Road test: Nissan Qashqai 1.5 DCI Tekna

By Ané Theron

When it comes to compact family SUVs, there are vicious battles being fought on a daily basis. With every launch of a new vehicle, more specs are added to give the contender in question some or other superpower that will set it apart from the rest.

Just this morning, I dropped off the latest Nissan Qashqai 1.5DCI Tekna (the flagship model at R445 500), at Cape Town International Airport, after subjecting it to a week-long dose of the school-run rat-race and a few more airport trips. So let's focus on the more practical side of things...its good looks can only take you so far.

Room to wiggle, and more?

The back seat is truly spacious. My kids are at an age where they sit as far from each other as the car allows, and I could easily have fit an adult in-between them. In fact, three adults seated side-by-side won't feel like sardines at all - plus there's ample legroom.

Space for school bags and hockey sticks and tennis rackets?

All of the above, with room to spare. December holidays won't see the need of a trailer either, unless you have a shoe collection that will put the Kardashians to shame. 430 litres of space is quite enough, in our eyes.

User-friendly infotainment system, and all other mod-cons easily reachable?

I paired my phone to the 7-inch touchscreen system's Bluetooth in no time at all - and the Navigation (Standard in the Tekna derivative) is quick and logical to use. Finding radio stations, music streaming, and adjusting the volume is all very intuitive and the Bose Premium Audio system is a standard feature. Voice activation is available and all the relevant buttons are on the steering wheel if you'd rather not fiddle with the touchscreen while you drive.

Driving experience?

The Qashqai is just as impressive on dirt or gravel as it is on tar. Striking a perfect balance between spine-friendly, gently-sprung suspension and on-tar focus and stability, the Qashqai had feeling safe and in complete control. Not that I drove it like I would a Renault Clio RS - it just isn't built for that purpose, although it won't flinch when you do decide to show off a little.

Safety wise, the Tekna also boasts the most comprehensive safety spec in the range, with Nissan's Intelligent Around View Monitor and Moving Object Detection, Cross Traffic Alert, Forward Collision Warning and Emergency Braking. The latter did bring the Qashqai to a complete stop when a minibus taxi decided to slam on the brakes at full force in front of me, on the N2.

And the piéce de résistance? Fuel consumption.

Being a smallish diesel-engine, you do make more use of the lower gears for optimum power extraction - but that fuel tank needle just stayed put. The six-speed manual gearbox is only a pleasure to stir, slotting smoothly into its chosen position.

With usage of 4.8 litres per 100 km in 5.8 litres (per 100) in town, you'd probably be able to squeeze around 1300 km out of a single tank. That's the superpower I was talking about! And then it's chock-full of all the good stuff too. Fortunately, you don't have to buy the Tekna derivative to get all that mileage. The 1.5DCI Acenta will do just as nicely, and it's R404 500 instead of R445 500. Have a look at the rest of the range at www.nissan.co.za.