2022 Nissan Qashqai vs Peugeot 3008

What's the difference?

Forget the Z, GT-R, Leaf or Juke, we reckon the 2022 Qashqai perfectly encapsulates the new Nissan.

Its styling is bold and confident, it’s driving dynamics are objectively good, and it sets a new high watermark for what customers should expect from standard safety equipment.

The missing piece of the puzzle is, of course, pricing, but if Nissan can keep the asking price relatively affordable, the Qashqai could be Australia’s new small SUV yardstick.

Technology is supposed to make life better and easier, but I’m afraid this hybrid version of the 3008 falls short on that score due to its slow charging and limited range. Nor does this hybrid version make a great driving, practical and good looking SUV much better.

Then there's the price. A list price of $80K is too much, relative to class rivals and the petrol equivalent 3008. 

For this money you could buy a Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Tesla Model 3. All charge at (relatively) lightening-quick rates and deliver about 400km of range. And none of them require petrol, because they are fully electric.   

The 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid needs charging pretty much every moment it’s not being driven in order to make sure all of that 60km of range doesn’t run dry.

That’s a lot to ask from people in Australia who don’t blink at driving 500km for a family holiday, in a country which has far fewer charging locations than Europe. 

Can you believe Nissan’s second-generation Qashqai has been on sale in Australia since 2014?

And after eight years, the small SUV has received a nip here and a tuck there to keep things fresh. But let’s be honest, this new-generation model is exactly what the doctor ordered.

It looks sleek, modern and confident while retaining that familiar Nissan DNA, and is now a genuine rival to head-turning SUVs like the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and Peugeot 2008.

The first thing you’ll notice at the front is the new 'V-motion' front grille, which blends together with boomerang-shaped headlights and daytime running lights.

You’ve also got the bonnet lines feeding right into the grille and a heavily sculpted bumper that combine for a sharp and angular face.

In profile, the high hip line makes the Qashqai look much taller and more substantial than its small SUV size would indicate.

A door scallop also breaks up the huge expanse of metal, while Nissan has kept the black plastic wheelarch cladding to a minimum for a more upmarket look.

This test car’s two-tone paint finish, mixing what Nissan calls 'Fuji Red Sunset' with a contrasting black roof, is also particularly eye catching, while optional 20-inch wheels are fitted.

In the rear, the Qashqai sports a roof-mounted rear spoiler which is reminiscent of a baseball cap being worn backwards.

The chunky rear bumper with a contrasting element makes the Qashqai look a little more rugged, while the new Nissan models also sports the latest automotive design trend of proudly spelling its name with individual lettering across the tailgate.

One of the areas that let the old Qashqai down, especially in the last few years, was its dated cabin design. So, we’re happy to report the new version brings this space well and truly into 2022.

A large part of this is due to the new floating-style multimedia touchscreen system, which cleans up the whole centre stack and looks more Nintendo Switch than Nintendo Gameboy.

The all-digital instrument cluster is also a welcome sight, and features clear, concise and customisable readouts.

Nissan has also lifted the cabin atmosphere with the use of soft-touch blue leather on the dashboard, doors and transmission tunnel, at least in this high-grade variant, and the overall feeling in inside is of modernity and style.

There’s never been a Peugeot that hasn’t been interesting in its design. That’s a big part of their appeal and the 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid is intriguingly good looking inside and out.

Look at the grille with its chrome studs filling that monstrous grin like glistening teeth. And see how the headlights blend into the jagged design and notice the eyebrow-like ridges above them which extend into the bonnet towards the windscreen. 

It’s a tough-but-pretty design that’s carried on down the side panels as they curve and crease towards the tailgate with its striking LED tail-lights.

The cabin is stunning with its black leather upholstery, metallic and faux wood trim, and Peugeot oddities such as the small angular steering wheel, the elongated gear shifter and high-placed instrument cluster.  

Though the Qashqai is classed as a small SUV, it genuinely feels like there is enough room inside to rival some cars a size above.

Part of the reason is the new Qashqai has grown in all dimensions, affording front and rear occupants more space.

The new Qashqai measures 4425mm long, 1835mm wide, 1625mm tall and features a 2665mm wheelbase.

In the front row, there is heaps of head-, shoulder- and legroom, while the seats and steering wheel offer plenty of adjustability for all shapes and sizes.

Storage options range from a bottle-swallowing door bin, two large cupholders, a wireless smartphone tray, and a deep, two-tiered, underarm cubby.

However, it’s in the second row where the Qashqai’s expanded size really makes a difference, especially in legroom.

Head-, and shoulder-room are substantial, too, even in the middle seat, while ISOFIX points means even babies can enjoy the ambiance.

Here you’ll find door pockets that will happily swallow a large bottle, a fold-down armrest with cupholders, map pockets, air vents and charging ports.

