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Whole new Nissan Qashqai launched in SA

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<b>MEET GEN-2 NISSAN QASHQAI:</b> The totally new and high-tech family crossover was launched in Johannesburg on July 1 2014. <i>Image: Nissan</i>
<b>MEET GEN-2 NISSAN QASHQAI:</b> The totally new and high-tech family crossover was launched in Johannesburg on July 1 2014. <i>Image: Nissan</i>
Nissan
  • 'World’s most popular compact crossover’
  • All-new Qashqai builds on success
  • Two-million owners ‘testament to pioneer’

KYALAMI, Gauteng - The second generation of Nissan’s ‘crossover’ Qashqai has been launched in South Africa with a show-‘n’-tell presentation at Kyalami’s Theatre on the Track, the likes of which have never been seen in this country.

Well, certainly not at any vehicle launch I’ve attended – and it drew serious applause from the 40 or so usually “seen-it-all” motoring journalists from across South Africa as well as from a number of our northerly neighbours – I’ve loaded our own iPad recording of the video on to YouTube and suggest you spend part of your coffee-break watching it here...

COOL VIDEO: Nissan Qashqai via Joe and an iPad

I also suggest advertising agencies et al take a look – it is, frankly, brilliant, if a little blurred.

CLOSE RELATIONS

Nissan SA, no doubt, will be hoping for a similar ‘never seen before’ reaction to its new Qashqai, Gen 2 of the vehicle with which, the automaker claims, it invented the ‘crossover’ genre of automobile – loosely translated, a five-seater car that looks like a small minibus, has almost totally folding seats and a large tail door through which to access them.

IMAGE GALLERY 2014 Nissan Qashqai
VIDEO: Nissan Qashqai action movie

Nissan is a sister company to the upmarket Infiniti brand and partner to French brand Renault and it seems to me that much of the best qualities of both – Infiniti for its high-tech cabin, Renault for its design skills – have filtered either by automotive osmosis or deliberate design-sharing into the brilliant new small car.

A top Nissan executive I asked about this during a car-change and coffee-and-snack stop at a Magaliesberg cheesery, the eats courtesy of the Street Chef’s Local Gourmet truck see gallery), was not exactly forthcoming, but did agree that the swopping of running gear and platforms between the brands “was nothing unusual”.

The Qashqai’s steering wheel controls and main instrumentation, for instance, look remarkably like those on the recently launched Infiniti Q50 sedan.

SIX YEARS GONE BY

It's six years since this the first 'crossover' from the Nissan stable reached South Africa... Now QQ MK.2 has landed and boy, is it a different animal.

Slicker-city? Confirmed, with user-tech to a degree few cars in it segment can match, at least for now. Family friendly? Confirmed, with a proper rear three-seater and lots of cabin storage.
Cruiser? Confirmed, despite the engines being downsized they're all turbo-boosted and the ride is excellent.
Fuel efficient? Confirmed. The 1.5 Acenta cDi turbodiesel which we check for 125km of freeway and city driving turned in 6.1 litres/100km - though with only two people aboard.

The cars, five models for now with a choice of three downsized yet more powerful engines and all-wheel drive attached to the top model, were presented at the Theatre on the Track, the whole building turned over to audio/visual displays and a stunning big-screen human/screen animation that, apparently, is going to be there for a month.

Here's the model range and prices (inc VAT):
Qashqai 1.2T Visia - R281 900
Qashqai 1.2T Visia  +17" alloy rims - R288 600
Qashqai 1.2T Acenta - R310 100
Qashqai 1.2T Acenta Navi - R326 800
Qashqai 1.2T Acenta +Style Pack - R322 900
Qashqai 1.2T Acenta +Navi+ Style Pack - R338 900

Qashqai 1.5dCi Acenta - R330 500
Qashqai 1.5dCi Acenta +Navi - R347 200
Qashqai 1.5dCi Acenta +Style Pack - R343 300
Qashqai 1.5dCi Acenta +Navi +Style Pack - R359 300

Qashqai 1.6 dCi Acenta CVT - R382 500
Qashqai 1.6 dCi Acenta CVT +Navi - R399 200
Qashqai 1.6 dCi Acenta CVT +Navi +leather - R409 200
Qashqai 1.6 dCi Acenta AWD - R383 800
Qashqai 1.6 dCi Acenta AWD +Navi  - R400 500
Qashqai 1.6 dCi Acenta AWD +Navi +leather - R410 500

Nissan SA is aiming for sales of close to 4000 a year in South Africa but will be sending stocks into Africa which, one of its senior executives explained, was rapidly becoming urbanised with hip young people rapidly moving into business positions as the continent's rapid development accelerates.

