Nissan QASHQAI 2021 Review

Making a play for younger buyers, the 2021 Nissan QASHQAI Midnight Edition looks a little more sinister than normal with its darkened exterior highlights.

Pegged at $35,900 plus on-road costs and slotting between the mid-grade ST-L and top-spec Ti models in the QASHQAI line-up, the Midnight Edition features unique 19-inch Black Wind alloy wheels, while tinted headlight and tail-light clusters give it a dusky attitude, as do gloss-black treatments for the grille up front, rear bumper blades, side mouldings, mirror caps and roof rails.

It’s no show-stopping jaw-dropper, but I personally found the new look eye-catching and a cut above many other mid-spec small SUVs. There are interior upgrades too, with fake suede (Alcantara) and leather seat upholstery, a black roof headlining, gloss and brushed black accents and illuminated scuff plates adding a premium impression when you first open the front doors.

Equipment levels are befitting its mid-spec $36K price, with a 360-degree parking camera system, digital radio, sat-nav, keyless entry and engine start, automatic LED headlights and wipers plus one-touch power windows all round making drive life as seamless as a clever pun about Dexys Midnight Runners.

But like a lot of early ’80s pop music, the stereo in this vehicle is sub-standard with speakers that should’ve been retired years ago. Music sounds okay at moderate volumes but listening to podcasts and telephone calls was annoying due to piercing vocal sharpness. It was challenging to get the volume and treble right.

Interior space and comfort levels are good with a surprisingly spacious back seat that has decent legroom. Even with a bulky child seat in the rear there was plenty of room for another adult, although there’s no rear air vents or auxiliary charging points.

The 430-litre boot (that expands to 1598 litres when the middle row is folded flat) comes with twin shopping bag hooks and easily swallowed a push chair and considerable luggage for a weekend away.

Measuring 4394mm long, the Nissan QASHQAI is slightly longer than the 4365mm Mitsubishi ASX, which has been the top-selling small SUV for the last few years.

All models have a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty which is on par with its Japanese alternatives but lagging behind class leaders, while Nissan’s capped-price servicing stipulates a 12-monthly/10,000km maintenance schedule.

Despite being one of the older small SUVs available at present, the 2021 Nissan QASHQAI Midnight Edition is moderately well equipped in the safety and tech stakes after a range-wide upgrade last year.

Key additions include blind spot and lane departure warning systems, which add an extra pair of eyes during highway driving while rear cross traffic alert comes in handy when backing out of tight shopping centre car parks by alerting the driver to approaching vehicles out of view.

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) is also part of the package. However, the Midnight Edition does not feature pedestrian and cyclist detection like the top-spec Ti model.

This particular QASHQAI also misses out on autonomous acceleration and braking via adaptive cruise control, and there’s no highway steering assist or active lane keeping function either.

Nevertheless, the QASHQAI still retains its five-star ANCAP rating from 2017.

Inside the cabin, the Midnight Edition has a rather small 7.0-inch colour display but does come standard with sat nav, DAB+ digital radio and smartphone mirroring through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Annoyingly, there is only one USB charging outlet.

And it also lacks ‘one-touch’ automatic climate control, which is disappointing considering mid-spec model grades in the admittedly newer Kia Seltos line-up offer more tech and a far more modern look and feel.

Like all models in the range, the 2021 Nissan QASHQAI Midnight Edition is powered by a 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated engine that isn’t all that startling, either on paper – with 106kW and 200Nm – or out in the real world.

But it is adequate enough to motivate the SUV’s 1392kg mass relatively easily. Nail the throttle from standstill and the QASHQAI accelerates briskly around town but propulsion at higher speeds, such as overtaking on a country road, isn’t quite as zippy and requires a little more planning.

Engine power is transferred to the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that helps deliver decent fuel consumption. Nissan’s official claimed average is 6.9L/100km and we ended up with a figure of 7.6L/100km with 300km of freeway driving and around 100km of urban driving.

For a model that is approaching the end of its lifecycle, the 2021 Nissan QASHQAI – whether it’s the Midnight Edition or other model grades – delivers good driving dynamics that instils a bit of confidence in the driver by sitting flat and feeling secure through the bends.

The direct steering makes tight turns and parking blessedly straight forward and the elevated driving position delivers a commanding view of your surroundings.

Nissan’s small SUV does a reasonable job of absorbing pock marks and cracks in the road surface, which is quite impressive given the low-profile Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres fitted to the vehicle’s 19-inch alloy wheels. These sporty hoops are what you’d usually expect to find on a hot hatch, not an SUV with a CVT!

One thing that I didn’t appreciate was the miscalibration of the speedometer, which may not have been tuned for the extra-large wheels. With a frustrated tail of traffic behind me, I set up a GPS speedo on my smartphone that indicated I was only travelling at 90km/h when the car was reading 100km/h.

If you only wear black clothes – no matter whether it’s a little black dress, activewear or jeans and a jacket – the 2021 Nissan QASHQAI Midnight Edition has plenty of appeal.

This second-generation QASHQAI is in its twilight years though, first introduced way back in 2013, and will be replaced by an all-new model by 2022.

While there’s still value to be found here, the Nissan QASHQAI is showing its age and there are much better options for the same price in this category.

If you can negotiate a good deal or secure a good discount, especially as showrooms seek to ‘run out’ stock, it’s definitely worth a look.

How much does the 2021 Nissan QASHQAI Midnight Edition cost?
Price: $35,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 106kW/200Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 6.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 159g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2017)