Boot space measures a sizeable 504 litres – up a massive 74L over the previous model – thanks to a lower boot floor that also features customisable floorboards.

Stow the split-fold 60/40 second-row seats down, and space swells to 1593L – plenty of room for Ikea furniture, pets or a big-screen TV.

I think we can all agree leather trousers look tremendous, but aren’t very practical. And there are some SUVs where form is favoured over function, too. But not this one... in most cases.

The 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid is spacious for a mid-sized SUV with great cabin storage and a big boot.

Up front there are huge door pockets that are more like buckets, a large split opening centre console storage box and two cupholders.

The second row has smaller door pockets and two cupholders in the fold-down armrest.

The 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid’s boot is big compared to its rivals at 591 litres with the second row up, and 1670 litres with the rear seat folded.

For people space, there’s more than enough room for me at 191cm to sit behind my driving position. 

For charging there are USB ports and a 12V power outlet. 

Peugeot offers the plug-in hybrid version of its 3008 exclusively in the top-of-the-range GT Sport grade for a list price of $79,990. That makes it the most expensive Peugeot offered in Australia.

This hybrid is $20,000 more than the petrol version, in the same GT Sport grade, with identical standard features.

Electric cars are currently more costly to produce than their petrol counterparts, but expecting consumers to fork out $20K is hard to justify. Particularly when prestige rivals to the 3008 Plug-in Hybrid cost less. The Volvo XC40 Recharge Plug-in lists for $66,990.

But if you're determined to own the GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid you’ll be treated to the full banquet of 3008 features.

Coming standard is a 10.0-inch media display, a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, sat nav, a 10-speaker Focal stereo*, dual-zone climate control, power adjustable and heated front seats, and Nappa leather upholstery. 

*UPDATE: Peugeot advised on 5 May 2022 that Australian-spec MY22 models will temporarily omit the Focal premium audio system due to a manufacturing irregularity. See your Peugeot dealer to confirm when this feature will return.

There’s also a panoramic sunroof, 19-inch alloy wheels, aluminium roof rails, LED headlights and running lights, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, auto parking, proximity key, and tinted rear windows. 

Powering this Qashqai is a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder with 12-volt mild-hybrid technology, outputting 116kW and 270Nm.

With drive sent to the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission, or CVT, this Qashqai can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 9.2 seconds.

Look, it’s not blisteringly quick, but it isn’t trying to be. This engine and transmission get the job done.

Australian cars however, won’t be getting this particular engine.

All Australian Qashqais at launch will be equipped with a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine sans the mild-hybrid technology, with outputs pegged at 110kW/250Nm.

Though figures are down compared with overseas models, the 2022 Qashqai does produce 4kW and 50Nm more than the outgoing model, which used a 2.0-litre, naturally aspirated engine.

However, the new Qashqai still lags behind rivals like the 130kW/265Nm 1.6-litre-equipped Kia Seltos and 139kW/252Nm 2.5-litre-equipped Mazda CX-30.

All Aussie cars will also be front-wheel drive and fitted with a CVT as the base six-speed manual has been discontinued.

Nissan has also confirmed an e-Power variant that will launch in late 2022, which uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine to charge a lithium-ion battery and an electric motor that drives the wheels.

Total outputs in the e-Power grade will be 140kW/330Nm, so those wanting a bit more performance in the new Qashqai might want to wait.

The all-wheel drive (AWD) 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid is powered by a 81kW/320Nm electric motor on the front axle, an 83kW/166Nm motor on the rear axle, and a 147kW/300Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine driving the front wheels.

The total combined output is 222kW/520Nm, which makes it one of the most powerful mid-sized SUVs for the price. Acceleration is impressively quick with 0-100km/h coming in just 5.9 seconds.

Official fuel consumption figures for this Nissan Qashqai are pegged at 6.4 litres per 100km, while our time with the car yielded a figure of 7.3L/100km covering a healthy mix of inner-city, freeway and country driving.

This is despite the 12-volt mild-hybrid tech that powers the Qashqai’s electrical systems at low speeds, which Nissan says reduces engine running time, and therefore, fuel consumption.

To be fair, our driving skewed more heavily towards country and freeway trips, so if we stayed in the inner city a little longer, our fuel consumption average might be a bit lower.

Strangely, Australian Qashqai’s without the mild-hybrid tech boast an even lower fuel consumption average of 6.1L/100km, but we’ll have to wait to drive one on local soil to see how accurate that claim is.

This sounds obvious but plug-in hybrids need to be plugged into a charger. And I mean they need to be charged every time you’ve finished driving for the day. 

Otherwise, you’ll run out of charge and your fuel use will rocket past that of a petrol-powered 3008 due to the extra weight in batteries and motors you’re lugging around.

