Nissan Qashqai

Nissan's designer and engineers can tick their boxes. They've met the brief - the Qashqai looks a bit like an SUV, drives a lot like a car. It actually works quite well.

• Comfort

  One trade off for the relatively tall yet composed ride of the Qashqai is a certain firmness in the suspension. It's by no means a deal breaker, but you'll have to get used to a slightly jittery nature. There's plenty of head and legroom (for the front five passengers anyway) in the +2, and enough storage for even the most materialistic of children. Pity the two poor kids in the back though…

  

• Performance

  Four engine options are available, a 1.6 and two-litre petrol with 138bhp is quiet and smooth. Just as well really, because when you're accelerating what you hear is an uninspiring drone. The 148bhp 2.0 Renault-sourced diesel is torquier and usefully faster in give-and-take, but it does have a bit of a dieselly rattle to it.

  

• Cool

  The Qashqai is cool. Hell, we gave it an award. How much more convincing do you need? It's capable, understated, different. Exactly what so many cars aren't these days.

  

• Quality

  Tanks to quality, soft-touch materials covering the dashtop and sturdy plastics making up the rest of the fascia, the Qashqai has an air of quality not seen in this sector since the Merc A-Class. All the switchgear has a nicely weighted action and feels good on the fingers.

  

• Handling

  The Qashqai, despite its SUV pretensions and height, feels pretty agile and doesn't roll in corners. The steering's too light and the FWD version understeers like mad on the limit, but the 4WD version (2.0 models only) kicks torque rearward on demand so is actually rather cheeky fun to hustle along. The ride's a little disturbed - there's some vertical jitteriness and lateral wobble (especially in the rear) and you get a noisy clang when you hit a pothole.

  

• Practicality

  Space is excellent, with the Qashqai offering plenty of head and legroom throughout the cabin. The rear bench is wide enough to carry three. At 410 litres, the boot is big for a car in the C-sector (the Focus manages 385 litres). The rear seats split 60/40 to expand that to 60 litres, but the extra height means it's not as easy to load as a standard hatch. The Qashqai+2 is the estate version (although it's more like a genuine off-roader. Confused? We are). It offers a cramped third row of seats and a slightly bigger boot.

  

• Running costs

  The Qashqai is heavier than its hatch rivals and that's had an effect on the fuel economy. The 1.5dCi returns 52.3mpg while the same engine in a Renault Megane gives 62.8. Company car tax on 4x4 versions are high - 32% for 2.0dCi.