New 2021 Nissan Qashqai to be revealed on 18 February

The system has proved hugely popular in Japan, thrusting the relatively old Note supermini into the biggest seller in its segment. Nissan claims it has been “significantly upgraded” for European customers, however, with a 47%-larger electric motor and a more powerful combustion engine. 

That engine is a new 1.5-litre unit that features a variable compression ratio - a first for the brand in Europe - to boost efficiency. The electric motor puts out 187bhp (the engine providing 156bhp to charge the battery) and 243lb ft of torque. That’s enough, product planning boss Marco Fioravanti claims, for “really quite impressive” performance and typical EV driving characteristics at lower speeds. 

Like parallel hybrid set-ups, the system offers a relatively negligible EV-only driving range (below two miles) before the engine-generator kicks in. However, it’s claimed to drive like a classic electric car, with Nissan even fitting the ‘e-Pedal’ system from the Leaf for one-pedal driving using regenerative braking. 

2021 Nissan Qashqai: Interior, dimensions and technology

The third-generation Nissan Qashqai will offer a “class-leading on-board experience”, Nissan claims.

The new model, which battles with the Volkswagen Volkswagen Tiguan for the title of segment best-seller in Europe, has grown in physical size but is said to maintain the compact exterior loved by loyal customers. 

“Exterior dimensions versus exterior size is absolutely critical in Europe, and we have one of the best packages on the market right now," product director Nicholas Tschann told Autocar. 

It’s 35mm longer, 32mm wider and 25mm taller than the outgoing car, with 20mm added to the wheelbase - described by bosses as the “minimum” size the Qashqai needed to grow to keep distance between it and the Nissan Juke. 

Shoulder room and rear knee room are said to have been improved substantially as a result, as have ease of passenger ingress and egress.

The boot now offers over 500 litres of space, with a lower boot floor enabled by the new platform, plus underfloor parcel shelf storage and wipe-clean surfaces. A powered tailgate is offered for the first time, too, with the ability to open it by waving your foot under the bumper.

Further practicality changes include a redesigned centre console with additional storage, extra adjustment for more ergonomic seats and a capless fuel filler cover that can be opened externally, replacing the old driver’s footwell release. A new space-saving ‘shift-by-wire’ automatic gearbox shifter is said to replicate the physical action of a traditional lever, which customers prefer. 

Cabin tech has been overhauled, too, with a new 9.0in high-resolution touchscreen offering wireless Apple CarPlay and, Nissan claims, “just about everything that’s available on the market” in terms of connected and app-based services. 

That’s joined by a 12.3in instrument display on top models, plus a 10.8in head-up display claimed to be the largest in its segment. A 15W wireless phone charger plus a combination of USB-A and USB-C ports will feature, alongside Bose audio packages.

Nissan's ProPilot driver assist tech, which includes level-two semi-autonomous lane-keeping assistance, will be “democratised” by becoming standard on mid-spec trims and above. 

A number of premium touches have also been brought into the new Qashqai despite its mass-market intentions. These include massaging seats controllable via the touchscreen, ambient lighting and an “extensive” emphasis on tactile, high-quality materials. Top models feature nappa leather that takes 25 days to produce, with an embroidered 3D diamond quilting. 

Exterior design, chassis and platform

The third iteration of what the brand terms its “pioneering” crossover aims to build on its segment-leading success, with more than three million examples of the first two generations sold across Europe and five million globally.

It will use a new platform, is designed, engineered and built in the UK and, for the first time, won’t feature a diesel engine. The Japanese manufacturer has released only disguised prototype shots and a preview image zoomed in on the headlight detail of the new model. However, the prototype images show that the overall profile of the new car is familiar. The front end has been inspired by the design of the new Nissan Juke, albeit with a less radical interpretation.

Fioravanti claims the overall design objective has been to offer “the best stance in the segment”, with a “more muscular yet dynamic image”. A wider track, bigger-diameter wheels and a stronger shoulder line are claimed to enable this.

Underpinning the Qashqai is a new version of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s CMF-C platform, overhauled to enable greater electrification. Nissan says it allows a reduction in weight but an increase in stiffness – key to improving both efficiency and dynamics.

The platform uses a greater proportion of ultra-high-strength steel than the old car’s (up from 20% to 30%) and the underfloor structure is more rigid as Nissan aims for the highest possible safety rating in the imminent, more stringent crash tests. There is also structural bonding in key body joints to improve strength further. Overall stiffness is up 41% on the outgoing car.

Despite all this, Nissan has reduced the weight of the car’s body-in-white by 60kg. Contributing to this is the use of composite materials for the bootlid and fuel cap, while using aluminium for the doors and bonnet has saved 21kg.

The suspension layout is familiar. For two-wheel-drive Qashqais with wheels up to 19in, a torsion beam rear set-up is used. Four-wheel-drive models and those with 20in wheels get a multi-link arrangement.

Nissan claims the torsion beam set-up’s new, vertically aligned spotting and dampers allow “a settled, composed ride, while maintaining excellent anti-roll performance”. The multi-link set-up, now mounted to the sub-frame via bushes to reduce road noise, is said to offer a “best-in-segment balance between ride comfort and dynamic response”.