Designed, engineered and built in Europe. As with the previous two generations, the design of the Nissan Qashqai is the work of Nissan’s European Design Studio in London, UK, led by Matthew Weaver. We drove Nissan’s compact SUV on the streets of Rome and found a radical change from the previous generation in terms of interior quality, materials used and style, with a shift towards the premium world. Nissan’s compact SUV has a modern and imposing appearance, characterised by sharper and sharper external lines for clean surfaces and muscular volumes. The car, based on the CMF-C platform of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, is 4.4 metres long, 1.8 metres wide and 1.6 metres high.
Some of the details reflect the latest styling cues from the Japanese manufacturer, from the V-Motion grille to the contrasting roof that appears to be suspended, to the large wheels, which for the first time on this model also have a 20 inch rim. The profile is characterised by a high beltline that rises towards the rear, less disruptive than the front end but robust and muscular for greater presence on the road. The headlamps echo the horizontal design seen on the latest Juke. Customers can personalise the car with 11 exterior colours, with 5 two-tone combinations, for a total of 16 variants.
Perceived quality and digitalisation have increased inside. At the centre of the dashboard is the high-resolution, 9-inch, floating infotainment system display that has retained some physical buttons for the main functions. In front of the driver, the instrumentation is also digital, conveyed by a 12.3-inch high-resolution screen on which all the most important driving information and the driver assistance functions of the ProPilot2 package are displayed.
“The new Qashqai is where expressive design meets customer expectations. Their needs guide our choices, which are designed not to disappoint the most demanding drivers. The new generation crossover offers an exclusive yet practical, luxurious yet accessible, advanced yet highly intuitive environment, a new benchmark in the segment,” says Matthew Weaver, Vice President Nissan Design Europe. A number of interventions have been made to improve the interior, which is now more upmarket with improved materials and finishes.
