies have been clamouring to design and build crossover vehicles to create a new niche and to spare the blushes of people who want to drive something different without enduring insults from fellow road users and neighbours.
The first to arrive in Ireland is the curiously named Nissan Qashqai (Nissan does admit the name presents what it calls "communication problems"), culled from the name of a nomadic tribe in Southern Iran.
For the record, the name is pronounced Cashkai. The Qashqai is an intriguing mix of car-based design and four-wheel drive profile and the overall effect is not the challenge one might have expected.
Being Japanese in pedigree and European in design, this car has been very cleverly thought out indeed. About 100mm longer than a Volkswagen Golf or a Ford Focus, but about 150mm shorter than a medium-sized SUV, the Qashqai will take on both in the marketplace.
If you want something completely different from the former but not a million miles from the latter, then this car will not be beaten for novelty value.
SUVs like the soft-roader Toyota Rav 4 will be a definite target and Nissan is well aware of the fact that over 80 per cent of Rav 4s are not four-wheel drives at all. That is why four-wheel drive options are well above the entry level of prices for the two-wheel drive version. Those opting for four-wheel drive will be very much in the minority.
The smooth subtlety of the exterior is well matched by the interior. The driver's area is designed in sporty detail, while for passengers, it is designed to be more relaxing and car-like.
Worthy of note is the fact that instrumentation, dashboard and the general interior finish have moved up a notch from normal Japanese blandness. A top quality stereo system has a Bluetooth facility as a standard extra to allow for hands-free communication. With a starting price of €23,995 for the Qashqai, this is a first that should rattle the competition a little.
The car has a choice of 1.6- and 2.0-litre petrol engines, producing 115 and 140 horse power respectively. Both are peppy and the 1.6-l is more than adequate for general driving.
However, perhaps the most interesting unit in the line-up is a very impressive 1.5 diesel, which is quite refined. It produces 106 brake horse power and, with a claimed overall consumption of about 5.4 litres per 100 kilometres, is expected to account for 30 to 40 per cent of sales in this country.
Nissan's emphasis on CO2 emissions (the levels from both engines are in line with those of medium-sized cars) indicates the company's desire to present the Qashqai as a much greener alternative to SUVs and the levels are even lower than several popular medium-sized cars on sale here.
The Qashqai has solid handling even on quite twisty roads, and the ride seems appropriately balanced for Irish conditions.
Standard equipment on the base SE version also includes air conditioning, alloy wheels, ABS and brake assist, six airbags, active head restraints, driver lumbar support, keyless entry, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights, all-round electric windows and 60/40 folding rear seats.
This level of equipment also sets the bar higher for the competition because you won't find it on a VW Golf or a Rav 4.
However, the SE does not feature anti-trap electric windows, which parents would undoubtedly prefer Nissan to address as a matter of urgency. Also, the electronic stability programme is only available as an extra at a cost of €800.
The other option, the SV, has extras such as a glass roof, bigger wheels, folding mirrors, a rear parking sensor, dual zone air conditioning, a six-CD changer and cruise control.
The name notwithstanding, the Qashqai is bound to shake up the market here. It is sufficiently car-like in most respects to attract those simply looking for something different and it still has that four-wheel drive profile, without the poor image that often goes with four-wheel drives.
The initiative to design and build the Qashqai may well have been guided by the response to the question being put to public meetings in the United States by one Ford executive: "Would the person who really needs a truck-based SUV please stand up?" Very few do.
Factfile
ENGINES:
1.6-litre petrol (115bhp)
2.0-litre petrol (126bhp)
1.5-diesel (106bhp)
Statistics for 1.6 petrol:
0 - 100 KM/H - 12.2 seconds.
Top speed: 175 KM per hour.
Fuel consumption:
Combined 6.7 litres per 100 KM.
Specifications:
Six airbags and Bluetooth stereo facility, plus other equipment listed as standard.