Evaluation of the new Qashqai: Mercedes-Benz GLB homologous engine interior upgrade will be officially launched in August

Tencent Automobile on July 10, Dongfeng Nissan 2023 Qashqai will be officially launched in August, the new car positioning compact SUV, from the new CMF-C platform, not only the exterior and interior refreshed, but also equipped with a 1.3T four-cylinder turbocharged engine jointly developed by Daimler, Renault and Nissan, matching the 12V mild hybrid system + CVT gearbox, replacing the old 2.0L naturally aspirated engine, the zero hundred acceleration performance is improved by 1 second, and the fuel economy has also been improved. 

On the eve of listing, Tencent Auto's original team got a test drive of the 2023 Qashqai top-equipped version, which will be analyzed from two dimensions: static and dynamic.

Static display:

In terms of appearance, the 2023 Qashqai adopts the latest V-Motion 3.0 design language of the Nissan family, which directly divides the headlight group in two, the size of the inverted trapezoidal front grille is further expanded, and two chrome trim strips outline the lower outline of the middle net to enhance the sense of unity of the front of the car. The air intakes on both sides are designed with radar fusion, and the air ports are real through, not decorative parts.

The Matrix LED headlights are automatically adjustable, consisting of 12 segments of LEDs, which can automatically adjust the opening and closing of individual light groups according to road conditions, and do not affect other oncoming vehicles as much as possible.

In terms of body size, the new model has a length, width and height of 4440/1840/1627mm, and a wheelbase of 2665mm, which is 39mm longer than the current model, 3mm wider, 16mm height, and 19mm wheelbase.

The side of the body has a 1:1.15 width to height ratio, and adopts a double waist line design, and the upper waist line runs directly from the front lights to the rear taillights in a swooping posture. The roof, pillars, and side skirts are blackened and the silver luggage rack creates the feeling of a suspended roof.

The wheels feature 19-inch contrast dual five-panel wheels matched to 235/50 R19 Horse EC6 Q series tires. The lower-end model will be fitted with 18-inch wheels and 235/55 R18 tires.

The rear end has a symmetrical design, for which the exhaust pipe is hidden under the car. The taillights do not follow the popular through-through design, but echo the style of bisecting the front of the car, creating their own unique recognition.

The Nissan Logo is centered on the sharp tailgate line, and there is also the English letter Logo of Qashqai below, which is more simple and stylish than the current model.

The interior design has a qualitative leap compared with the old model, the interior color is contrasted, the soft material is used to wrap the large area, and the overall layout is more technological and fashionable. 

The biggest change is to replace the embedded screen with a 12.3-inch floating central control screen, which integrates functions such as navigation, entertainment, and car control. A row of touch-enabled buttons and knobs remain at the bottom of the screen for quick and easy operation by the driver.

The steering wheel adopts a three-panel flat-bottomed design, the left half integrates screen control and entertainment control buttons, the right half integrates auxiliary driving, telephone, voice assistant activation buttons, and the back has analog gear shift paddles. Paired with it, there is a 12.3-inch LCD instrument cluster + 10.8-inch HUD head-up display, which can dynamically display driving information.

The air conditioning control panel, physical buttons and knobs are retained under the central control screen for quick and easy operation by the driver. The bottom is equipped with USB+Type-C wired charging interface and 15W wireless charging pad.

The shift mechanism has been changed from the original mechanical gear lever to an electronic gear lever, and the bottom of the center console has also become a storage compartment with a hollow structure, increasing space utilization and flexibility.

In terms of comfort equipment, the front seats of the top-equipped model are equipped with heated seats, and the panoramic sunroof is equipped with sunshades, but the sunroof only supports sliding and cannot be lifted.

In terms of space, the front seats support 6-way electric adjustment of height and low, equipped with a lumbar support function, we have adjusted the height of the main driver's seat to the minimum, and there are 3 fingers left in the headroom.

Entering the back row without moving in the front row, 1 fist and 2 fingers of legroom remaining, 4 fingers remaining in headroom, a certain height of bulge on the central platform, limited support for the knee point of the rear seat cushion, and the cushion texture of the whole car seat is somewhat stiff compared to the old "Nissan Big Sofa".

