A Small SUV With Big Possibilities

It is touted as one of the best performing brands in the UK, perhaps because its also produced in Great Britain, at Nissan’s Sunderland plant. But it’s own journey to its current status is a story worth telling. One of the most striking aspect of this journey being that it has had several imitators and the small SUV class is now a relatively shared slot.

The Japanese car maker, Nissan introduced this fine-looking machine to the market for the first time in 2006. It then sold under the brand name Nissan Dualis in Japan and Australia. The second generation that has been around since 2013 assumed the name Qashqai but sold in the United States as the “Nissan Rogue Sport.”

It was the pioneer of its class, but it has seen the emergence of close rivals including Seat Ateca, Mazda CX-5 and Peugeot 3008. It has endeared itself to consumers for providing a mix of presentability, practicality and maintaining the urban touch.The running cost has also seen it rank higher among competitors.

A number of changes have been included in the second generation. One of them is the upgrade of the old 1.2 and 1.6 turbos to a set of 1.3-liter four-cylinder turbos. Does a car this size need such specs? The market has proven that these improvements are in no way trivial.

A lot of tech advances have gone into the new model. Among them is the use of a Nissan intelligent key With push-to-start capabilities. Then there is an advanced driver assistance system with improved graphics for enhanced interaction. The ProPilot, which is now a common in several Nissan brands is greatly enhanced. There is also the option of the six-speed manual transmission and the front-wheel drive can be adjusted to the 4WD 1.6 diesel.

Agreably, the Nissan Qashaqai has maintained a lead in the C-SUV category it pioneered more than a decade ago. With progressive improvements and aggressive marketing, this car will maintain its position in the foreseeable future.