Nissan’s next-gen Qashqai unveiled
Feb 19, 2021
The all-new third generation Nissan Qashqai has been unveiled to a global audience, bringing with it significant upgrades and innovative e-POWER electrification, similar to that seen in Nissan’s highly popular LEAF EV.
Sporting enhanced, premium design language and a larger footprint for maximum passenger comfort, the new Qashqai is set to build on its universal popularity in a variety of markets, including New Zealand.
Advanced infotainment options, including a new high-definition 12.3-inch TFT multi-information screen, build on Nissan’s efforts to refine further the ergonomic and aesthetic quality of the cabin.
The all-new Nissan Qashqai has been unveiled. A well-established leader in the crossover segment, the newly revealed third-generation Qashqai builds on the success of more than three million units sold globally since Nissan debuted the compact crossover in 2007.
For this new iteration, Nissan has retained the guiding principles that have driven the concept, design and development of the two previous generations of Qashqai: elegant design, enhanced packaging and efficient powertrain, combined with elevated quality and a driving experience from a higher segment.
Nissan says that the new Qashqai will again raise the bar in the crossover segment and customers will savour these attributes. As with the two previous generations, the design for the all-new Nissan Qashqai came out of Nissan’s European Design Studio in London, UK. Although unmistakably Qashqai in its styling, the third generation is more muscular, sharp and modern.
Outside, the Qashqai’s enhanced body stance is more purposeful, with prominent shoulder lines, an extended wheelbase and imposing 20-inch alloy wheels introduced to Qashqai for the first time. The wheelbase of the car has increased by +20mm with the overall length increasing +35mm. There’s a marginal increase in height (+25mm) and width has increased +32mm for improved presence on the road.
The front end of the all-new Qashqai sports an enlarged Nissan V-Motion grille, finished in chrome with a secondary pinstripe of satin chrome to emphasise its precision. This is flanked by slim, full LED advanced matrix headlamps with boomerang signature daylight running lights. Super tight gaps between all these details create a premium and precise impression.
From the side, the new Qashqai appears more athletic and dynamic, and wears, for the first time, optional 20-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels (the previous generation offered up to 19-inch wheels). These larger diameter wheels fill the arches and further contribute to the robustness of the car on the road.
Nissan says the new Qashqai also gives drivers a commanding sense of their environment with improved forward, side and rear visibility. Enhancements include a wider windscreen opening angle, thinner front pillar design and side mirrors that are now mounted on the door, instead of in the a-pillar, reducing zones of obscured visibility.
The longer wheelbase of the new Qashqai combines with efficient packaging to create even more room for users. Knee room for rear occupants has grown by 28mm to 608mm, with more distance created between driver and front passenger. Front and rear headroom has increased by 15mm thanks to the small increase in exterior dimensions. There’s more room for luggage too: boot capacity has increased by over 50-litres from the previous generation model thanks in part to the cargo floor being lowered by 20mm because of improved packaging of the rear suspension. A powered hands-free tailgate makes accessing the boot effortless when hands are full.
Connected, comfortable and commanding, the cabin of the new Nissan Qashqai sets a new segment standard for premium feel, distinctive design and enhanced usability.
New white ambient lighting is used throughout the cabin. Nissan says the lighting uniformity provides a premium, harmonious impression, and is purposefully designed to calm occupants.
Extensive attention has been paid to the ergonomic and aesthetic quality of the switch gear and buttons with a high quality, tactile feel giving users a sense of confidence and the refinement.
The new Qashqai offers an advanced infotainment system with a broad portfolio of connected services including effortless integration of smartphones and in-car Wi-Fi. A larger, higher resolution 9-inch NissanConnect display screen is a digital gateway to navigation, entertainment and vehicle settings, and is compatible with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, with wireless Apple CarPlay also introduced in this generation Qashqai.
A new high-definition, fully electronic 12.3-inch TFT multi-information screen offers a choice of configurable layouts to display navigation, entertainment, traffic or vehicle information, all controlled from a new tactile dial switch on the steering wheel.
An innovative new 10.8-inch Head-Up Display (HUD) provides Qashqai drivers with the biggest-in-segment image size. Key navigation, driver assistance and road information are projected onto the windscreen within the driver’s line of vision.
Also, connectivity now extends to all occupants with front and rear USB charging connections with both USB-A and USB-C ports available.
The new Nissan Qashqai will not only be available with a 1.3-litre DiG-T petrol engine equipped with mild hybrid technology, but it also represents the debut of e-POWER, Nissan’s innovative and award-winning powertrain that draws technologies from the company’s pioneering Nissan LEAF electric vehicle.
The 12V mild hybrid system available on new Qashqai is a more affordable hybrid technology that provides torque assist, extended idle stop, quick restart, and coasting stop [Xtronic version only], with improvements to both fuel economy and CO2 output (-4g/km).
The positive impact of the mild hybrid’s energy management on CO2 is competitive and the 1.3-litre engine delivers more power and torque than key competitors, making the petrol engine variant a compelling offer. The mild hybrid system adds just 22kg to the overall vehicle mass.
The mild hybrid system is paired with the refined and reputable 1.3-litre DiG-T petrol engine that was introduced to the Qashqai line-up in 2018. This engine has been improved further for the latest Qashqai with 50 newly designed components.
The new Qashqai brings innovative e POWER to the model line. Nissan says the Qashqai’s e-POWER system takes a unique approach to electrification by making every day driving exciting.
The unique element of the e-POWER is that the petrol engine is used solely to generate electricity, while the wheels are completely driven by the electric motor. This means the engine can always run within its optimal range, leading to superior fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions compared with a traditional internal combustion engine.
Thanks to the pure electric motor drive, there’s no delay as with an internal combustion engine or traditional hybrid. The instant response delivers exhilarating high torque feel and best level acceleration at different speeds to make overtaking or merging onto a motorway easier and more confidence inspiring.
Similar to the LEAF, the new Qashqai e-POWER benefits from an entirely new ‘one pedal’ driving experience called e-Pedal. Drivers can start, accelerate, and decelerate using only the accelerator pedal.
Safety technology abounds in the new Qashqai as well. Upgrades include a “flank protection” warning for urban situations, which alerts the driver of the risk of contact with an object on the side of the vehicle, typically when turning into a supermarket parking space. And the new Qashqai can also intervene to prevent a collision upon reversing from the space thanks to an upgrade on the existing Moving Object Detection alert, applying the brakes to stop the car if a moving obstacle is detected nearby.
Additional security comes in the form of Nissan's Intelligent Forward Emergency Braking with predictive function. Thanks to advanced radar technology, sensors can read the road beyond the car in front to detect if a vehicle suddenly brakes. The system will apply the brakes to reduce the likelihood of a collision.
Another feature of the suite of safety technology on-board the new Qashqai is the new central airbag, which deploys from between the two front seats, to prevent the front row occupants from making contact in the event of a side-impact. The central airbag supplements the driver and passenger airbags, as well as the side and curtain airbags fitted as standard to the new Qashqai.
New Zealand specification details and pricing for the all-new third generation Nissan Qashqai will be released closer to the model’s debut.