Nissan has today confirmed the pricing for the latest version of Britain’s best-selling – and home-built – SUV, the Qashqai.
The Sunderland-made family car will start from £23,595 when it hits showrooms in a matter of weeks. This gets you a 136bhp 1.3-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine in the most basic ‘Visia’ trim level.
Nissan says it is targeting motoring ‘downsizers’ by offering business class comfort and tech at economy class prices – with up to a quarter of sales expected to come from drivers switching from bigger cars into the more compact Qashqai.
Nissan’s commitment to produce the new third-generation Qashqai at its North East factory was seen as a huge victory for the Government during Brexit negotiations, with Nissan bosses saying the move represented ‘a great vote of confidence in Britain and in the British workforce here’.
Built in Britain: Nissan has confirmed pricing for the new Sunderland-made Qashqai SUV, with the family car set to start from £23,595 on the road
To put the price into perspective, the entry Qashqai is just £238 more expensive than the most basic Volkswagen Golf, which is the nation’s most popular family hatchback.
The most affordable versions of the new Qashqai will be front-wheel drive, though pricier options will power all four wheels.
Prices for the Nissan rise to £26,135 for the mid-spec Acenta Premium model with the same powertrain, but it can also be ordered with the more powerful 154bhp engine in either manual or Xtronic automatic guise.
The most affordable all-wheel drive version costs £32,335 in the more generous N-Connecta trim, but has to be paired with the more powerful engine and an automatic gearbox.
A limited number of Premiere Edition models will hit showrooms first, priced from £29,270.
These versions will have a head-up display, wireless charging pad, smartphone mirroring functionality, additional connectivity features and powerful LED ‘matrix’ headlights.
Bosses said Nissan’s 35 years of car-building in Britain meant it had become part of the UK way of life and was proud to celebrate its ‘Britishness’
How British is the new Qashqai? It was conceived at Nissan’s European Design Centre in Paddington, West London, and engineered at its European engineering centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, before being manufactured in the North East
In terms of finance, three-year personal contract purchase (PCP) offers for the Premiere Edition start from £323 a month at 3.99 per cent APR, with a £5,000 customer deposit and £750 Nissan deposit contribution, granted you do no more than 10,000 miles a year.
Pricing information for the conventional hybrid ‘e-Power’ version is yet to be confirmed and Nissan will not sell a diesel-powered version at all.
‘The Nissan Qashqai has been the best-seller in its class since 2007, and for good reason. Now with the arrival of the third generation model, Nissan is setting a new crossover standard for distinctive design, dynamic handling and advanced technologies, all at an accessible and attractive price point,’ said Andrew Humberstone, managing direction at Nissan Motor GB.
‘Consumers want uncompromising comfort, connectivity and safety from their personal mobility – the new Qashqai absolutely delivers on all these requirements,’ he added.
| DIG-T 140 2WD Manual | DIG-T 158 2WD Manual | DIG-T 158 2WD Xtronic | DIG-T 158 4WD Xtronic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visia | £23,535 | |||
| Acenta Premium | £26,135 | £26,855 | £28,455 | |
| N-Connecta | £28,305 | £29,025 | £30,625 | £32,335 |
| Tekna | £30,845 | £31,565 | £33,465 | £35,175 |
| Tekna+ | £34,175 | £36,125 | £37,835 |
The new third-generation of Nissan’s Sunderland-built Qashqai family crossover has been hailed a huge vote of confidence in post-Brexit Britain
The new Qashqai has grown in size, gained bolder looks, been fitted with softer touch fabrics, and has the option of new green petrol-electric hybrid power
The Japanese manufacturer, which has been building cars in Britain for 35 years, previously described the Qashqai as a celebration of its ‘Britishness’.
The new Qashqai was conceived at Nissan’s European Design Centre in Paddington, West London, and engineered at its European engineering centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, before being manufactured at the Sunderland plant.
So successful has the top-selling Qashqai already proved for both Nissan and the 7,000-strong UK workforce which builds it at Britain’s biggest car factory that wags have even dubbed it the Nissan ‘cash-cow’.
The Japanese car-maker, which has given a long term commitment to the UK and invested £400million to produce the new Qashqai in Sunderland, unveiled the new crossover just weeks after Britain finally left the European Union.
Around seven out of ten of the new cars built at the Sunderland factory will continue to be exported across the Channel to mainland Europe.
