Test drive Nissan Qashqai 2007 - 2010 SUV

Bold move

I liked this car in absentia. I liked the courage. The reason is in the name - try to pronounce it correctly the first time!
Although the matter is not even in pronunciation. The name of the car, sounding like a kashkai, is quite thoughtful. So they call the nomads who chosen the territories of Iran in the XVIII century and repeatedly opposed Europeans, defending their own interests. Agree, from a political point of view, to name the model, intended primarily for Europe, is very bold: the world community has questions to Iran
However, in the affairs of the purely car, Nissan's leadership showed enviable courage. Once the question of the fate of the outdated Nissan Almera, the head of the company Carlos Gon resolutely stated: in Europe there will be no successor (Almer classic with Korean origin does not count). And he kept his word: it will be replaced by two diverse cars at once. One of them is a compact wan laptop - they are already selling it, I’ll tell you more about the other.
The target audience in Nissan Qashqai is radically different from the laptop. The trick of Nissan strategists is that Kashkai does not fall into any of the generally accepted segments. In fact, it is located between the hatchbacks of the golf class and the SUVs. With a wheelbase of 2630 mm, its length is 4310 mm, width 1780 and height 1610 mm.
This is a car of contrasts for the world of contrasts. Compact and maneuverable in urban conditions, but smooth and dynamic for suburban trips, ”says Stefan Schwartz, director of the European Design Center. The machine owes an extravagant appearance to London artists - by the way, its production is also established in England, in the city of Sanderland. Unfortunately, it was not possible to travel by car - Kashkai should enter the markets of Europe and Russia only in the spring. But the first impression is ready to share.
Kashkay is really not like everyone else. You look from the side - almost an alternate! On the exposed machines, 17 -inch wheels and rubber 215/60, road clearance are 200 mm, small overhangs and corners of the congress and entry - 30.2 and 19.2, respectively. Agree, an ordinary hatchback does not boast of such indicators! But the creators emphasize: the car should not be perceived either as a SUV, or even more so as a serious all -around.
And I want! Indeed, to a solid clearance, you can add an all -mode 4x4 all -wheel drive with the ability to choose one of three modes - a similar scheme is used on other models of the company. In good weather, Kashkai is front -wheel drive. If you enable Lock mode, the inter -bearded coupling is blocked, and the ratio of the moment between the front and rear wheels will be 57:43. In Auto mode, the system itself decides when to connect the rear axle, tracking the slipping of one of the wheels.
In Russia, front and all-wheel drive versions of Kashkayev will be available. Also a pair of engines, both gasoline with a volume of 1.6 and 2.0 liters. But boxes for every taste: 5- and 6-speed mechanical, 6-speed automatic and even a variator with the same number of virtual gears.
As a true nomad, Kashkai is adapted to urban conditions. From the cabin, the machine is perceived as an ordinary passenger car. The design of the suspensions is also typically passenger: in front of McExeson, mounted on the subframe, is multi-link. According to the company, this combination provides a high level of comfort, and a low center of gravity contributes to confident behavior in corners.
Today's kashkai are not the same. The people were assimilated in modern society and leads more and more a sedentary lifestyle, mastering new professions for themselves. The number of this ethnic group is growing from year to year and reaches a million people. If everything goes according to plan, Nissan will catch up with nomads in ten years: Kashkai plan to replicate in the amount of at least 100 thousand annually.
None of the previously created models Nissan faced the task that fell on the share of this car. If his entry into the market is successful, he will attract customers who had never previously thought about buying Nissan. We believe that in 80 percent of cases of sales will be associated with the conquest of new buyers, ”says Brian Caroline, senior vice president of sales and marketing of Nissan-Europe.
Needless to say, bold plans. Courage is a distinctive feature of Kashkayev.
 
 
 
 
 
Mikhail Gzovsky
 

A source: The magazine "Driving"