2004 Nissan Review

Specifications

Too Bad That Its Only a Concept

Love the unique look and character of Nissans Murano but dont want to shell out the big bucks? Or maybe its too large and plush for your needs? Well Nissan just might have the vehicle youre looking for, embodying all the character of the Murano in a more compact, efficient package.

The new Qashqai is to Nissan what the xActivity concept was to BMW, an exercise in size reduction over the current production crossover vehicle while exploring new concepts, styles and technologies. The xActivity became the new BMW X3. So whats in store for the Qashqai? While Nissan hasnt announced anything concrete, it would do well to offer something similar with the crossover market being so hot.

This new reality was without a doubt Nissans motive for creating the Qashqai in the first place. The new concept, if built, would provide the Japanese automakers customers with a vehicle that can adapt to constantly evolving, recreational lifestyles. Sound familiar? Its the same message that Nissan has been touting in its X-Trail advertising campaign. Both are vehicles targeted at young, urban professionals, some with families and some without, successful in their careers for their age, who like to head out of town on the weekends to ski, snowboard and mountain bike.

In order to adapt to the adventurous lifestyles of the Qashqais potential owners, Nissan has equipped the new concept with flexibility, adaptability and space. The ultra-modern interiors minimalist look centers upon a floating metal center strip which divides the cockpit in two, forming the center console. Partitioned from the dashboard, it sweeps upward, containing controls for climate and audio, while the information is displayed on an LCD monitor. Driver-focused instrumentation and ergonomics make the Qashqai seem car-like.

Aside from its futuristic appearance, the interior is chalked full of neat little tricks to help accommodate bulky items, often associated with ambitious outdoor lifestyles. The clamshell-like “suicide” doors open up to create a massive aperture, free of a B-pillar which would otherwise obstruct the easy loading of wide objects. In addition to the doors, the Qashqai features unique floating seats that hinge onto the center console. The theater-style layout allows them to flip up so that long awkward items, such as a bicycle, can fit inside without being dismantled.

Unlike the two X-named Nissan SUVs, X-Terra and X-Trail, the design crew behind the concept sport utility went out on an artistic limb to give their creation a name that would stand out. The concept was named after a nomadic people, mimicking the model behind Volkswagens Touareg, however the chosen tribe comes from southern Iran. For the record, the vehicles name is pronounced “kaesch-kei”, but in the modern context of the automotive industry, it sounds frighteningly close to “cash cow” - thumbs up for creativity, but the choice could have been better. Who knows, maybe the name will be a good omen?

A design as advanced as the Qashqai could have only come from a highly established studio, which makes the fact that the stylish concept was the first fully-completed project to emerge from the new Nissan Design Europe studio. NDE, which first opened its doors in London, England in January 2003, is now home to 50 international designers, modelers and support staff, many of which who worked to turn the Qashqai from sketches into a working vehicle. Many of Nissans future global vehicles will come from this design site.

Unlike previous concepts and products aimed specifically at Japan, Europe or North America, NDE accomplished a unity between Nissans distinctive styling facilities. While plastic body cladding is absent, the chunky shape, over-exaggerated wheel arches and large 20-inch wheels give it the feel of the tough 4×4s normally destined for Nissans North American markets, while its short overhangs, an upright but rounded tail, and its three-piece front grille are all European. One things for sure, it certainly doesnt look like an average sport utility vehicle.

The Qashqais exterior also incorporates plenty of global Nissan DNA, which can be traced back to Japanese-styled products including the Micra/March city car, the avant-garde Primera family sedan, and Nissans hallmark 350Z. These styling elements show in the new concepts swooping roofline and heavily sculpted rear flanks. Angular LED head and taillights, flush tailpipes, angular mirrors and a floating valance, are nicely detailed design elements which counteract the aggressively macho SUV-look.

Despite its huge potential driven by the high demand for compact crossover-type sport utility vehicles, Nissan has labeled the Qashqai as a pioneer study - the initial phase in expressing new trends and gauging the interest of the public. As it stands, the Qashqai features too many components unsuitable to mass production, such as the rear hinged doors and floating seats. While it may be awhile before we see a center-divided cockpit, technologies such as fuel-efficient electronic all-wheel drive are well within reach.

If you like what you see here, there is much to hope for. After all, if Nissan will not produce the Qashqai, its guaranteed that elements of design and layout will be used in up and coming vehicles. Its easy to speculate that something like the Qashqai could act as a successor to the X-Trail, though it would be a fair ways down the road. In the meantime Nissan will continue to explore niches with vehicles such as the Qashqai, testing potential market segments in anticipation of the next big automotive craze. While the compact crossover segment isnt particularly new, Nissans approach to servicing it is. The Qashqai could be extremely popular around the globe. threshold, a minimum guideline for serious off-road driving, which should suffice for all but the most ardent off-roaders.