Used Nissan Qashqai review: 2014 to 2021 (Mk2) - Interior, comfort and safety
The Nissan Qashqai has a pleasant enough interior and has plenty of safety kit, but infotainment is poor and build quality could be better
Whichever Nissan Qashqai you choose, all models offer excellent visibility thanks to their raised ride height. The 2017 redesign didn’t dramatically alter the Qashqai’s interior layout, but it brought some improvements to perceived quality.
The later steering wheel, for example, is less fussy to look at and more pleasant to hold, while many of the surfaces you’ll come into contact with on a regular basis are made from better materials than older models.
What’s the Nissan Qashqai like inside?
The Nissan Qashqai's dashboard has plenty of soft-touch plastics (it's better than the Renault Kadjar in this regard) but build quality isn’t the best on older models because the dash has been known to rattle or break. In later models the infotainment system got a faster processor and more responsive ‘Nissan Connect’ but on older models it’s rather slow and clunky to use. Getting comfortable is easy thanks to a driver's seat that adjusts for height and a steering wheel that can be adjusted both in and out and up and down.
Once under way, the Nissan makes for an excellent motorway cruiser, with only a whisper of wind noise audible. The car's raised ride height gives the driver an excellent view of the road and the suspension absorbs all but the worst bumps.
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The Qashqai's seats offer good support and are available in a range of cloth trims. The range-topping model got leather upholstery, heated front seats with electric adjustment and lumbar support for the driver's seat.
What’s on the equipment list?
On earlier versions of the Qashqai from 2014-2017, the Trim levels are Visia, N-Tec, Tekna, Acenta and Acenta Premium. Visia comes with air-con, a CD player, Bluetooth and electric windows all round. N-Tec comes with alloy wheels, parking sensors, climate control, a leather steering wheel and cruise control, plus there’s DAB radio and a reversing camera.
Tekna has all of that plus leather seats, heated seats, sat-nav and auto wipers, while Acenta has 17-inch alloys, climate control, cruise control, LED running lights, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear shift lever and electric folding mirrors. The Acenta Premium model comes with Nissan's Safety Shield suite of tech, which adds blindspot detection, lane-departure warning and traffic-sign recognition, plus sat-nav, DAB and Bluetooth.
From 2017 on, all models come with air-conditioning and a touchscreen infotainment screen in the dash, including entry-level Visia. After this update, Acenta Premium spec cars deliver 17-inch alloy wheels, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gearstick, climate-control and power-folding door mirrors to make for a good-value package. Upgraded technology includes a NissanConnect infotainment system with TomTom Connected services and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
The N-Connecta trim features Nissan's Around View Monitor 360-degree camera and NissanConnect, which is a suite of connectivity tools that integrate apps with your phone and online services. It also brings 18-inch alloy wheels, tinted rear windows, roof rails and keyless entry and go. Now, it comes with the ProPilot driver assistance pack too, if you spec an automatic gearbox.
Range-topping N-Motion cars are fitted with extras like 19-inch diamond cut alloy wheels, LED signature headlights, Nappa leather trim, heated front seats and a premium stereo system.
How safe is it?
The Nissan Qashqai achieved a full five-star rating when it was crash-tested by Euro NCAP. Even so, its individual scores are a little behind those of the Kia Sportage, which has the edge for adult and child protection. But the Qashqai affords more protection for pedestrians: here, the Nissan's 69% score beats the Kia's 66%.
Nissan’s ProPilot package of semi-autonomous systems improves motorway safety – a single button press is enough to maintain a set distance from the car in front, while gentle automatic steering inputs keep you in your chosen lane at speeds above 37mph. In traffic jams, it can even bring the car to a halt and then pull away when things start moving again. Look out for models fitted with this optional extra.
Still, the Qashqai comes with electronic stability control, six airbags and technology to improve stability when cornering at speed. There’s also another optional extra called the Smart Vision pack, which adds automatic emergency braking to avoid low-speed crashes. It also brings lane-departure warning, driver drowsiness detection, blind-spot monitoring and traffic-sign recognition. These features should help reduce your insurance premium as well as keeping you safe.
