Released in 2013, the current generation of the Qashqai also happens to be the best in the model’s history. The car is well equipped, efficient, it looks great and it comes with plenty of features for this class. So far it seems that it will receive a rather large update with the 2017 model which is set to include a new trim level and likely a new engine as well. However, this is not going to be the last update the car will receive. In fact, there are some interesting rumors out there suggesting that the 2018 Nissan Qashqai is going to be another revision of the car. Some did say that this model will be all new but this may not be the case.
Source: caradvice.com.au
2018 Nissan Qashqai More details
Instead, the 2018 car may actually be the first model when it will be available on the US market. Here, the Qashqai is not available but its close sibling, the Rogue, is. In comparison, the Rogue is larger, less efficient and features more room inside the cabin. However, the Qashqai is the better crossover in the city and despite its rather small size, it is big enough for most. Not much has been said about it but Nissan actually did confirm that a version of it will eventually hit the US shores. We expect the car to cost less than $20,000 if it will be released on the US market. This should allow Nissan to undercut the competition by a rather big margin and with that, they should easily come up on top. The European model is likely not going to change much, at least over the 2017 update. Instead, the car will receive a new version by 2020 which will be released roughly at the same time in all important markets.
Source: caradvice.com.au
How it will look?
We are quite sure that the 2018 Nissan Qashqai is going to borrow heavily from the newly revised pathfinder or Rogue. This means that in the front we will see Nissan’s brand new V-shaped grille, new swept-back headlights, a slightly more aggressive bumper with a larger intake and new fog-lamps housings. From the profile it will likely still look like the current European model. However, in the back we should see some changes as well. Here some suggested that the car may in fact go for a sportier look, boasting a dual-exhaust, new tail lights and a small roof spoiler.
The cabin
Considering how the updates for the Rogue went, it is safe to assume that the 2018 Nissan Qashqai will follow closely. Inside the cabin it is actually nearly identical to the larger US counterpart. The only real differences are the steering wheel and some of the materials. These should be corrected so the car will basically look, and feel, like a smaller Rogue. Because of that some people also said that the Qashqai may change its name for the US shores as a sub-brand of the Rogue.
Source: caradvice.com.au
2018 Nissan Qashqai – Under the hood
The current model gets 3 gas engines and 2 diesel offerings. These offer outputs from as low as 115 horsepower all the way up to 150 horsepower for the top end models. This is not nearly enough to be competitive on the US market. Here the car is more than likely going to receive just one engine, Nissan’s 1.6 liter MR turbocharged mill. In the base model this should continue to make around 150 horsepower. However, the engine is known to make over 200 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque in some other models. This should hopefully mean that the US Qashqai will offer closer to that number. If this is going to be the case then it will easily become one of the favorites.
2017 MY Preview:
