2017 Nissan Qashqai vs 2018

What's the difference?

While among the older of the mini-SUVs, the Qashqai is holding up very well. Its competition isroughly the same in most ways, with just tiny detail differences, meaning the decision really comes down to which one you like the look of and whether you can afford it.

The Qashqai's lack of all-wheel drive does count against it for some people, but unless you're heading off-road, that's no reason to pass over the Nissan. The entertainment system software isn't exactly bang-up-to-date but a quick look at the competition reveals theirs aren't either.

The Qashqai drives well, looks good and is extremely well built. It should survive a tough family life without stress or drama and apart from the indifferent fuel economy, should cost very little to run in diesel or petrol formats.

The Qashqai's MY18 update is subtle but effective. It had a good base to start with, so it was all about detailed improvements. Ride and handling are better, it looks a bit more modern, the safety gear is improved and the exit of the diesel won't upset too many people.

As for which Qashqai is best, it's probably the ST-L - a good mix of spec and price make it our pick. As a range, it's likely the Qashqai will continue to sell as well as it has, despite stiffening competition. It has a solid reputation, well-judged spec and it can carry people and things in comfort and reasonable style.

It's an interesting thing this Qashqai. Many moons ago this would probably have laboured under the designation 'mini-MPV' - it really is more of a large hatchback than it is an SUV because of the way it's proportioned. I'd put a large sum of money on a quick vox pop finding that there is little to link the Nissan to other cars in the segment, at least visually.

Part of the reason it doesn't look like it competes with the CX-3 or ASX or HR-V is because it looks markedly bigger. On the road and from behind the wheel, it looks as though it towers over these cars (it doesn't, there's only a few millimetres in it) and seems like it's from a class above (it's not). So if its exterior is deliberately styled to appear bigger than it is, job done.

What's most clear about this car is that it is beautifully built.

So we've established it looks big but it's worth pointing out that it is in no way overbearing. The Qashqai is very clearly a Nissan design, with obvious links to the other big-seller from the Nissan range, the X Trail.

What's most clear about this car is that it is beautifully built. No squeaks or rattles, no sharp edges and the plastics are a cut above its immediate competition. Panel fit inside and out is exemplary.

The interior looks big in the photos, because for a car this size, it is. Again, the only one of its competitors to come close in terms of dimensions is the HR-V which has more available leg room in the back and a bigger boot.

The exterior design has been left largely alone, with just a small amount of surgery to bring it up to date with current Nissan thinking. There's a new iteration of the 'V Motion' grille, revised headlights and more interesting bumper designs front and rear.

The cabin is largely the same - beautifully built, most of the materials are pleasant to the touch if not exactly an aesthete's delight. Everything is well laid-out, the dash is clear and the switchgear all perfectly pleasant. 

The space is well proportioned, too and with the big sunroof, flooded with light, so it doesn't feel the slightest bit tight or claustrophobic, quite a feat in a car this size.

The Qashqai is certainly one of the bigger cars in the small SUV class - at 4.377 metres, it's longer than CX-3 (4.275m), HR-V (4.294m) and ASX (4.355m).

The interior is well thought-out, with four cupholders (two front and two rear) and bottle holders in each door for a total of four, although you're restricted to smaller bottles of around 500ml. You could put either a super-dooper-whopper-gulp type cup in the centre console bin as there's a shallow cut-out at the bottom. It's deep, so you might even be able to get a wine bottle in there as long as you don't want to close the lid/armrest.

The boot space is versatile if not gigantic. At 430 litres it seems smaller than the looks suggest but it offers more luggage capacity than most of the rest of the class (HR-V excepted). The boot has two cubby holes behind the taillights with their own stretchy straps and the floor is split into two sections you can lift to hide things beneath or pull out altogether to make the boot a little deeper. It's all fairly intuitive, too. No need to resort to the owners manual here.

If its exterior is deliberately styled to appear bigger than it is, job done.

Additional storage comes in the form of a couple of open slots on the console and beneath the climate controls, a good size glove box (big enough for a hefty owner's manual) and on some models, document pockets in the front seatbacks.

Dropping the rear seats increases the load area but the seatbacks don't sit flush with the boot floor when you've removed the floor pieces - that's a trap for young players. Nissan doesn't quote a figure for the total load volume with the seats down.

Rear legroom is spacious enough for most folks, but the lack of rear air vents is a bit of a blow (sorry). Three kids could cheerfully spend time on the rear bench, but three adults would be a stretch. The Qashqai is a true five seat car where the CX-3 (for instance) is stretching the friendship, with the rear seats more a child-only zone.

The front seats are reasonably comfortable and adjustable but are a little over-stuffed for some backs.

The Qashqai has five seats and in a pinch, you can fill them all without causing a riot or medical emergency. Sadly, there is no seven-seat option.

Rear legroom is good, with enough room behind my driving position for folks of up to 185cm. There is tons of headroom front and rear even with the panoramic sunroof of the higher model spec. The interior dimensions mean four adults can cheerfully fit, with its light airy design (evident in the photos) made even brighter if you've got the full-length sunroof open.

Cabin storage includes up to four cupholders (ST and ST-L miss out on a rear armrest, so no vessel holding back there) and four bottle holders. The glove box easily swallows the owners manual.

The Qashaqi's boot space is nearly number one in its class, bettered only by Honda's HR-V. With 430 litres, it has the luggage capacity for a family getaway and the size for every day needs such as shopping or carrying the kids and their gear around.

Drop the 60/40 split fold back seats and you're in dangerous territory if you live near an Ikea - the space almost triples to 1596 litres and somehow people put these two facts together and your weekends are lost - although I guess it depends how much you like helping people.

The MY18's launch will see four Nissan Qashqai models on the price list: the ST, ST-L, N-TEC and Ti. The N-TEC will be with us throughout early 2018 when the advanced safety technology of the Ti becomes available. The current plan is that the N-TEC will disappear when that happens.

The 2018 Qashqai introduces a number of new features as standard across the range. All of them now have forward collision warning, auto emergency braking and lane departure warning. These are in addition to front and rear parking sensors and the reversing camera carried over from the 2017 models. 

Pricing hasn't moved very much, meaning how much you pay for a Qashqai has only changed due to the new spec level and the end of the diesel models. The ST is up by $500, the ST-L and N-TEC don't really have obvious counterparts given the demise of the diesel and the petrol Ti is $1000 more. Having said that, the ST-L is $1000 cheaper than the old TS.

Pricing for the ST range opener kicks off at $26,490 for the manual and $28,990 for the CVT auto. Rolling on 17-inch alloys, the ST has a six-speaker stereo, cruise control, cloth trim, keyless entry and start, air-conditioning and a space saver spare tyre.

The ST's sound system is powered by a 5.0-inch touchscreen and features an AM/FM radio, CD player, MP3 player and you can connect your iPhone or Android device via USB or Bluetooth. Sadly - and this goes for the whole range - there is not yet Apple CarPlay or Android Auto support.

Next up is the ST-L, starting at $32,990. On top of the ST spec you'll get 18-inch alloys, roof rails, fog lights, electric and heated folding mirrors, GPS sat nav, partial leather seats, heated seats, electric drivers seat and around-view cameras (as well as the normal reversing camera).

The infotainment screen is pumped up to 7.0-inches and DAB+ digital radio joins the list.

The gadgets list expands with the N-TEC, which will stick around until the Ti's arrival. Priced from $36,490, this one includes 19-inch alloys with fatter tyres, LED headlights (in addition to the LED daytime running lights), dual-zone climate control to replace the standard AC, auto headlights and wipers, panoramic sunroof, rear centre armrest, auto parking and mood lighting. The safety list expands with blind spot monitoring, high beam assist and reverse cross traffic alert.

The $37,990 top of the range Ti will land sometime before the middle of 2018. Compared with the N-TEC, the Ti is basically the same but adds nappa leather interior, lane keep assist and active cruise control. 

Should the N-TEC be wildly successful, would it stick around? We asked, but Nissan wouldn't speculate. The reason for the Ti's late arrival is related to production availabilty of the lane keep assist and active cruise combination.

Those looking for more exotic colours like orange or gold will sadly miss out.

As for the colour choices, there are now eight colours for the Qashqai. As before, 'Ivory Pearl' (white) and 'Pearl Black' are no extra cost. The remaining colours - 'Platinum' (a light grey silver), 'Gun Metallic' (dark grey), 'Night Shade' (a sort of purple blue) and 'Magnetic Red' all cost $495. The new 'Vivid Blue', which is exactly what it sounds like, is new to the range and is also $495.

Those looking for more exotic colours like orange or gold will sadly miss out and the earthy tones of brown are also unavailable.

For a more detailed comparison, see our model snapshots.

The Qashqai comes with a choice of two engine specs and two transmissions. When compared to the competition, engine size is a moot point as they're all around the 1.8 to 2.0-litre mark for petrols and 1.5 or 1.6-litre with similar specs across the segment. Horsepower doesn't seem to be a priority with buyers, so there aren't any outstanding power ratings to tempt you from one to another.

The 2.0-litre petrol four is naturally aspirated and produces 106kW/200Nm. This will motor you along from 0-100km/h in just over 10 seconds. The petrol has a timing chain, so rest easy, you won't have to pay for a cambelt change at any point.

The 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel produces 96kW and a rather more impressive 320Nm of torque. This adds an easy half-second to the 0-100 acceleration time, coming in at 11.1 seconds. The diesel is automatic only. As with the petrol engine, the diesel (known as R9M, R is for Renault), runs a chain rather than a timing belt, so again, that's one less maintenance worry for long-term owners.

When it comes to reputation for durability and reliability we're not aware of any common faults or specific problems.

With petrol-powered cars, you can choose either a six-speed manual or an auto, which is a continuously variable transmission (CVT) rather than traditional torque converter type found in, say, the Mazda CX-3.

The CVT gearbox is also found in Nissan's own X Trail, while rivals Honda and Toyota favour this type (Toyota's CH-R will join the fray in 2017 with a CVT).

When it comes to reputation for durability and reliability we're not aware of any common faults or specific problems; and that goes for turbo problems, gearbox problems, clutch problems, cruise control problems, diesel problems, injector problems... any problems, really. If anything crops up, you'll find it on our Nissan Qashqai problems page. 

If you want a Qashqai with all-wheel drive (or, if you prefer, 4-wheel drive), you'll have to move countries - the Qashqai is front-wheel drive only in Australia.

The Qashqai's towing capacity is rated at 720kg for unbraked trailers and will carry a 1200kg load for those with brakes. Petrol vs diesel? Doesn't matter, they're both the same.

The petrol vs diesel decision is no longer part of the equation - as President Trump might say, diesel's ratings were low, with just under 10 percent of cars sold drinking the DERV.

Despite its availability in overseas markets, all-wheel drive is not available in Australia, perhaps because of the X-Trail's popularity (and close relationship to the Qashqai).

The only available engine is Nissan's 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol developing 106kW/200Nm. This neatly side-steps any turbo problems as it's a fairly straightforward sort of engine. As far as engine size goes, it is consistent with its Mazda rival, the CX-3 which also runs a 2.0-litre petrol.

The manual gearbox is a six-speed (just three percent of buyers choose to change their own gears) and mated to the same (MR20DD) engine. For those interested, this engine employs a chain rather than timing belt.

For CVT-equipped cars, the towing capacity is 1200kg for a braked trailer and a very specific 729kg for unbraked, so you can haul a decent load. 

As with 4 wheel drive, an LP gas fuelled Qashqai is also a non-starter from the factory.

Engine specs across the segment aren't remarkably different - some are smaller turbo engines, but most around the 1.8 to 2.0-litre mark. The Qashqai's acceleration performance figures for the 0-100km/h dash are around ten seconds (CVT). Kerb weight ranges from 1343kg for the manual ST to 1429kg for the Ti.

Oil capacity is 3.8 litres and the recommended oil type is 5W-30.

Nissan claims 7.7L/100km on the combined cycle for the petrol. Our most recent test of the 2.0, a Ti automatic, showed this consumption figure to be fairly optimistic, averaging 11.2L/100km in a good mix of urban, suburban and highway running, admittedly in a hot, damp Sydney summer heatwave.

The Qashqai is almost like an overgrown hatchback.

For the diesel, Nissan says it will return around 4.9L/100km on the combined cycle. The most recent CarsGuide test yielded 8.6L/100km, so it seems you've got to be super-careful to get anywhere near the official figures.

Fuel tank capacity is a generous 65 litres. Based on our fuel economy figures, the petrol will get you around 550km before you have to top up the gas, and the diesel about 720km. Out on the freeway, you'll get a lot further with either engine.

The offical combined cycle fuel economy figure for the 2.0-litre are 7.7L/100km for the manual and 6.9L/100km for the CVT. On test, which was partly highway and a good chunk of Victorian back roads, our fuel consumption figure was a neat 8.0L/100km.

Fuel tank capacity is 65 litres.

The Qashqai is almost like an overgrown hatchback - with FWD and modest power outputs, it's always going to be most at home in the city. Nissan seems to have a good grip on that concept, because the city is where the car excels.

This car is not about performance figures. Neither the manual or automatic is a speed demon, it's all about smoothness. In the manual you can get it moving your way but the CVT is a little more leisurely - if you want a bit more urgency you have to clunk the selector into manual, remember it's around the 'wrong' way (up is to up a gear) and force the changes yourself. It's a bit awkward, so if you're looking for a quick response, this isn't the car for you.

For the most part, refinement is good.

Front suspension is by McPherson struts, while the rear is a multi-link arrangement. This combination means good ride comfort for both front and rear passengers - most in the class make do with simpler (and cheaper) torsion beams at the back. That rear suspension is one of the reasons you'll pay more for the Qashqai. It's also one of the reasons that on bumpy roads the suspension is quieter, although the other road noise might just be drowning it out.

For the most part, refinement is good - the engine is quiet unless you floor it and on smooth surfaces, the tyres don't make too much racket. Once the surface deteriorates or breaks up, the noise comes with it - coarse roads produce a bit of a roar at the front and you'll hear every stone pinging the underbody, seemingly undamped by any noise-abating plastic skins or sealing.

Steering weight and feel are fine, and the turning circle is a reasonably small 11.17m. You won't get around in a standard suburban street, but a three-point turn won't be a bother either.

The Qashqai's off-road ability is, well, minimal. As there's no all-wheel drive option, what you've got is basically a hefty hatchback - Honda's HR-V is no different in that respect. This is despite a ground clearance of 188mm and Nissan's quoted approach angle of 19 degrees and departure of 28.5.

The explanation for those figures even existing is that other markets do have an all-wheel drive option for the Qashqai. Having said that, Nissan doesn't quote a wading depth, which is probably for the best.

The Qashqai has always been near the top of the class when it comes to ride and handling if not quite there for off-road ability - front-wheel drive and the absence of hill descent control pretty much nixes any muddy fun ambitions. Nissan doesn't quote a wading depth, so that should also tell you it's not for rock-hopping.

Front suspension is by McPherson struts while the rear is a multi-link set-up, something you expect from the next segment up. The MY18 features firmer springs, retuned damping and stiffer anti-roll bars. Out on the flowing country roads outside Daylesford, the new set-up wasn't remarkably different to the old, but the body felt slightly better-controlled without ruining the excellent ride.

On 18-inch wheels, road noise seems lower. Part of that comes from additional sound-deadening and some thicker glass in the rear. The wing mirrors still whistle faintly, but it's nothing the stereo can't handle, and you'll really only hear it at speed.

Switch to the 19s as fitted to the N-TEC (and Ti), and all those efforts seem defeated - there's some tyre roar at highway speeds, attributable to both the lower profile of the tyres and their extra width. The ride doesn't seem to suffer though, and it's a pleasant place to be in suburban and city traffic, soaking up the bumps quietly and smoothly.

