‘Qashqai’ I cant even pronounce it!!

Monday, 19 September 2011 10:08

Why do car manufacturers come up with such stupid names for their products?

I mean, how hard can it be for them to pick a sensible name? For instance, let’s say you meet a lovely girl at a nightclub - and you offer her a lift home. How on earth do you explain that you own a Daihatsu Naked or a Honda Life Dunk. I for one wouldn’t want a lift from any guy, who owns a car called ‘naked’, would you?

It doesn’t stop there either, here are a few more. The Suzuki Cappucino, Nissan Prairie Joy and the Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear. Although most of these are sold in Japan, and not in the UK, it’s not such a big problem, but, I would have still loved to of been in the boardroom when they came up with those names. I wonder who managed to keep a straight face?

That’s the thing, no matter what we all think of cars with stupid names, manufacturers will still continue to think up even more absurd names in the future. This brings me neatly onto my road test with a car that also has a stupid name that I can’t even pronounce properly. The Nissan Qashqai.

The Qashqai may have a stupid name - but it’s certainly not a stupid car. Here are a few quick facts about the Qashqai that you may not already know. The Qashqai was launched in March 2007, and is currently built at the UK Sunderland factory. It’s top five markets are: Europe, UK, Russia, Italy, Germany and Spain, and it’s been one of Nissan’s most successful vehicle’s to date, with over 1,000,000 UK sales since it launch. Not bad, but what’s it like?

My first impressions: The Qashqai is not one of the best looking cars around, but for some reason it’s growing on me - which is keeping me keen. I also like it’s high stance. The Qashqai also looks like it could actually take on the odd muddy field, although the most it will probably ever take on is a gravel driveway. It’s funny, but I keep thinking can the Qashqai take on the might of the Kia Sportage or the Hyuandi ix35? Both these cars are excellent - but what does the Qashqai have that the others don’t?

More and more motorists are going for a 4x4 lookalike, because for some reason it’s become a fashion statement. I dropped my daughter at school the other day in my Fiat, and it was awash with Qashqai’s, Land Rover’s and Kia Sportage’s. Buying a new car because it’s a fashion statement is absolutely the wrong way to go. Look at the Audi Q7 for instance. It’s a fantastic looking car, but, it’s awful to drive, it’s not practical, and it drinks fuel like there’s no tomorrow.

On the road, I was really impressed by how the Qashqai dealt with the bumps and potholes, and how direct the steering felt. It also felt very good in the corners, except for the bodyroll - which was a little more than I expected. It also has 158Nm of torque which is just enough to deal with your day to day chores, and overtaking is not too much of a problem if you are in the right gear. Ultimately, though, this car is more about being a practical family car, with the comfort and stability of a 4x4.

Performance, My test car was fitted with a 117PS 1.6-litre petrol engine; it’s performance is not mind blowing, but it does have a modest top speed of 113mph, and the 11.9 second 0-62mph figure is more than enough to keep you happy. Fuel figures are also good, at 47.9mpg combined - and CO2 emissions of 139g/km.

Inside, The Qashqai looks great, and has a nicely trimmed cabin. It also offers some premium-car features such as cruise control with speed limiter, auto lighting system and colour reversing camera.

The main instrumentation clocks and gauges are all well set out. The speedometer and tachometer are all clear, and the chrome trimmed LCD combimeter is a nice touch. Also, the feeling of quality inside the cabin is very good, and even with my destructive children in the back, it stayed very well screwed together. Cabin space and depth inside is very good; rear leg room is acceptable, and it also felt very snug up front. Boot space is also huge, with a massive 410litres to play with.

The level of kit on my test car was really nice too. There is front, side and curtain airbags as standard. Including, duel zone air conditioning, satellite navigation, security alarm, 18-inch ‘Onyx’ alloy wheels, electric folding mirrors, audio with Bluetooth. Don’t forget the Electronic Stability Programme-plus (ESP-plus) and Anti-lock braking system (ABS).

The choices won't stop there, though, because there are several engines to choose from, with a wide range of petrol and diesel units, including some 'green' units. You can even get four-wheel-drive models.

Would I buy one? The problem with making a family hatch butch is that it becomes bigger and therefore harder to park. It also becomes much heavier. The downsides do seem big here, but in reality the Qashqai is surprisingly good, and it represents excellent value for money. It’s long list of standard equipment and space inside is another good reason to consider this instead of a normal family hatchback.

Nissan Qashqai 1.6 n-tec.

Price: £19,745 OTR
Top speed: 113mph
0-62mph: 11.9sec
Economy: 47.9mpg (combined) emissions g/km (139)
Engine: 1.6 Petrol
Power: 117ps at 6000rpm
Torque: 158Nm @ 4400rpm
Gearbox: 5-speed
Gross Vehicle Weight: 1830(kg) By Anthony Yates

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