Buying a Car in Spain – The New Nissan Qashqai 7-Seater
The new seven seater Nissan Qashqai is heading our way. The new Nissan Qashqai is being made available for the first time as a seven-seater, designed to compete with the likes of the Opel Zafira and SUV type vehicles like the Toyota RAV 4.
The Qashqai’s design takes cues from the design sheets of the world’s SUVs and MPVs, a fusion of styles which lend it consummate practicality, the advantages of a high driving position and the driving dynamics, for the most part, of a standard family hatchback. At 4.53m long with a wheelbase of 2.77m, the new Nissan Qashqai is larger on every measure by comparison to the donor car, the original 5 seater Qashqai.
The Qashqai will be available in Spain with a large range of engines: two petrol engines, a 1.6 and a 2.0l with 114 and 141 CV respectively and two Renault sourced diesel engines, a 1.5l developing 106 CV alongside a 2.0l pumping out 150 CV. Both of the higher powered variants, both diesel and petrol will be available with both front and four-wheel drive.
The smaller engine cars will only be available with front wheel drive. As far as the drivetrain is concerned, the Qashqai will be available with a five speed manual gearbox or, as an option across the range, an automatic with six ratios. The added weight of the car given its larger size has meant that Nissan’s engineers have had to review suspension settings as well as the powered steering rack to compensate for the extra bulk of the car.
The interior of the new Qashqai has also been tweaked to distinguish this larger version from the 5-seater car. The front grille has now been given a new look and the rear doors are wider than in the five seater. Now available as options are roof racks installed by the manufacturer as well as a panoramic roof spanning the length of the car’s roof.
First impressions of the Qashqai fitted with the larger of the two diesel engines , used to power a large number of Renault’s cars like the Laguna and Megane, are that its driving and handling characteristics are closer to a family hatches’ than an SUV of equivalent size. Hatchback like driving dynamics mated to the economy of the same kind of car make this a viable alternative to many of the larger, thirstier SUVs out there whilst sacrificing a limited amount of practicality. The Qashqai in this guise is sure to sustain and develop the success of this quirky Nissan.