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Premium upgrade for the Nissan Qashqai

The Nissan Qashqai is now available with “significant enhancements which further develop its premium character”. The upgrades focus on four areas – exterior design; higher levels of interior quality; improved driving performance; and the addition of new Nissan Intelligent Mobility.

Philippe Saillard, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Nissan Europe, commented: “The second-generation Nissan Qashqai has been an outstanding ambassador for our innovative crossover range and the Nissan brand since its launch in 2014. It has been a sales phenomenon, keeping us at the number one position in the segment. With these premium enhancements to its design, quality, technology and driving dynamics, we are confident this will continue.”

New to the Qashqai range is the addition of a fifth grade, Tekna+, which sits in the line-up above Visia, Acenta, N-Connecta and Tekna. In the cabin, the new premium seats are trimmed in soft nappa leather, with 3D quilting on the centre panels – a first for Nissan in Europe. The design is replicated in the rear. Black leather is standard, with the choice of a rich plum colour as a £495 option.

The driver’s seat features electrically controlled four-way pneumatic lumbar support – another first for Nissan Europe. Also standard on Tekna+ is the new BOSE Premium eight-speaker audio system (see below for further details).

Externally, the Tekna+ comes with premium satin silver door mirror caps and roof rails.

The Qashqai’s palette of exterior colours, with solid, metallic and pearlescent finishes, is extended with two new choices for customers who want to stand out from the crowd. These are Vivid Blue and Chestnut Bronze.

There are also improvements to noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) performance on the new Qashqai. Nissan says more sound insulation material, and material of a higher quality, has been added inside the front doors and behind the rear wheel arches. Additional sealing around the front doors has been integrated, while the rear door glass is now thicker – from 3.15mm to 3.85mm – to improve the rear passenger experience. The result is that road and wind noise in the cabin have been reduced on every Qashqai model. There is also claimed to be less engine noise ingress on the 1.6-litre diesel thanks to powertrain calibration improvements.

In Q4 FY17 Nissan will introduce ProPILOT on the new Qashqai. It’s the first stage of the brand’s journey to autonomous driving, giving drivers more freedom by allowing them to automate the mundane elements of their motoring life if they wish.

ProPILOT will control the steering, acceleration and braking in a single lane on highways during heavy traffic congestion and high-speed cruising. It is based on three technologies – Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) and Traffic Jam Pilot (TJP). Intuitive to use, ProPILOT will be activated via a button on the Qashqai’s steering wheel. Information will be displayed in the combimeter between the instrument dials. Further details on ProPILOT will be given nearer to its launch.

New to the Qashqai is a technology called Stand Still Assist (SSA), which supplements Hill Start Assist (HSA) on cars with a manual transmission. SSA holds the car in a stationary position for up to three minutes, after which time the parking brake is automatically activated. SSA works on inclines, declines and on the flat, allowing the driver to take their foot off the brake. This improves safety, boosts driver confidence and reduces fatigue. A green light on the instrument cluster indicates when it’s activated.

The Qashqai’s range of engines has been carried over, offering the choice of petrol or diesel, six-speed manual or CVT XTronic automatic transmissions, and two or four-wheel drive to meet every type of customer need. The line-up includes the 1.5-litre 110 bhp diesel with CO2 emissions of just 99g/km.

The Qashqai’s improvements have been carried out by Nissan engineering teams based in the UK, Spain and Germany. The car continues to be built at Nissan’s manufacturing facility at Sunderland.

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