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Nissan Qashqai
GREEN groups have little to fear from Nissan's new Qashqai. Although it has the tough chunky shape of the sports utility vehicle this one is only pretending.
Qashqai diesel models can happily top 50 miles to the gallon and there is nothing frightening about the emission levels AND even before it leaves the production line it is saving energy because the factory where it is built at Sunderland draws much of its power from an on-site wind farm.
The biggest haze hanging over the new car is the name. When it was launched a few weeks ago, Nissan actually had to tell us how to pronounce Qashqai (it's Kash-kye) and explain that it comes from a desert-dwelling nomadic tribe living near the Zagros mountains in South West Iran.
An odd choice, but this is a car that writes it own rules.
It also seems to have an answer to everything. With high ground clearance and roofline, it looks like a small SUV and, in spite of the underlying resentment from the green lobby, buyers like these cars because they feel safe in them and they are practical.
The robustly-built Quashqai offers them both, but is only a few millimetres longer than a traditional family hatchback and quite a bit more exciting.
Nissan prefers to call it "urban-proof" – whatever that means. The off-roader image is there but very much scaled down, especially in terms of fuel consumption and running costs and some models are available with fourwheel-drive which is great for coping with a sudden downturn in the weather but hardly the stuff for climbing mountains.
There is a choice of 1.6 litre, 1.5 litre diesel, two-litre petrol and two-litre diesel engines, three trim levels and manual or automatic
transmissions.
The price range is directly linked to the level of equipment each car carries, starting at just under 13,500 and climbing to around 23,000 or a two-litre diesel 4x4 with sat nav nd all the trimmings. Whatever the price you get a lot of car for your money.
The road test model was the two-litre petrol model with "Tekna" specification, six-speed gearbox and fourwheel- drive which comes in at 19,499.
Tekna is the top trim level and includes leather upholstery, glass roof,
heated front seats, headlamp washers, 17-inch alloy wheels and auto-dimming mirror. Along with some of the cheaper models it also has cruise control, auto lights, rain-sensing wipers, remote audio control, electric folding mirrors and dual-zone climate control air conditioning and rear-parking sensor.
For those who really want to push the boat out there is sat nav with a rear view reversing camera.
The cabin is a good place to be. It is all very neat and tidy with a quality level of finish that is not often seen in family cars.
For me the seats were snug and comfortable and set high without giving the feeling of being perched. It was light and airy and, apart from being slightly restricted at the back, visibility was fine.
The back seating is not as flexible or roomy as some, but two people will sit in comfort and three with a squeeze. The boot is well shaped and big enough for most family needs.
It is a comfortable ride, more nimble that the SUV shape suggests, grips
well on corners and Nissan has done a good job keeping noise levels down.
My car did get buffeted about by the wind, but to be fair it was close to gale force at times when I was driving.
This is a heavy car and although it is no slouch the performance is not going to set the world alight – standstill to 60mph in about ten seconds and top speed of 119mph is the best result from the two-litre models. Nevertheless it pulls willingly right through the gears and has a light thirst.
The Qashqai looks tough but has a luxurious feel and bridges the gap between hatchback and SUV brilliantly. Give it time and I might even get used to the name.
The West Norfolk dealers are Wests, in Scania
Way, Lynn.
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Weather for King's Lynn
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 3 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -7 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South east
