Models Covered

5DR HATCH (1.2 DIG-T, 1.6 DIG-T, 1.5 DCI, 1.6 DCI)

Introduction

Back in 2014, with over two million sales of its original Qashqai Crossover model on the board, Nissan went all-out to keep this second generation version ahead of an increasingly competitive chasing pack. Hence it’s positioning as a bigger, classier, more practical, cleverer, quieter, better equipped and more efficient contender in the quickly growing family hatch-based family SUV market. British designed and built, this model makes a lot of sense as a used buy.

What You Get

When it came to the design of this second generation Qashqai, Nissan knew that it didn’t need to re-invent a winning formula. So, in just the same way that an MK7 Volkswagen Golf of this era was merely a smarter evolution of its predecessor, so it is here, with a compact gym-toned shape that’s 47mm longer than its predecessor but only fractionally wider. The cabin design was also smarter, sharper and more up to date in MK2 model form. And out back? One of the other weaknesses of the original Qashqai was the restricted size of its luggage bay. Raise the tailgate and you’ll find a 430-litre cargo area 20-litres bigger than the MK1 model could manage. If you do need more room, pushing forward the split-folding rear bench frees up 1,585-litres of total fresh air, far more than the previous generation model could offer.

What To Look For

While plenty of Qashqai owners in our survey were very happy with their cars, we also came across a surprisingly large number who’d had a whole catalogue of problems. Having reviewed these, we’ll try and give you some pointers on things you might like to look out for when inspecting used examples. Early on in this MK2 design’s life, Nissan issued a recall for the braking system; make sure that the car you’re looking at had that done. ‘Known’ problems with this model relate to problems with the climate control system (it may need re-gassing) and poorly-fitted door seals.

Overall

Building a Crossover vehicle is easy. Building one as good as this Nissan is a whole lot tougher. And it’s a vehicle whose remit shifted ever so subtly in second generation form. The Qashqai couldn’t fight tomorrow’s battles looking quite so SUV. It needed to tone down, become sleeker and, yes, be a bit more like a conventional hatchback in look and feel. That’s exactly what happened with this second generation version, a car from a brand that clearly knows its market. The Qashqai then, remains a benchmark. And a starting point for anyone buying in this segment.