Nissan Qashqai Pure Drive

Built in Britain and better than ever – the Qashqai is being revised for 2010. Nissan’s mid-size crossover model will undergo an extensive update in the spring of 2010 to cement its position as the class-leading, pioneering alternative to the traditional hatchback.

Since its European launch in March 2007, the Qashqai has exceeded all sales ambitions, with the 500,000th customer delivery scheduled to take place later this month. This has helped the British manufacturing industry through the recession, as all Qashqais are built at Nissan’s Sunderland plant here in the UK.

The updates to Qashqai and Qashqai+2 reinforce its position as a stylish crossover which combines the dynamic driving characteristics of a sporty hatchback with the robust, solid virtues of a compact SUV.

The most notable visual change to the Qashqai is at the front, where a complete makeover has taken place. All new bonnet, front bumper, wings, grille and headlamps combine to give the Qashqai an air of premium sophistication, presence and quality. The new front-end design is shared with Qashqai+2.

At the rear, the overall shape of the lights remains unchanged, but theynow include an aerodynamic feature to reduce drag.  A more transparent lens design has been adopted, with the upper portion, housing the reversing lights and indicators, being clear, while the lower section with the brake and nighttime running lights, is red. Additionally, the brake and tail lights operate using 12 LEDs for maximum clarity.

Two new exterior colours have been added: Magnetic Red and Mineral Grey. Both colours complement the philosophy of added sophistication that runs through the overall restyling.

Additionally, two new alloy wheel designs will be introduced. Both are five-spoke designs – one 16- one 17-inch in diameter – which both add to the Qashqai’s understated presence.

As well as the changes to the front of the Qashqai, a series of other modifications around the car have had the effect of improving its aerodynamic efficiency, with the coefficient of drag dropping from 0.34 to 0.33.

New Pure Drive 129g/km Version
One of the most significant changes to the Qashqai range is the addition of a new Pure Drive variant. Wearing the badge reserved only for the Nissan models with the most environmentally efficient economy and emissions, this special Qashqai produces only 129g/km of CO₂.

A weight reduction programme and the adoption of aerodynamic wheel covers, combined with the blanking of the fog lamp sockets, the fitment of low rolling resistance tyres and the lengthening of the final drive ratio all work to maximise the Qashqai Pure Drive’s efficiency. The measures are so effective that CO₂ emissions from the 1.5-litre dCi diesel engine have been reduced from 137 to 129g/km. The Qashqai Visia Pure Drive is priced at £16,795.