Nissan says it is targeting ‘downsizers’ by offering business class comfort and tech at economy class prices
The third-generation Qashqai is the first Nissan family-size SUV to be sold first with a petrol version with mild-hybrid technology. Diesel is no longer an option
Designers have managed to make the Qashqai familiar but also evolved the design with a bulkier presence, raked lines down the profile of the car and squared-off sections from the rear arches
The front of the car follows the same design language as the smaller Juke crossover, sharing the same U-shaped grille
So far nearly 4 million Qashqais have been built at the North East factory since the first generation of the popular model – which Nissan claims created the flexible family ‘crossover’ segment – was launched 14 years ago at the beginning of 2007, with the second generation version following in 2014.
For each year the Qashqai has been available in the UK, it has been the nation’s most-bought SUV.
The outgoing second-gen Qashqai is Europe’s most popular crossover with three million sold across the Continent and five million sold globally.
Nissan’s Sunderland plant which also builds the quirky Juke crossover and the all-electric Leaf – is also the largest car factory in UK history, with one in three of all cars made in Britain rolling off its production lines.
The new Nissan Qashqai will be available for the first time with a bigger alloy wheel size of 20 inches
To help passenger get in and out of the second row of seats, the rear doors now open wider to 85 degrees. It offers a tunnel-line entry into the back of the vehicle
To aid driver safety there’s a large 10.8-inch head-up display that allows the driver to keep his or her eye on the road while seeing key information – such as speed limits and sat-nav directions – projected through the windscreen
The tablet-style touchscreen is Nissan’s most advanced and is a high-definition display with bright and bold colours
New-for-2021 Nissan Qashqai is the biggest yet
The Qashqai has also grown in stature – being longer, wider and higher – with a bolder look and more space, especially for rear passengers.
Shoulder room has also increased by 28mm creating more distance between the driver and front passenger. Knee room for rear occupants has also increased by 28mm to 608mm.
Also bigger is the maximum wheel size, which now goes up to a whopping 20-inch alloy rim.
To help passenger get in and out, the rear doors now open wider to 85 degrees.
The interior of the new sports-utility vehicle is inspired by the interior of an Airbus airliner cockpit offering ‘premium feel, distinctive design and enhanced usability’.
The revised cabin is claimed to be inspired by an Airbus airliner cockpit. Nissan says it provides ‘premium feel, distinctive design and enhanced usability’
The Qashqai has also grown in stature – being longer, wider and higher – to provide more space, especially for rear passengers. Shoulder room has also increased by 28mm creating more distance between the driver and front passenger
The boot door has the option of power opening and a flexible floor. The maximum loading capacity with the back seats in the fixed position is 504 litres – though this will expand significantly with the backrests laid flat
To aid driver safety there’s a large 10.8-inch head-up display that allows the driver to keep his or her eye on the road while seeing key information – such as speed limits and sat-nav directions – projected through the windscreen.
Other premium kit includes massage seats, high definition displays, and wireless smartphone charging.
Buyers have a choice of 11 body colours with five two-tone combinations, creating a total of 16 variations.
Other features include a powered hands-free tailgate leading to a bigger 504-litre flexible boot.
The Qashqai takes its name from a semi-nomadic Iranian tribe renowned for their brave warriors and beautiful textiles.
New 3rd-gen Nissan Qashqai: Will it fit in my garage?
Built in: Sunderland and on sale from summer 2021
Price: from £23,595
Length: 4,425mm (+35mm bigger than 2nd-gen Qashqai)
Width: 1,838mm (+32mm)
Height: 1,635mm (+10mm)
Wheelbase: 2,666mm (+20mm)
Wheels: 17 inches to 20 inches
Drive: 2 wheel (4 wheel drive some specs)
POWERTRAINS
Mild-hybrid Petrol
Engine: 1.3-litre 136bhp and 154bhp petrol
Gears: 6-speed manual or new Xtronic (CVT) automatic (with the 156hp version only)
(Only Xtronic models offer the option of intelligent all-wheel drive with five driving modes: Standard, ECO, Sport, Snow and Off-Road)
Hybrid e-POWER
Engine: 1.5-litre 152bhp petrol engine (to generate electricity)
Electric motor: 140kW (184bhp)
Range on electric power only: Just over a mile
