The Nissan Qashqai has been on sale in Canada since 2017, however, in other markets around the world, it had been available since 2006 and was called Dualis for the first generation. The second generation was introduced in 2014 with a name change to Qashqai, however, in the United States, it’s called the Nissan Rogue Sport, because it is sort of a smaller and more affordable version of the Rogue, which is Nissan’s bestselling vehicle.

The Nissan Qashqai is classified as a sub-compact crossover, which consists of quite a few competitors like the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, Toyota HR-V, Hyundai Kona, and a few others. I found the Qashqai to be a bit bigger than the competitors, making it more practical. The Nissan Kicks might be more of a competitor to the above-mentioned vehicles, which is smaller than the Qashqai.

Prices & Trims

The 2019 Nissan Qashqai is offered in three trims and unlike most of its competitors, is offered with a manual transmission on the base S trim with FWD. The base 2019 Nissan Qashqai S with FWD has a starting price of $20,198 for the manual transmission and $22,398 for the Xtronic CVT equipped models, add in AWD to the CVT equipped Qashqai S and the price jumps to $25,498.

The Qashqai SV with FWD has a starting price of $26,198 and SV AWD starts at $28,298. The top of the line SL is only offered with AWD and has a starting price of $31,398. These prices do not include $1,950 for Freight & PDI.

Our review car for the week was the 2019 Nissan Qashqai SL with a sticker price of $35,548, which included $2,100 for the Platinum Package, $300 for the 3-coat paint, and $1,950 for Freight & PDI.

The Platinum Package included the following items:

• Auto-dimming inside mirror
• HomeLink universal transceiver
• Bose 9-spekaer audio system
• LED headlights
• NissanConnect services powered by SIRIUSXM

Engine

All three trims of the Nissan Qashqai come with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, producing 141 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 147 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to the front wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission; the FWD and AWD models can also be equipped with the Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission.

According to Nissan, the FWD Qashqai with manual transmission should consume 10.1/8.1 L/100 km in city/highway driving. The FWD with CVT should consume 8.6/7.2 L/100 km in city/highway driving. The AWD, which only offered with the CVT, should consume 9.1/7.6 L/100 km in city/highway driving. These fuel consumption numbers will vary with your driving style and driving conditions.

For our weeklong review, we averaged 9.5/7.8 L/100 km in city/highway driving, in mild weather where neither heating nor the AC were needed. Our fuel consumption numbers are pretty close to the claimed numbers.

Driving

Driving the 2019 Nissan Qashqai is not as bad as you’d think, the 141 hp and 147 lb-ft seems plenty for a vehicle in this segment, it’s no sports car but still pretty fun to drive. The CVT does a decent job and isn’t as annoying as the older CVTs, it does have simulated shift points, but does have that typical CVT engine noise under heavy acceleration. But overall, it’s not a bad combination.

In city driving the Qashqai is peppy enough, which is where it will be mainly driven. It’s also not bad on the highway, but like I mentioned above, the engine does get loud under heavy acceleration when you’re passing, you keep expecting a gear change that never comes.

Styling

The Qashqai looks like a smaller version of the Nissan Rogue, I think it’s a pretty decent looking vehicle, and keeps the look of rest of Nissan’s SUV/CUV lineup. Our test car came with the “Monarch Orange” paint, which is very eye catching, there are other funky colors available, like “Nitro Lime” and “Scarlet Ember”, these colors should appeal to a younger audience, which the Qashqai is aimed at.

Our test vehicle came with 19” wheels, which give the vehicle a sporty look.

Interior

The interior on the Qashqai has an easy to understand layout, everything is easy to reach and simple to use. There are a couple of items placed a bit of “out of the way”, which was also the case with the Nissan Rogue, these items are the heated steering wheel button and the Eco mode, they’re placed to the bottom left of the steering wheel. I know when you own this car, you’ll get used to the placement, but personally, I like the heated steering wheel button on the steering wheel or close to it and the Eco button next to the gear lever.

The interior is mostly plastic, which is the norm in this class of vehicles. I found the interior to be fairly quiet and it was roomy enough for me, at 5’ 8”. The back seat might be a little tight for taller passengers, people over 6’ would find a lack of knee room in the back seat. I found the front seats to be very comfortable, which is great for long trips or being stuck in city traffic.

Tech/Safety/Convenience Features

The 2019 Nissan Qashqai can be equipped with a lot of different safety/tech/convenience features, especially the top of the line SL trim, the lower trims also come with a decent number of desirable features. Below are some of the highlights from our top of the line Qashqai SL with Premium Package:

• LED daytime running lights and headlights
• Keyless entry with smart access and push-button start
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Intelligent braking
• Rear camera with 360-degree monitor and rear cross traffic alert
• Rear intelligent emergency braking
• Blind spot monitor
• Lane departure warning with intelligent lane intervention
• ProPILOT Assist
• Heated front seats
• Leather seats
• Intelligent cruise control
• 9-speaker Bose sound system
• Speed sensitive volume control
• 2 USB ports
• Bluetooth connectivity

Final Thoughts

The 2019 Nissan Qashqai might have a name that’s hard to pronounce, but every other thing about the vehicle is easy. It’s pretty practical, has a decent fuel consumption, and is somewhat fun to drive. The Qashqai is a bit bigger than some of the competitors, making it more practical if you have more than two occupants in the vehicle.