Flamboyance gives away to practicality with the introduction of the 2017 Nissan Qashqai. For the past seven years, Nissan has offered the Juke as a competitor in the sub-compact SUV/crossover segment. In聽a聽market dominated by cookie-cutter styling, the Juke鈥檚 unconventional look set it apart from the competition.
The problem for Nissan was that people either loved the look, or took an intense dislike to it 鈥� there was little middle ground.
When my wife was looking for a vehicle a few years back, I recommended the Juke. She took one look and said: 鈥淭here is no way I聽want to be seen in that!鈥�
I am sure she wouldn鈥檛 have a聽problem seeing herself in a Qashqai.
The two vehicles are like night and day in other areas as well. While the Juke鈥檚 interior was cosy (detractors called it tight) the Qashqai is voluminous in comparison. In fact, the space, at 1,730-litres with the back seats down, boasts more cargo carrying capacity than competitors such as聽the Mazda CX-3, Subaru Crosstrek or Mitsubishi RVR.
The rear seats fold 60/40 and the seat backs fold flatter than the Juke. As a bonus, there is even more storage for flat items under the rear cargo compartment鈥檚 false floor.
While both vehicles offered five seat belts, the Qashqai can honestly carry three adults in the聽rear. Adults will also find getting in and out is easier, thanks to larger doors. There is more rear legroom as well, thanks to a wheelbase that has been stretched a whopping 117-millimetres longer.
The Qashqai is much more comfortable than the Juke, but聽perhaps that is an unfair comparison. The Juke was more performance-oriented, with a stiff suspension and minimal body roll.聽The Qashqai is more mainstream 鈥� soaking up road irregularities with aplomb 鈥� and more capable in the SUV/ crossover role.
It is also quieter.
The Qashqai starts at $19,998 for a S model with front-wheel-drive. I drove an SV, with all-wheel-drive, with a list price of聽$26,798. The SL tops out the range, at $29,498.
Despite being the model in the middle, our tester nevertheless boasted some welcome creature comforts - a heated steering wheel, sun-roof and dual-zone climate control - to name a few.
The instrument cluster looks very similar in execution to the larger Rogue, with clear gauges and easy to find knobs and buttons. Bonus points for two trays one fore and one aft of the gearshift, suitable for a cell phone. Points off for hard plastic surfaces instead of soft-touch materials.
To Nissan鈥檚 credit, the main component the driver touches - the steering wheel - is beefy and features a flat bottom - the latter is both a styling cue as much as an extra few millimetres of clearance for those with long femurs.
There is only one engine available, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder producing 141 horsepower and 147 foot pounds of torque.
While the Juke was known for its strong acceleration with its turbocharged four, the Qashqai has taken a different route, with a smoothness that its older brethren never possessed.
This smoothness is more defined on the highway, resulting in a more relaxed journey for all occupants. Although the steering-wheel paddle shifters gives the driver control over the continuously variable automatic transmission鈥檚 virtual gears, the CVT is most comfortable if you just let it handle transmitting power to the wheels (I can鈥檛 call it shifting any more as there are no gears).
If off-road capability is what you are after, the Qashqai delivers as well, with a AWD lock that makes the vehicle more capable on slippery conditions at low speeds.
Driven carefully, it is frugal, sipping only 7.5-litres of regular gas per 100 kilometres on the highway and 9.1 in the city (7.3 and 8.8 respectively if you choose the front-wheel-drive version). Equipped with a 60 litre fuel tank, Nissan boasts it can go 625 kilometres between fill-ups.
Although the Qashqai is new to Canada, it is a familiar sight in Europe, where it has been sold offered for the last 10 years - seven of them alongside the Juke.
Bigger, more practical, more conventionally-styled and with a marginally lower starting price, it is a puzzle why Nissan took so long to introduce it to our shores.
THE SPEC SHEET
Type: Subcompact SUV/Crossover, front engine, all-wheel-drive
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, 141 hp at 6,000 r.p.m., 147 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,400 r.p.m.
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Dimensions (mm): Length, 4,379; width, 1,836; height, 1,608; wheelbase, 2,647
Curb weight (kg): 1,530
Price (base/as tested): $26,798/ $28,848 (includes $1,950 freight and PDI and $100 AC tax)
Options: Nil
Tires: 215/60 R17 on alloy wheels
Fuel type: Regular
Fuel economy (L/100km): 7.5 highway/ 9.1 city
Warranty: Three years/60,000 km new car, five years/100,000 km powertrain and roadside assistance
