Nissan Qashqai Tekna+ DIG-T 158 - long-term review

The Qashqai and I have been on a long trip. And it’s been a worthwhile evaluation of its extended usability and comfort. Part one involved driving from London to the Cotswolds, collecting two people (one adult and one baby – both happy in the back seats and who reported back that the QQ is very comfortable and commodious) and a great deal of luggage, and then hotfooting it back to base. So far, so good.

Part two was the real test  – the continuation of the trip from base up to Bempton and then back to Flamborough to stay for a couple of nights in a glamping pod – my first time glamping, by the way, and pleased to report that it's thoroughly excellent. It even had underfloor heating, who knew such luxury existed in a pod? The Qashqai boot was once again rammed for the trip as I didn’t want to leave anything on display for unscrupulous types to break in and steal when we left the car parked and went for a walk before we checked in at our accommodation.

The good news is that both driver and passenger (no back-seat passengers this time) felt as fresh as the moment they started the journey come the end destination. The equally good news is that on the trip north the economy went up to 59.3mpg.

I couldn’t quite believe it either, but it was there in the display. Unfortunately as I was driving I couldn’t grab a photo, but I promise it is true. This kind of economy makes long trips so much more pleasurable  – not being forced to stop makes every journey more satisfying... coffee from service stations is only so appealing, frankly.

Part three (coming home) was equally as easy, economical and enjoyable as the trip up. This was when we  used the satnav to get us out of a tight spot. Having driven down to view the Humber bridge in all its glory, we needed to get back to Sancton for Sunday lunch, but the police had closed the road we were intending to use.

As it’s not my manor, I decided to let the Nissan do the hard work and sort out a route for us. This it managed very well, and the directions given in the head-up display are supremely clear and remove a lot of the stress of trying to look at the screen to see what you should be doing when (I’m my own worst enemy here as I like to have my screen permanently on the night-time setting).

Happy to give that a strong thumbs up. The journey home after a huge lunch was smooth and simple. No hold-ups, no problems, the Qashqai just did what it has proved to be very adept at – making journeys feel swift and enjoyable.