Unladen ground clearance measures 186mm, which is among the higher-riders in the class and it was quite at home on a deeply-potholed back road. It was perhaps a little firmer than expected over the gravel, but the surface was very poorly-maintained and resembled the Ypres battlefield. Despite only driving the front wheels, it felt secure, the torque vectoring system helping keep it on the straight and narrow. The turning circle is usable if not tight at 10.7 metres.

It rides well, but what's the engine like? I won't lie, I'd like a bit more horsepower, but in a drag race, the Qashqai is going to be pretty much neck and neck with most of the cars in the segment. 

In the cruise it's a quiet engine and the CVT keeps the revs low until you floor it for an overtake, which you will need to do. Then the engine winds up with the CVT keeping it on the boil to make the most of engine specs. Around town both engine and gearbox are unobtrusive.

All Qashqais leave the Sunderland UK factory with at least six SRS airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, forward collision warning, reversing camera, forward auto emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors and lane departure warning.

You can fit a baby car seat for your child using either one of the three top-tether anchor points or two ISOFIX points.

ST-L buyers pick up around-view cameras with moving object detection.

The N-TEC adds to the safety list with rear cross traffic alert, blind spot warning, park assist and drowsiness detection. Finally, the Ti's specifications include 'Intelligent Lane Intervention', which helps keep you in your lane if you drift towards the edge.

The safety rating is five ANCAP stars, regardless of model. It was last tested in 2014.

Nissan's standard new car warranty runs for three years/100,000km. You can also choose from one of two extended warranty programs. The first is a time-only arrangement of 12, 24 or 36 months, but exceeding 100,000km will invalidate the extension.

You can choose the time and distance option for the same periods but an increase to the kilometre limit to 150,000km since new. An extended warranty also includes an extension to the free roadside assist period.

Nissan also offers capped price servicing which it calls Service Certainty. This means you'll never have to worry about greasy and obscure details like oil type and oil capacity, ever again.

Service costs differ from petrol to diesel but both are to be presented to your dealer every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first.

Servicing on petrol models costs from $224 to $532 over 12 services. Added together it comes to $3684 or $307 per service. Every other service costs $224.

Resale value appears reasonably strong.

Diesel pricing is markedly higher - $4745 for the 12 services, averaging $396 per visit.

You'll also need to factor in $32 for a brake fluid change every 40,000km or two years, meaning another $200-odd over the fixed-price period of six years. There will, of course, be other items that need replacing such as brake pads, tyres etc. that aren't covered.

Diesel servicing costs are significantly higher than the petrol-engined Qashqai while delivering a real world economy figure 3.0L/100km lower than the petrol. Assuming a price difference of about 15c/L over 15,000km, the diesel is $70/year cheaper to fuel but $89 per year more expensive to service. Then there's the $3000 purchase price difference.

Resale value appears reasonably strong. 2014-plated entry-level manual petrol STs are trading for between 54 and 61 percent of their new price, Ti autos between 57 and 64 percent and the TL auto diesel between 57 and 65 percent. Private prices appear to be about 60 to 70 percent of the new car price in 2014. As always, your mileage will vary depending on dealer or private buyer.

All specifications come with a space-saving spare tyre.

Nissan offers a three year/100,000km warranty and your dealer will almost certainly try and flog you an extended warranty. 

Those worried about service costs will be pleased to note that the MY18 Qasqhai capped price servicing regime is the same price as the previous year's. Service intervals remain at 12 months or 10,000km, with service prices bouncing around from $224 to $532 and averaging $307 over 12 services.

The Qashqai's resale value appears to be performing well and is as good as any in the compact SUV class. A good guide is to expect around 60 percent of the car's value to be retained over three years.

Owners seem to score it well for reliability, with few common faults reported. Searching for gearbox problems, clutch problems, cruise control problems or injector problems produce few results. As there is no longer a diesel option, searching for diesel problems is redundant.