Nissan QASHQAI locked in for Oz

Nissan Australia has confirmed the next-generation Nissan QASHQAI will be launched Down Under early in 2022, spearheading a massive SUV assault for the brand next year.

Unveiled in February with a fresh new design, bigger body, improved technology and hybrid powertrains, the 2022 Nissan QASHQAI will be joined by next-gen versions of the Pathfinder and X-TRAIL SUVs in the first quarter and mid-2022 respectively.

The third-generation Nissan QASHQAI is expected to arrive in March 2022, aiming to steal sales from the top-selling small SUV in Australia, the MG ZS, along with other popular models like the Mitsubishi ASX, Mazda CX-30 and Hyundai Kona, which was recently named carsales Best Small SUV for 2021.

Apart from loads of new in-car tech, like a bigger 9.0-inch central touch-screen, a 10.8-inch head-up display with navigation directions, a large 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, improved autonomous driving systems and even massaging front seats, the 2022 Nissan QASHQAI is expected to be offered here with a hybrid powertrain for the first time in Australia.

Along with a conventional 116kW 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine for most QASHQAI models, paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) in front- and all-wheel drive configurations, Nissan’s 1.5-litre petrol-electric e-POWER hybrid powertrain is also on the cards.

Unlike a series/parallel hybrid system as used by Toyota and others, e-POWER is a range-extender where the 113kW petrol engine in the QASHQAI serves as a generator to recharge the battery, which in turns supplies energy to an electric motor (140kW/330Nm) that drives the front wheels.

The new e-POWER hybrid system is also expected to be deployed on other models, such as the 2022 Nissan X-TRAIL, as Nissan Australia seeks to expand its hybrid SUV portfolio.

No pricing or specification details are forthcoming at this stage, but improvements wrought across the board are likely to be reflected in higher prices than the current range that starts at $28,590 plus on-road costs and tops out at $39,090 plus ORCs.

The Japanese brand has confirmed that several customisation options will be available for the new SUV in Australia, including eight body colours with five two-tone combinations, for a total of 13 variations.

Customers can tick the box for the black ‘floating’ roof with specific colours, namely Ivory White, Magnetic Blue, Fuji Sunset Red and Ceramic Grey. A Ceramic Grey roof option can be had with the Pearl Black body colour as well.

Advanced LED matrix headlights and a panoramic glass roof will also be available.

Next year is shaping up to be a huge one for Nissan in Australia.

In addition to the new QASHQAI, X-TRAIL and Pathfinder, the Australian-developed Nissan Patrol Warrior – will line up against the new Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series – while the new Nissan Z sports car has been pushed back to 2022 as well.

At the same time, Nissan is among several manufacturers experiencing stock shortages.

Indeed, you can’t buy a Nissan Patrol or a Pathfinder at the moment, with the former’s wait list stretching to early 2022 and the Pathfinder is now officially sold out.

The end of the current-generation Pathfinder leaves a gap in the brand’s range until the all-new replacement model arrives from around February 2022.

Stay tuned for our first drive of the new Nissan QASHQAI soon.