Test drive Nissan Qashqai 2007 - 2010 SUV

Brothers in Arms

The outgoing year for Nissan in Russia was not just successful, but a supervision
 

The off -road unit of the company was noted by the release of two compact crossovers who have seriously spoiled competitors' plans. It would seem, both Qashqai and the X-Trail in such a situation should have become irreconcilable enemies, but in fact this cannot be called a problem.
 

Even the formal rivalry of the mentioned machines in a single, it would seem, segment was suppressed by Japanese marketers in the bud. Both crossovers are initially focused on completely different groups of buyers, and this differentiation turned out to be so strict that the cars did not become competitors even in our country, where they first of all look either at the appearance or at the price tag.
 

Without adventure, the Japanese connected both of these advantages together and received the extremely demanded Qashqai crossover, which was also exactly in the middle between the very popular C-class and the SUVs.
 

Buyers, of course, fell from both segments and, as a result, stretched out the line for more than a year. However, there would be something to be surprised. For golf groups in this case, it is important that for your far from sky-high 585,000 rubles you receive a compact city car with the appearance of Murano, with a 1.6-liter motor and the lack of a full drive here are also considered as a dignity of less expenses for fuel, maintenance and possible repair.
 

Approximately the same categories think of the senior grade. Judge for yourself: the most expensive Qashqai today costs only 12,200 rubles more expensive than the basic performance of Toyota Rav4. But, unlike it, Nissan has not only a 2-liter engine, all-wheel drive, a 20-centimeter road clearance, air conditioning and a notorious electric package, but also a branded, and a leather-looking chamber connected to a colored monitor. on the front panel, and much more.
 

Naturally, in such a situation, all other things being equal, the choice falls on Qashqai.
 

In fact, customers can come in similarly when, instead of RAV4, a newly-minted X-TRIIL will be on the opposite bowl of weights. But the Nissanists, oddly enough, does not even call this opportunity a problem, arguing that, unlike Qashqai X-Trail, is focused on a more age-related group of customers. Simply put, the first was created with an eye on the beautiful half of humanity and youth, and the second with the expectation of middle -aged family men who managed to acquire children, higher education and, accordingly, a decent salary. And given that most of these customers since 2000 bought up more than 800,000 copies of the first generation model around the world, this position seems absolutely logical.
 

Naturally, such buyers are very scrupulous in choosing their car, paying close attention not to its price, but to the level of performance and equipment, which, in fact, was counted on by the Japanese. Even in the basic version costing from 872,900 rubles in addition to a complete set of electronic systems (including the Hill Start Control, which helps at the start of the rise of the Hill Start) and the airbags, the climate installation, the Bluetooth Handsfree and MP3 support, the six-charged CD chamber, sensors, sensors, sensors. rain and light. In the top version (from 909,900 rubles, ceteris paribus), a panoramic hatch appears in the equipment of the car, rails with built -in headlight headlights, as well as the Hill Descent Control purely off -road system, which triggers both forward and on the reverse. It is also worth taking into account that the new X-TRIIL fully became the successor of its previous interpretation, that is, he remained one of the most honest compact SUVs with more than sane road clearance and minimal overhangs, which, in turn, provides good for this class of machines Geometric patency. In addition, it is worth noting that free space in a full -fledged five -seater salon is enough for everyone, and the rear passengers will travel here with acceptable comfort, even if very overall citizens are on the front seats. Four here will be completely dried up in Korolevsky.
 

Qashqai, due to its anatomical characteristics of such pleasure, is not able to deliver with its riders. There is a smaller free space in the salon, and the trunk is more like a cargo compartment of a medium -sized hatchback.
 

On the other hand, the Japanese did not set themselves the task of creating an analogue of the car that existed in their all -wheel drive line. Rather, on the contrary: the main goal was to develop a real crossover, that is, a car built at the junction of classes that absorbed the best from those and others. And the first evidence of its internship is its size, and the second almost passenger behavior on the asphalt, albeit to the detriment of cross -country ability and smoothness.
 

Vladimir Zhidkov
Author photo: Yan Segal
 
 

Source: Mkobil magazine [December/2007]