The 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid has an electric range of 60km, although I went through the entire charge in less than 50km. Then I had to hunt down a fast charger and discovered it would take about four hours to stuff the batteries full of power again.

The 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid is extremely slow to fill up due to a small 3.7kW onboard charger. If the inverter unit was larger (as in BEVs like the Tesla Model X or Hyundai Ioniq 5) charging time would be much faster.

Charging overnight each day you use the 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid is the scenario you’ll have to adopt if you want to get the most out of this SUV. 

I found that after starting with a full charge and driving it for a day of mainly urban usage the trip computer was reporting an average consumption of 1.4L/100km. 

If you plan on adding motorways and open roads into the mix Peugeot says you can expect to use 1.6L/100km.

That’s outstanding fuel economy, but let the charge run out and you’ll start seeing 9.5L/100km, and higher, as I did. 

In that scenario the petrol engine needs to lug 1.8 tonnes around, a decent chunk of which is heavy batteries and motors, which aren’t doing anything.

If you don’t have access to power at home to charge a car, then you’d be better off with the type of hybrid which charges through the engine and regenerative braking, such as a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. 

The 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid has received such a low score here because of its extremely slow charging time and limited range. 

A larger inverter would solve this issue. It's possible consumers will end up using a lot more fuel than the pure petrol variant unless they are vigilant in always charging this car (nearly) every time it is not being driven.

The new-generation Qashqai represents Nissan turning over a new Leaf (pun intended) and nowhere is this more evident than from the driver’s seat.

For a small SUV the old model was fun to drive, but let down immensely by a dated powertrain.

This new engine fixes some of the problems, and thankfully makes use of a turbocharger for a big boost in torque that is available much sooner in the rev range.

The result is a punchier-feeling car, especially around town, and it makes moving about in traffic feel that much snappier and more enjoyable.

We’re also happy to report that Nissan has retuned the CVT, making it feel much more organic and natural than it did before. But there's still a bit of lag off the line and a rubbery feel when pushing the Qashqai hard.

All Australian models feature a multi-link rear suspension set-up (yes!) and the Qashqai is well-tuned to soak up small bumps, while also offering plenty of feedback to the driver.

The steering can stray a little to the numb side, but it's never vague, and the lightness is an advantage when manoeuvring around town.

Overall, everything just feels nice, predictable and unintimidating – exactly what you want out of a small SUV like the Nissan Qashqai.

The new multimedia system is also super responsive, and is displayed on a much larger screen than before.

This means there is less lag when using things like the satellite navigation, and retention of physical buttons for the climate controls is a plus.

The massive glasshouse also means great visibility all around, while the panoramic glass roof is just plain awesome, especially when exploring country back roads.

Of note, though, road and wind noise can stray towards the ‘too loud and annoying’ side of things. But this only happens at freeway speeds and on coarse road surfaces, and could be an effect of our test car’s 20-inch wheels.

It will be interesting to see how much different the engine found in Australian models will be compared to this one with mild-hybrid tech.

Overall, though, this new-gen Qashqai is not only a clear step up over the old one, but a genuine rival to something like the Kia Seltos or Mazda CX-30.

The 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid is an excellent SUV to drive. The ride is composed, the body feels nicely controlled and the handling is good. 

Add great acceleration, thanks to the torquey motors, and this SUV is well above average when it comes to the driving experience.

Any downsides? There always are. Visibility is compromised by thick, long A-pillars and the steering wheel’s odd shape and tiny size are a letdown. So too is not charging regularly, causing this SUV to suddenly have to lug its 1.8-tonne weight around under petrol power alone.

The 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid comes with all the safety tech in the 3008's arsenal. 

There’s auto emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keeping technology, blind-spot monitoring, a camera system, and front and rear parking sensors.

There are some gaps though. No rear cross-traffic alert or reverse AEB. These things are now common on new cars.

For child seats there are three top tether anchor points across the second row along with two ISOFIX mounts.

The Peugeot 3008 was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating in 2017, but in the past five years safety tech has come a long way and this SUV has fallen behind.

Please be aware, too, that the plug-in hybrid version has yet to be given a ANCAP score. 

Like all new Nissan’s sold in Australia, the 2022 Qashqai comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with roadside assist over that period.

This matches the assurance period offered by most top 10 brands, including Toyota, Mazda and Hyundai, but falls short of the benchmark 10 years on offer from Mitsubishi and the seven years available from Kia.

Scheduled service intervals are every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first, but Nissan is yet to reveal pricing.

However, there will be capped-price servicing for the new Qashqai.

For context, each service for the outgoing car costs an average of around $300.

The 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid is covered by Peugeot’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. The battery is also covered by an eight year warranty.

Servicing is recommended annually or every 20,000km. Service prices are capped, and you can expect to pay $3108 over the course of five years, for an annual average of $622.