Nissan launches new Qashqai with unchanged prices

Annual sales close to double 2024 levels is a key outcome Nissan Australia is forecasting as a result of its decision to hold pricing on the facelifted 2025 Qashqai compact SUV.

The new Qashqai enters Nissan showrooms with a notable facelift, a doubling of its hybrid e-Power models from one to two, a rebadging including the addition of a new N-Design flagship, nothing much in the way of new equipment, no mechanical changes and static pricing.

Mind you, that static range pricing is only six weeks old following a January 1, 2025 bump of a few hundred bucks for the old model.

The Qashqai now starts at $34,665 plus on-road costs for the entry-level ST and climbs all the way to $54,365 plus ORCs for the new N-Design. Full pricing is at the bottom of this story.

Holding the price on the facelifted Qashqai helps counter significant rises when the third generation was introduced to Australia in 2022.

It certainly helps the Qashqai in a fight for volume against highly rated rivals in the segment such as the Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30 and Toyota Corolla Cross.

In 2024, Nissan sold 6560 Qashqais in Australia, placing it only 11th in the VFACTS small SUV segment. It was also only the fourth-best-selling Nissan behind the X-Trail medium SUV, Navara ute and even the vastly more expensive V8 Patrol 4x4 wagon.

Asked if Nissan Australia was aiming to push Qashqai into the segment’s top 10 sellers and beyond 10,000 sales per annum, company chief Andrew Humberstone said: “It has to be. There is absolutely an opportunity [with Qashqai], we have not optimised it.

“I think our e-Power hybrid reinvented technology is an opportunity for us, which we need to market better.

“I think this new product and our price positioning with it is going to help us on that journey.

“We definitely want to get more critical mass, more scale, with the product. I think there is plenty of space in the segment to do so.”

Humberstone is the architect of a new strategy for Nissan Australia that is intended to cement the company’s local future by locking it in as a top-six seller.

He agreed the updated Qashqai would be a good test of the plan’s validity.

“Qashqai fits into it because it’s such a wonderful product and such a quality product,” he said. “But we haven’t been able to effectively launch it.”

Apart from the ST, every badge in the range has changed to align Qashqai more with other Nissan SUVs such as the X-Trail. ST+ becomes ST-L, ST-L become Ti and Ti becomes Ti-L.

Introductory pricing is available for the ST ($32,665 plus ORCs, a saving of $2000) and the ST-L ($37,665 plus ORCs, a saving of $1000) until April 30, 2025.

The ST, ST-L and Ti are only sold with the 110kW/250Nm 1.3-litre turbo-petrol drivetrain, while the Ti-L offers both that engine and the 140kW/330Nm e-Power range extender hybrid (which commands a $4200 premium).

The N-Design only comes as a hybrid, but while it costs $2000 more than the Ti-L e-Power it noticeably loses some significant equipment.

This includes a powered passenger seat, Bose audio, luggage board system and intelligent park assist.

N-Design advantages over Ti-L include Alcantara and leather seat trim, a temporary spare tyre rather than just a repair kit, and a bunch of cosmetic items including a two-tone black roof.

The Ti-L and N-Design also introduce 20-inch alloy wheels to Australia for the first time.

All models in the range now come with the larger 12.3-inch infotainment touch-screen, while a 12.3-inch digital display is introduced further down the range at Ti (remembering it used to be ST-L).

All Qashqais also now get a connected car smartphone app, although the services are quite limited – there’s no SOS emergency call for instance. But it is free for three years.

Another feature Qashqai now benefits from is Nissan’s new 5+5/300,000km warranty. The first five services (due every 12 months or 15,000km) are priced at $399 each, delivering a claimed saving of up to $1064 compared to the old scheme. Roadside assistance is also offered up to 10 years.

Across the grades all Qashqais come with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and dual-zone climate control. Premium paint is a $995 option.

The ST misses out on embedded satellite-navigation, a wireless phone charger, front parking sensors and an around-view safety camera.

A powered driver’s seat and heated front seats kick in at Ti, a panoramic sunroof, the powered front passenger seat, powered tailgate, leather trim, intelligent parking assist, a head-up display and the Bose audio at Ti-L.

All Qashqais include autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist and junction assist, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert with rear braking, traffic sign recognition with speed adaption and driver monitoring.

2025 Nissan Qashqai pricing:
ST ICE - $34,665 ($32,665 until April 30)
ST-L ICE - $38,665 ($37,665 until April 30)
Ti ICE - $42,965
Ti-L ICE $48,165
Ti-L e-Power $52,365
N-Design e-Power $54,365
* Prices exclude on-road costs

Related: Nissan QASHQAI N-Design 2025 Review