by Ben Wilby
Nissan has unveiled details and pictures of a new trim level – the Qashqai 360, a variant that Nissan believe will become the best-selling Qashqai to date.
This is some claim – the Qashqai is the company’s most popular vehicle, performing brilliantly last year; Nissan sold 45,675 of them, finishing sixth in overall UK car sales for 2012.
For a large family hatchback this is excellent and they trounced the competition – with the N-Tec+ model outselling the entire Ford Mondeo range and beating the sales figures of the Kia Sportage and Hyundai ix35 combined.
This new trim level has been designed to sit between the mid-range Acenta and top-range Tekna trims and is a direct replacement for the N-Tec+.
This will likely be one of the last models to be released in the first-generation of Qashqais with the phenomenally popular vehicle now in its final production year before a new model is released in 2014.
Pricing and features
Despite a large number of updates and a new design, the vehicle will start at the same price as the model it is replacing – the N-tec+, with the entry-level five door, 1.6-litre, five-speed manual costing £19,945.
A big feature that is carried over from the N-tec+ is the Nissan Connect system – which has a 360-degree Around View Monitor.
The Nissan Connect system allows complete connectivity with devices such as satnavs as well as full Bluetooth connectivity to ensure that the vehicle accepts most modern technology.
The 360 degree around view will hold particular appeal to caravanners with four cameras that offer users a ‘helicopter view’ designed to make parking easier.
The exterior retains the distinctive Qashqai design, with the familiar curved and sporty look of other models carried over here.
One of the most noteworthy features is a new pearlescent ‘storm white’ paint option that is available for an extra £500 – the same price as metallic paint.
Other important exterior points include distinctive 18-inch onyx allow wheels that offer a contrast to the popular white colour of the car.
The interior is also impressive with a panoramic glass roof and rear privacy glass standing out among a host of other features.
Aluminium pedals, leather covered seats and part-leather seats with white double stitching ensure that the vehicle has the interior people expect from a vehicle in this price range.
On top of this Nissan has an excellent reputation for reliability, something that the Qashqai range has continued and there is no reason to believe this new model will be any different.
Tax and fuel consumption
Although the company has not released full details of fuel consumption, the specification for the 1.6 dCi diesel model, which incorporates stop/start technology, is relatively impressive. It has CO2 emissions of 119g/km and gets 62.8mpg on the combined cycle.
Emissions such as this will put it in Band C -making the first year tax free, after this it will be £90 a year – better than many of its competitors.
Although Nissan have not announced them, models with bigger engines will likely be in higher tax bands and this is something potential customers need to watch out for.
Towing capacity
Although Nissan has not announced the Kerbweight for the vehicle it is likely to be similar to their last special edition which had a weight of 1,297kg in the 1.6 petrol model and went all the way to 1,604kg for the 2.0 dCi edition.
Using the Caravan Club’s 85 per cent rule the lowest specification will be able to tow around 1,102kg making a tourer such as the Lunar Ariva a good match.
At the other end of the spectrum the 2.0-litre diesel edition is capable of towing around 1,364kg which would make it able to tow a ‘<' . strtolower('Array') href="/bailey/bailey-pegasus-series-ii/bailey-pegasus-series-ii-genoa.htm">Bailey Pegasus Genoa.
The Nissan Qashqai 360 is available now and can be purchased in the Qashqai and Qashqai+2 spec levels.
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