Nissan Qashqai+2: First European drive

The Nissan Qashqai has been an unprecedented success for the Japanese manufacturer with nearly 250,000 finding homes in Europe since its launch last year.

Now it has spawned a big brother – the Nissan Qashqai+2 – enabling drivers to transport up to six passengers.

We test drove the Nissan Qashqai+2 on its European launch in France and Switzerland.

View our Nissan Qashqai+2 slide show

The Nissan Qashqai has been one of the Japanese manufacturer’s biggest successes.

The five seater’s combination of SUV looks and MPV practicality – Nissan calls it a compact crossover - has won many admirers and found plenty of homes in the UK.

Now Nissan, which produces the car in Sunderland, is looking to tempt new buyers by adding a sub-model with a third row of seats.

5+2 seating

Nissan is the first to hesitate calling this a seven-seater – the third row best serves ferrying kids short distances and would be unsuitable for all but very short journeys for adults – and have labelled it their 5+2.

Clambering into the rear-seats proved a bit of an undignified scramble for an unfit 39-year-old who exceeds the recommended 1.6 metres, but kids should be able to find their way in past the sliding second row of seats a lot easier.

And the push button folding mechanism mean the extra seats are easy to put in place and provide excellent storage space when not in use thanks to their fold flat mechanism. In fact there is 550 litres luggage space with the third row seats in use – an increase of 140 litres over the five-seater.

So what difference does this extra row make to their car? Well, very little visibly – but there is more here than meets the eye.

140 litres extra luggage space

While the Nissan Qashqai and Nissan Qashqai+2 look like they could have been separated at birth, parking them side by side reveals the +2 to be longer and taller than the standard car with their identical nature ending at the first pillar.

Nissan hasn’t simply lengthened the car beyond the rear axle to accommodate the extra seats, the wheelbase has been extended by 135mm which helps stretch the length by 211mm in total.

Other changes include lengthening the rear of the car which has added 38mm to the overall height and making the front and rear doors larger.

Other styling changes between the two models also see the Qashqai+2 get a new grille and revised bumper at the rear.

All of which means, that unless you’ve got your tape measure out or the two models are parked side by side there’s little to tell them apart – making it all the more impressive the +2 can carry a total of seven people.

Video: Watch the Nissan Qashqai+2 in action

Longest panoramic roof

And when it comes to practicality Nissan has managed to find somewhere to store the tonneau cover when not in use - preventing it rolling around at someone’s feet or being left at home.

The car also boasts what Nissan claim to be the longest panoramic roof currently on the market, while roof rails and privacy glass are standard.

Inside there is a little more knee and head room over the regular Nissan Qashqai and the +2 repeats its smaller sibling’s trick of boasting an interior which could have come from a more expensive model.

It’s driver-focussed, simply laid-out and well put-together with intelligent use of steering wheel-mounted controls.

Two diesel two petrol

The Nissan Qashqai+2 offers plenty of choice with a broad model range. There is a choice of 1.6-litre and 2-litre petrol engines (offering 115 and 140bhp) or 1.5-litre or 2-litre diesel engines (106 and 150bhp).

Depending on engine these can then be mated with a choice of five speed manual, six speed manual, six speed automatic – or CVT “stepless” transmission which also enables the driver to override the automatic choice.

As with the five seat Nissan Qashqai, there is also a choice of 2WD and 4WD which offers three settings: always on, always off and automatic which selects 4WD as and when needed.

These choices see 0-62mph times range from 10.5 seconds to 13.3 seconds, fuel economy range from 32.8mpg to 49.6mpg and CO2 emissions range from 165g/km to 209g/km

Sharp steering

We drove the 4WD 2-litre diesel model through winding French mountain roads near Geneva and enjoyed the smart handling abilities is still shares with the smaller car. Comfort levels are high as one would expect from a practical family-shifter.

The automatic did the job but drivers who like to be more involved may prefer to make the gear changes themselves. We’d recommend trying both manual and automatic gearboxes to see which suits you before buying.

Safety features include six airbags, anti-lock brakes, brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution and electronic stability program – as well as 4WD, where specified, which sends power to the appropriate wheels when required.

The Nissan Qashqai+2 offers three trim levels Visia, Acenta and Tekna. With the panoramic roof, privacy glass, roof rails, CD/radio and MP3 jack all standard.

The Nissan Qashqai+2 is on sale on September 18 2008. The 1.6-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel versions follow in January 2009.

View our Nissan Qashqai+2 slide show