Nissan Qashqai in the driving report: Without weaknesses

The Qashqai is the workhorse in Nissan’s stable. Its great strength has always been the lack of serious weaknesses, and there is plenty of car available at an affordable price. This also applies to the third generation.

The typical buyer is a mysterious species. That’s why the tester stands in front of the new Nissan Qashqai and asks himself why a vehicle whose name hardly anyone can pronounce or even spell accident-free is so popular with customers. Five million of the cars built since 2006 have been sold since then, and in Germany the Qashqai – the name goes back to a nomadic people in Iran (Qaschqai or Kashkai) – is the most important car in the manufacturer’s range. The models for Europe are built in England. Back to the question. It could be the appearance, because the eye is one of the deciding factors, and the Qashqai has always had its own design, but it’s not that exclusive either. Or because the vehicles called crossovers were still largely unknown at the time of publication, i.e. cars that look like SUVs but do not have all-wheel drive – which is available as an option for the Nissan. But why should a pioneer sell well in the long run when everyone else is offering something similar?

After two weeks with the third-generation crossover in the compact class, we know: It must be due to the sum of its pleasant properties in combination with the fact that the Qashqai does not have any major weaknesses. But the sales figures in the recent past have not been so good, so now the complete overhaul.