NISSAN QASHQAI 2.0 Tekna 5dr (2007)

Juddery and faulty

I've been really disappointed with the Nissan Qashqai. I had a Micra for about 12 years and the worst repair that needed was an exhaust section. I've had the Nissan Qashqai about a year and a half and it's needed loads doing.

The rear suspension died only a few months in. That was the first sign of trouble. Then over the next few months a number of rattles began. I ignored them to begin with but they got worse and it seemed some fittings hadn't been fitted quite right. Something inside the door was very loose, and the front bumper was also beginning to shake out of place. Both these were apparently 'manufacturing errors' or something like that. Anyway it's all well and good having a warranty to fix things, but they don't cover your petrol getting to the dealer 40 miles away. One of the parts took four weeks to arrive!

Anyway that's the grumbles out the way. Hopefully our Nissan Qashqai will behave now, as these do seem to have been one offs and hopefully not signs of future deterioration. It's a good car really, and I'm beginning to appreciate it again now that these problems are behind us. Some nice things about the car include the massive sunroof (I think this might have been an option we selected originally). But there are lots of things that come as standard, like cruise control which I suppose is a fairly straightforward thing in itself, but it's really great, makes motorway driving so much less stressful, not having to be worried about what speed you're doing.

What would have made me like the Nissan Qashqai even more is if the rear seats could stow away more cleverly. As it is the seat part flips up and the back bit folds down in its place. That seems a bit old fashioned really. I've seen much smarter designs where the back seats just completely disappear.

Still there's lots left to like. The heated seats were a must last winter when it was bitterly cold. Our Nissan Qashqai didn't make it quite through all the snow last winter, but then there were a few Range Rovers in our area that I saw stranded whilst walking the dog. Still it did very well for itself, and it's only the 2 wheel drive version. I'm sure the 4 wheel drive option would be even sturdier.

I might also have liked better fuel economy. I think it gets between 30 and 40 mpg, depending on what we're doing, which is ok but really, modern cars are doing so much better now.