Nissan Qashqai

Is the UK's second-most-popular car still the brand's shining beacon? Let's find out You will struggle to find a bigger British automotive success story than the Nissan Qashqai.It was Britain’s best-selling car in 2022, coming a close second to the Ford Puma the following year – in fact, Nissan claims that its sales success in the UK means you’re always within 500 metres of a Qashqai. The Japanese crossover was a game changer when it arrived back in 2006, and is credited with almost single-handedly saving Nissan’s European operations. It's a prime example of the idea that you can have something that looks like an off-roader without needing all the heavy, inefficient hardware to make it capable in the mud – and people responded in numbers.As well as being a success story for Nissan, the Qashqai is also a shining beacon for UK car manufacturing, having been produced in Sunderland from the start. As car maker after car maker closes its UK manufacturing base – Honda made its last Honda Civic in Swindon a few years ago, for example – it is heartening that the Qashqai continues to be made here.And now, in 2024, there is a new version that brings with it a host of exterior and interior upgrades, and brings it closer into line with the Nissan Ariya. Upon first glance, you might think that the Qashqai’s latest update is merely superficial, but Nissan is clear that the modest changes made to the car’s design and cabin will “reinforce its position as the segment leader”.The Nissan Qashqai range at a glanceNIssan has retained its mix of four-cylinder mild-hybrid and three-cylinder full-hybrid powertrains for 2024The range opens with the DIG-T 140 mild hybrid, with 138bhp and a 0-62mph time of 10.2sec. The DIG-T 158 mild hybrid offers 155bhp and a 0-62mph sprint of 9.5sec. Full-hybrid e-Power models increase power to 187bhp and hit 0-62mph in 7.9sec.VERSIONPOWERDIG-T 140 MILD HYBRID138bhpDIG-T 155 MILD HYBRID155hp190 E-POWER187bhp