Next to arrive, I was told, will be the new Nissan X-Trail towards the end of 2014.

The ambience of the cabin of each of the two top-end and therefore leather-seated Qashqai Acenta 1.5 dCi turbodiesel units I used on the roughly 300km familiarisation drive through the winter-dry but still scenic Magaliesberg certainly verged on the luxurious.

Their fuel consumption also caused twitched eyebrows, especially as pundits are forecasting not only further fuel-price increases but also further crumbling of the rand: 6.1 litres/100km and a potential tank range of 700km despite much of the trip cruising at well over 100km/h.

THE ENGINES

Nissan has followed the now almost global trend of downsizing its engines while turbocharging them to generate more power and torque than the units they replaced, so you have the bizarre concept of three-cylinder engines on some brands outdoing larger four-cylinder units of only a couple of years ago.

So, Nissan has opted for three engines (and two trim lines) for installation in the UK-assembled units bound for SA, their shells longer, wider, lower, lighter and redesigned from the ground up with what the automaker calls "a refreshing, trendy new design, state-of-the-art technology and increased efficiency on a platform common to both Nissan and Renault".

The engine range starts with a petrol-fuelled 1.2 litre unit. It's a direct-injection turbocharged unit that defies its small capacity by making 85kW at 4500rpm and 190Nm from only 2000rpm - low revs, in fact, are a feature of all three of the four-cylinder engines.

The 1.2 is available in Visia and Acenta models and drives - as do all models except the "automatic" 1.6 dCi CVT Acenta - through a six–speed gearbox to the front wheels.

It wasn't available to drive at the launch so no further comment; the top Acenta 1.6 dCi is available with all-wheel drive.

TOPPING THE RANGE

The Qashqai 1.5 dCi Acenta has the latest evolution of the world-class 1.5-litre common-rail turbocharged diesel engine which makes only 81kW at 4000rpm but an abundant 260Nm of torque from 1750-2500rpm and Nissan claims a tested fuel consumption of 4.2 litres/100km.

Topping the range are the 1.6dCi Acenta Xtronic CVT (auto) and 1.6dCi Acenta AWD. Their new-generation 1.6 common-rail turbodiesel engine makes 96kW at 4000rpm and 320Nm from 1750rpm and claims a best of 4.9 litres/100km/h for the CVT and 5.3 for the AWD.

All versions of the 2014 Qashqai were awarded five-star EuroNCAP crash-test ratings, helped by four-disc anti-lock brakes, six air bags, dyhnamic stability control, traction control, hill-start assistance, electric parking brake, three-point seat belts for each of the five seats and IsoFix child-seat anchor. All models carry a full-size spare wheel.

Optional on each derivative (except the 1.2 Visia) is a 360-degree ‘helicopter’ camera view on the 1.5cm central facia screen. The cameras are on the nose, tail door and under each external mirror.

Other options include a ‘design pack’ and a ‘techno pack – or a combination of them. The design pack adds silver roof rails, privacy glass and 19” V-design alloy rims, the techno pack the around-view system, heatable exterior mirrors the new NissanConnect system.

NissanConnect is new on the Qashqai – the technology was barely evolving when the previous range was launched. It’s is a comprehensive infotainment system operated via a stylish 18cm touchscreen and incorporates satnav, Google search, full smartphone integration for iOS and Android devices, and a Facebook social media app. Three years connection comes with the car.

The two range-topping 1.6dCi Acenta model comes with 19” alloy rims, LED headlights with auto levelling, silver roof rails, privacy glass, chrome-accented front foglights and an intelligent key with keyless entry and push-button starting.

All new Nissan Qashqai models carry Nissan’s new class-leading six-year or 150 000km warranty and a five-year or 90 000km service plan which includes roadside assistance.
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