This is a ridiculous car. We bought our Nissan Qashqai new (mistake number one) from a dealer we knew nothing about (mistake two) who were located an hour's drive away (mistake 3). The car is falling to pieces and we can't sell up because we'd lose so much money having bought it new. The dealer has turned out to be useless, worse than useless, rude and just basically ignoring us. And because they're so far away we have to do everything by phone and then take the car all the way there on the rare occasion we convince them to repair something under the warranty.
We've had two sets of suspension at the back since we got it (less than 3 years ago). The engine had some sort of foul up about a year in, apparently because I wasn't driving it firmly enough!! A flywheel also needed doing. Apart from that, the interior trim is just rubbish. It's falling to pieces, and bits of rust are appearing on the trim outside. I have to say the Nissan Qashqai has been an absolute disaster for us.
I begrudgingly rate it high for things like handling and performance, which is ok, apart from a bit of jitteriness sometimes - but this is so far down the long list of other complaints it probably won't ever be sorted. The 'running costs' are alright in terms of fuel, but the repairs are going to mount up horribly when the warranty expires, I just don't want to think about that.
It's reasonably powerful, and the stereo is good. That's hasn't gone wrong. Yet. It's good the way the parking camera screen comes up out of the top of the dashboard. That means you can still keep an eye on what's going on ahead of you. It has failed a couple of times when it's really cold though, and obviously it's not much use in heavy fog. That's when you start to regret buying a car with such a high rear windscreen and chunky rear pillars, very poor visibility.
Those are my half attempts at saying nice things about the Nissan Qashqai. All in all it has been a massive disappointment and we'll be glad to be rid of it. Sadly that won't be for quite a few years yet, and it may well cost us a lot in future repairs before it becomes more costly to keep it running. Don't buy new, don't buy from a dealer you know nothing about, and don't buy from someone who isn't local. ARGH!
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.
I suppose we were after a slightly more cool looking kind of people carrier. We found the Nissan Qashqai after looking round for ages and not being impressed by the big bubble sort of people carriers like Voyagers etc., they just seem so bulky. I suppose the Qashqai isn't really designed as a people carrier as such, and it's not got quite the huge number of pockets and cubby holes we found in some of the others out there. But it makes up for it in just feeling a lot bouncier and more energetic.
We got the 1.6 as we wanted to stay above 40mpg. Not sure if it's getting that, haven't really tested it properly, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was, it seems fine really. It is a good family car though. We've got three little ones, two needing child seats, and the isofix kiddy seat attachments are really helpful, much easier than trying to get them into our old Fiesta.
The Qashqai is nice and easy to drive as it's really high up, and feels safe for that reason too. That's another reason we had been shopping for a people carrier. Having said that, it's not so good for seeing out the back. The rear window is quite high up and the pillars are pretty big too. The parking sensors are helpful, but sometimes you really just want to be able to see with your eyes what's going on.
We've had a few things need sorting out under the warranty. The biggest thing was a problem with the suspension, which apparently was a common problem so probably not something to worry about in terms of other things going wrong. Apart from that, the satnav sometimes doesn't want to work, which is really tricky sometimes, but it's mostly ok.
Great handling car with loads of extras and supremely comfortable
It looks bigger than it actually is. Smooth to drive with excellent visibility and a good level of equipment.
Fuel consumption (petrol) is keeping at 37 mpg according to the built in trip computer.
Carrying capacity is good with an amazingly large boot. My passengers also said it's comfortable in the back.
Seat adjustment is good particularly heightwise (handy for my wife who's short).
Lovely car to drive. The seats are very comfy and 'hug' you, giving a good feeling of security.
Overall a great buy.