Nissan has marked with Qashqai the true opening of the market of suvs and, in a segment in perennial expansion and where the competitors are by now numerous, continues to decline one of its most fortunate cars according to the renewed necessities. We tried for a few days the version with the renewed 115 hp diesel and 7-speed automatic transmission, a Tekna + version, the top of the range that also includes the ProPilot on board.
If the first impression is what counts, Qashqai starts well. At a glance it does not betray the years and, once at the wheel, the feeling is easy to find. The instrumentation is complete, even with a hint of coquetry in the soft lighting of the passenger compartment. The automatic gearbox, with very soft couplings, is an aid that becomes immediately indispensable.
It is not a lightning in the shooting this Qashqai, nor does it claim to be. The 1.5-liter 115 hp engine, a revised version of the Group's historic engine, has a more reassuring vocation: the suspensions are calibrated for the city, despite the shapes. If in urban traffic it reacts well, on the highway it guarantees a silent cruising pace without rustling. Safe, but it does not back out in case of need: the accelerator responds well in extensions and overtaking.
Nissan Qashqai, suv from family to the times
The real gem of the Tekna + version, however, is the ProPilot: a concrete step in approaching assisted driving. Once the speed is stable, it is able to follow the road alone (as long as the hands are on the steering wheel, the tolerance is minimal) and keep the safety distance - with variable amplitude - with the vehicle in front. But it does more: in case of need it gets to brake until it stops, and then restarts after 3 seconds. In short, on long journeys it is like driving in two. Do not miss a few smears that need little improvements that will surely come: assisted braking is sometimes a bit invasive; the detection system reads the signals but does not 'interpret' the road. And above all the lane assit assures yes to remain in the own lane, but it has the tendency not to hold the car steadily in the center.
Renewed interest raises the new 1.5 engine with 115 HP of power, or 5 CV more than the previous generation. A diesel that knows how to make diesel, with very low fuel consumption (on the mixed we arrived at 20 km / l) with the boost of the overboost that, when needed, delivers 5 HP and 25 Nm more torque for a maximum of 15 seconds.
The price of the model under test is € 37.675, but the price list starts from € 22.460 for the DIG-T 140 version.