The trunk is not equipped with a power tailgate, the opening is large and the depth is good, and the rear seats support 4:6 reclining, but it does not form a completely flat through-through space.

Dynamic Test Drive Experience:

The all-new Qashqai is equipped with an HR13 1.3T four-cylinder turbocharged engine + ALiS Mild Hybrid 12V mild hybrid system jointly developed by Daimler, Renault and Nissan, with a maximum power of 116kW (158 hp) and a peak torque of 270 N·m/1800-3750rpm, mated to the latest UK33 chain 7-speed analog CVT transmission, which accelerates by 1 second faster than the previous generation, and the WLTC fuel consumption is 6.645L/100km, which is 10% lower than the current fuel consumption , it is recommended to fill No. 95 gasoline, but also support No. 92 gasoline.

Entering the car, the main driver's seat has a very wide range of adjustments, and with the 4-way steering wheel manual adjustment, you can quickly find a driving position that suits you. However, the passenger seat does not support height adjustment, and the original factory default sitting position is high, which will produce a certain sense of depression. The vehicle has three driving modes: economic, standard and sport, which correspond to different transmission shift logic, and other differences are not obvious.

Longitudinal dimension, starting from 0-1 is very smooth, the initial throttle is more subtle, and the power intervention after the middle turbine intervention is somewhat abrupt, in the vernacular, it is to give small boring, give more and come too suddenly, it is not good to find a comfortable acceleration of the median value. The acceleration performance of the rear end is linear, and the absolute power is significantly improved compared with the previous generation. The CVT gearbox has a wider gear ratio, there is no unnecessary movement in the upshift and downshift, and the analog gear with paddle shifters can also bring a certain driving pleasure.

In terms of braking, the brake pedal foot feel is uniform and linear, the tuning is not soft or hard, the damping force is moderate, the initial section is light, the middle and rear sections are solid and powerful, and it can be completed from 1-0 delicately.

In the horizontal dimension, the new Qashqai's steering feels lighter, the comfortable orientation is more home-level tuning, and the U-turn operation can be completed effortlessly with one hand at low speeds. The normalizing moment is linear with the gain of speed, but the gain is not large, and the high speed does not bring exaggerated tightness.

In terms of chassis, the MacPherson front suspension is adopted for all models, multi-link rear suspension is adopted for high-end models, and non-independent rear suspension with torsion beams is adopted for low-end models. (The test drive is a high-end model, using multi-link rear suspension) The texture is neutral and soft, and it has a good shock filtering effect in the face of fine bumps, but in the face of larger trenches, the body will have some repeated bouncing and swinging, and the suppression is not crisp enough. In the face of sharp turns, mountain road U-bends and other lateral G values, lateral support performance is good, in addition to the chassis, this generation of seat texture is also slightly harder, compared with the previous "Nissan big sofa" sacrificed a certain amount of comfort, in exchange for a little support.

In terms of NVH, although the four windows are single-layer glass, the wind noise at medium and high speed (100km/h) is not very exaggerated, but the tire noise is more obvious, and it is transmitted to the body and enters the car along the shock absorber, which is always accompanied by it. The engine idle runs relatively smoothly, no vibration is transmitted to the steering wheel, and the noise during driving is also within the normal range. On the whole, it belongs to the midstream level of the same level.

Summary:

The biggest selling point of the new Qashqai is the replacement of the HR13 engine of the same origin as the Mercedes-Benz GLB, although a certain degree of smoothness is sacrificed, the absolute power has been improved, and fuel consumption has decreased. The driving quality of the chassis is still solid and calm, continuing the advantages of the joint venture brand. In addition, the exterior, interior, and configuration have also been upgraded, although not very good, but has reached the current mainstream average. There is still room for improvement in comfort equipment and details, such as the co-pilot's overly high sitting position and the stiff texture of the seat, which will lose a certain amount of comfort. It is reported that the new car will go on sale in early August, and friends who have plans to buy a car can go to a nearby dealer to experience it.

How much does a new Qashqai sell for to be competitive? Welcome to join the discussion in the comments section.

Photo/text Tencent Auto Bo Xiao