SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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2008 Nissan Qashqai 1.6 Acenta

First Posted: March 3, 2008

 Nissan describes its Qashqai range as crossover SUV-cum-hatchbacks. What this means to you and me is that it’s a tall, long-legged (long legs as in stepping over things, rather than describing its gearing characteristics) hatchback-style car, because the load area is a bit short to call it a station wagon.

Two engine sizes are offered, an 81 kW 1600 and a 102 kW 2.0 litre model, which includes electronic stability control. Before you get alarmed, my experience with the 1600 was that, despite being tall, it handled a lot more securely than certain other high-standing vehicles I have driven over the past few months. Pressed as firmly as it’s ever likely to be in normal service, road holding was reassuring and vice-free, so the lack of stability control is no real hardship.

Performance for a 1600cc family bus is very good, accelerating nicely when called upon to do so without being geared like a boy racer. Cruising at 120 requires about 3700 rpm in fifth (only the 2.0 litre boasts six speeds), but don’t expect fireworks in the top gear roll on from that speed. Change down a gear or two if you need to. The engine note is also suitably sporty-sounding without being noisy; very pleasant, actually.

Interior comfort items include all the usual storage nooks and crannies (six cup holders) plus a four-litre drawer under the passenger seat, additional sound system controls on the steering wheel, power mirrors, rake and height-adjustable steering wheel and all the usual paraphernalia.

Seating is comfortable, with the driver’s chair adjustable for height and plenty leg- and headroom in the back. The luggage area is flat, square and spacious at 410 litres, expanding to 860 litres with the seats folded.

So where does this kind of beast fit in to the grand scheme of things motoring? My own thoughts, confirmed by conversations with a few others, is that the extra ground clearance (200 mm) would be useful for tackling the dirt road to Grandma Daisy’s farm, parking on pavements in supermarket parking lots or visiting those friends whose houses are at the tops of steep driveways with wickedly deep gutters at the bottom.

For those who truly believe that they “need” a 4x4 for the supermarket kerb- parking trick, Nissan is introducing a soft road 4x4 and a diesel later this year.

Test unit from Nissan SA press fleet

The basic facts
Engine: 1598 cc, four-cylinder petrol
Power: 81 kW at 6000 rpm
Torque: 154 Nm at 4400 rpm
0-100 km/h: 12.2 seconds
Top speed: 175 km/h
Fuel consumption Index: 8.24 l/100 km
Tank: 65 litres
Luggage: 364 - 1104 cu.dm.
Air bags: 6
The price of R198 990 included a three year/90 000km service plan.




What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.