2014 Nissan Qashqai unveiled, likely to make it to India
Nissan has gone ahead and taken the spreads off the highly anticipated Qashqai. The 2014 Qashqai is the second generation of arguably the first car to 'perfect' the crossover concept. The Qashqai was first launched in 2007 and has sold more than 2 million units since.
The Qashqai is built at Nissan's UK plant and the unveiling was rightfully done in London. The vehicle looks to find a mix between style, technology and efficiency.
2014 Nissan Qashqai
There are two petrol and two diesel options. Petrol options include the 1.2-litre DIG-T which develops 115PS and 190Nm and 1.6 DIG-T that develops 150PS and 240Nm. The diesel engines on offer are the 1.5-litre dCi (a familiar unit which also does duties under the Duster, makes 110PS) and a 1.6-litre dCi good for 130PS. Transmission options are a 6-speed manual and a newly developed Xtronic transmission.
The new second generation Qashqai is 20mm wider, 49mm longer and 15mm lower than the predecessor without compromising on headroom, which is up by 10mm. The body looks more taut with bolder curves, more detailed lines, raised bonnet, the 19-inch alloys with beefed-up wheel arches. The front has LED lamps with daytime running lights. The lamps are said to offer better lighting while using less power. The LEDs sweep up from the centre of the car in typical 'Nissan' look. The car talks of a drag co-efficient of 0.32 thanks to improved aerodynamics, also leading to lower CO2 emissions, improved fuel consumption and greater stability at speed.
The interiors look fuller with numerous comfort, convenience and safety systems added. Systems can also be tailored, like switching on three-flash indicators to adjusting how early the auto headlights switch on and so. The new meter display located between the analogue speedometer and tachometer, shows menus and other displays and can be controlled with switches on the steering wheel. The boot space is increased at 430 litres and also the headroom, legroom and shoulder room. The doors open differently allowing more space to get in and out. The luggage space is also customisable thanks to a tailgate that opens 150mm higher and dual-floor system. Talking about the boot space, Nissan has upped the capacity to 430, up by 20 litres from the previous-gen car.Seats in the new Qashqai, Nissan says, offer better support thanks to design attention to the pelvis, lumbar and chest areas. Smaller changes include deeper bottle holders, electronic parking brake and cabin lighting that can be controlled or turned off. The NissanConnect infotainment system comes with a 7-inch touchscreen and smartphone connectivity.
The new Qashqai gets a redeveloped chassis and suspension that feature MacPherson struts at the front and a twist-beam design at the rear (two-wheel-drive) or multi-link system (all-wheel-drive). The power steering system has also been tweaked to improve responsiveness. The steering can be switched to normal mode (light responsiveness) or sport mode (higher responsiveness and feedback). The AWD also gets Chassis Control system that combines Active Ride Control which applies subtle braking to counter undulations, Active Engine Brake to improve braking on corners or otherwise and Active Trace Control that brakes to provide better traction and reduce understeer.
Safety features include Front Collision Avoidance which scans the road ahead to alert the driver or partially brake or bring the car to a halt, Driver Attention Support for periods of drowsiness, Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Warning, Moving Object Detection and High Beam Assist to provide best lighting in all situations.
Pricing details are expected when the car goes on sale in February 2014. The new Qashqai could also make its way to our market but we are awaiting official confirmation.
For a complete image gallery of the new Qashqai, check here
