Let me start off by saying I do not own this vehicle, it is my Work Vehicle. I am Service Advisor for a Multi Franchise Dealership so am in and out of vehicles pretty frequently. Previous to this vehicle I was in a Highlander Santa Fe so have been spoilt lately!
I have been in the Nissan Qashqai now for over 2 Months and have racked up 7000kms on the vehicle through work driving and after hours and weekend living.
Styling is objective, Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder but I find the Nissan Qashqai to be one of the better looking vehicles in its class. There is nothing bold about it but there is a little bit of class about it that stands out in a crowded field and the upper spec models have stylish standard Alloys which help the visual appeal. Once inside the cabin of the vehicle the cabin itself it is probably a little bit aged in comparison to some models with no Apple or Android Carplay, but from my perspective this isnt something that bothers me at all as an "owner". The seating is Electric so finding a Comfortable driving position is always easy despite multiple people getting in out and out of the drivers seat, Incredibly comfortable seating as has always been a feature of the Dualis/Qashqai through its lifespan. Not overly big inside if you was a big person you would probably need to go to the next size up through the SUV range.
As stated earlier the no Apple/Android shows the general age of the cabin, but the technology still seems nice enough to me. The around view reversing camera is nice and easy to use and decipher, front and rear sensors, lane departure and various other safety features make it an attractive package for a small family/younger driver. Heated seats here in Tassie is always a winner as well!
The Engine although a little under powered maybe is matched pretty well to a CVT Transmission is responsive enough on take off to not notice the lack of power. You can sit on your highway speed of 110 comfortable enough, although overtaking at 90 and above it does take the CVT a second to kick up in revs so there is typical CVT lag there as there is in all CVTs. Road noise is not too noticeable in the STL variant which this one is. Driving through town there is no issue in terms of being able to squeeze into car parks, quite nimble in the steering as well.
AS far as practicality of the vehicle goes I have 4 children aged between 8 and 15. If all 4 are in the vehicle at the same time its quite tight in the back seat, so I certainly wouldnt recommend anyone that is planning carrying fully grown humans in the back seat constantly look to the Qashqai, but if you are a small family or have no children then the boot space is big enough for 3 full sized Cricket Bags in it at a pinch with 3 adults and an 8yo in the cabin comfortably enough. Reliability wise in our short time with the vehicle there has been no issues, as you would expect of a vehicle this age.
The immediate response to future improvements for models will be the updated interior with more technology, again it wont improve the car from my perspective however it is a big part of what people are looking for in vehicles now.
To finish with the Qashqai is nothing that it doesnt pretend to be. Its not the most powerful vehicle in the world, but it doesnt pretend to be. There is understated class to its styling that appeals to most people. Its a little small inside but it is a compact SUV. If you want something with fantastic driving dynamics look elsewhere, but if you want a good honest, stylish SUV you wont grow tired of looking at put the Qashqai on your shortlist as you will not be disappointed. Before doing this review I thought it was probably a 7/10 but when you add it up like these guys do it is a bit better than that.