RETURN OF THE KING

Nissan's Qashqai once ruled the crossover kingdom, but lost its crown to rivals such as the Kia Sportage. Can the new version regain the throne?

BACK in the mid-2000s, Nissan was an also-ran in the family-car segment. Realising that its worthy-but-dull Almera hatchback couldn't compete directly with the established competition in the class, the manufacturer tried a different approach. The result was the Qashqai, a car with the driving manners and price of a regular hatchback, but the kerb appeal and space of a larger SUV. The move proved to be a masterstroke for Nissan, with the Qashqai immediately becoming a sales superstar.

And even though rivals had caught up by the time the third-generation car arrived, it remains a huge success with customers. In 2024 to date, it's the third best-selling new car in the UK; only the smaller Ford Puma and one other car have been more successful.

Here the Nissan faces that second model. The Kia Sportage follows the formula that the Qashqai devised, and in some ways has improved on it. In recent times, the Korean manufacturer has had the upper hand.

Now, however, there's a newly revised Qashqai. So how deep do its updates go, and will they be enough to swap the running order in the sales charts, and even reverse the order for the overall win in this test?

Nissan Qashqai

MODEL TESTED: Nissan Qashqai e-Power N-Design
PRICE: £39,620
POWERTRAIN: 1.5-litre 3cyl hybrid, 187bhp

AMONG the changes to the Qashqai line-up the new N-Design model that we're driving here. It costs £39,620 in e-Power hybrid form.

Tech highlights

NOT much has changed on the technical side, but then the Qashqai already had one of the most intriguing powertrain options in its class. The e-Power hybrid system mixes a petrol engine with an electric motor; so far, so conventional.