Nissan’s Qashqai small SUV is named after a nomadic tribe. But can the new-generation model live up to its namesake and go the distance?
2023 Nissan Qashqai ST-L
“Is that seriously what it’s called? Qashqai? What does that even mean?”
I always enjoy the commentary from my non-revhead neighbours about the various vehicles I bring home, but their hot take on the 2023 Nissan Qashqai ST-L was particularly hilarious.
It’s true that this relatively unassuming small SUV bears one of the more unusual monikers in the automotive industry, named after a migratory Iranian tribe with origins dating back to the 11th century.
Of course, the question remains: “Why, Nissan? Why?”.
Well, according to the Japanese carmaker, the name was chosen as a nod to the car’s target market of “urban nomads”.
Now, I’d like to consider myself something of an urban nomad.
Most days, I drive between work, childcare and the supermarket before I tire of this monotonous existence and venture no more than 1.5 hours out of town for a brief taste of fresh air.
I also regularly wear the quintessential urban nomad uniform: Lululemon-branded activewear – despite the fact I rarely do any physical activity.
As such, I’m perfectly positioned to give you my thoughts on the third generation of Nissan’s small SUV.
Listen up, ‘urban nomad’ speaking…
How much does the Nissan Qashqai ST-L cost in Australia?
The Nissan Qashqai ST-L I’m testing here is priced from $42,190 before on-road costs.
Configured for my Melbourne post code and finished in the appealing metallic shade of Fuji Sunset (a $700 extra), it’s priced at $46,593 drive-away.
The ST-L is the second most expensive Qashqai money can buy, sitting just below the flagship Ti, which is priced from $47,390 before on-road costs.
The cheapest Qashqai is the ST grade priced from $33,890 before on-road costs.
All four variants in the range get the exact same powertrain – a 1.3-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that drives the front wheels only via a continuously variable automatic transmission.
So why spend $8300 extra to get into the ST-L grade? It’s all about equipment, baby.
Over and above the next grade down, the ST-L adds features like heated, leather-accented seats, 19-inch alloy wheels, a heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, a wireless smartphone charger, privacy glass and Nissan’s semi-autonomous ProPilot driving system, to name a few.
The range-topping Ti adds more again, including a glass roof, a head-up display, a power tailgate, premium leather trim and massage front seats.
The Qashqai’s rivals are numerous, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll focus on the segment’s top sellers for 2022.
Unsurprisingly, one of the more affordable small SUVs also happens to be one of the top-selling – the MG ZS. It starts at $22,990 drive-away for the base ZS Excite and rises to $33,990 drive-away for the ZST Excite.
The similarly affordable Mitsubishi ASX ranges in price from $23,990 before on-road costs to $34,740 before on-road costs.
The peak price in both ranges is closer to the starting price for the Qashqai range – making Nissan’s small SUV offering look relatively pricey.
Perhaps a better comparison is the third highest-selling small SUV in Australia for 2023 – the Mazda CX-30. The price for a front-wheel-drive CX-30 ranges from $30,090 plus on-road costs to $43,190 plus on-road costs.
Even by that measure, the Qashqai looks a little expensive compared to rivals, but it’s also one of the more recently updated small SUVs available, so you’re arguably paying extra for fresher features.
| Key details | 2023 Nissan Qashqai ST-L |
| Price | $42,190 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Fuji Sunset |
| Options | Metallic paint – $700 |
| Price as tested | $42,890 plus on-road costs |
| Drive-away price | $46,593 (Melbourne) |
| Rivals | Mazda CX-30 | Kia Seltos | Toyota Corolla Cross |
How much space does the Nissan Qashqai ST-L have inside?
The front seat of the Nissan Qashqai has a thoroughly modern feel, helped hugely by the sizable touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard, which provides a striking focal point.
It’s largely devoid of cheap, rough materials, instead opting for finishes like synthetic leather and gloss black plastic across the dash.
The seats are finished in a combination of cloth and synthetic leather that looks and feels appealing – although I’m not convinced about the black-and-blue colour combination. They’re heated and offer electric adjustment on the driver’s side, but manual adjustment for the passenger.
The steering wheel is also heated, and the dual-zone climate control is managed out of its own straightforward section in the middle of the dash – no fussy touch-screen controls to be seen.
The centre console houses a rubber-lined wireless smartphone charger, two cupholders and a small covered storage bin housing a USB-A and USB-C port.
The doors contain bottle holders with some extra storage on the side and, in all, it’s an accommodating but not overly capacious front seat for a small SUV. Storage-hungry shoppers might find their needs aren’t quite met by the limited spots available for hiding your knick-knacks.
In the back seat of the Qashqai, I was not wanting for head, knee or toe room with the front seat in my regular driving position – although my much taller colleague Tom found knee room restrictive when sitting behind his own driving position.
Otherwise, it’s effortless to get in and out because the doors open to almost 90 degrees and the seats are perfectly positioned at hip-height.
The back seat is equipped with air vents, a USB-A and USB-C port, a drop-down armrest with cupholders, map pockets on the backs of the seats and bottle holders in the door.
ISOFIX tether points for child seats are available on the two outboard seats and hidden away behind hard plastic covers, plus there are three top-tether points over the back of the seats.
The boot of the Qashqai allows for 429L of storage space, which is an impressive amount for a small SUV. The back seat folds in a 60:40 split to boost this to 1524L.
Comparatively, the Toyota Corolla Cross runs a close second with 414L, the Mazda CX-30 offers 317L, the MG ZS has 359L, and the Mitsubishi ASX has 393L.
The boot floor is lower than the tailgate, which means there’s a lip to contend with when loading and unloading items, but the flipside is that storage space is maximised.
For a day trip to the Mornington Peninsula, I managed to squeeze in two small bags, a small scooter, a portacot and a folding pram with no trouble.
There’s a hard removable cargo cover that would prove pretty tricky to store if removed, plus a space-saver spare wheel under the floor.
There’s no power tailgate on the ST-L grade, which feels a bit incongruous with the rest of the car’s well-equipped interior, so you have to opt for the Ti grade to get the hands-free benefits.
| 2023 Nissan Qashqai ST-L | |
| Seats | Five |
| Boot volume | 429L seats up 1524L seats folded |
| Length | 4425mm |
| Width | 1835mm |
| Height | 1625mm |
| Wheelbase | 2665mm |
Does the Nissan Qashqai ST-L have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
Infotainment in the Nissan Qashqai ST-L is controlled out of a fantastic 12.3-inch touchscreen with crisp, colour graphics and uncomplicated menu options.
Initially, the wireless Apple CarPlay offered in the ST-L grade was incredibly quick to connect, requiring only one brief prompt. Android Auto users will still need to use a wired connection.
Later in my week with the car, the connection inexplicably dropped out and took a few attempts to reconnect, but that could easily be the fault of my ageing iPhone.
Otherwise, the wireless CarPlay worked beautifully for phone calls and music and displayed nicely on the sweeping screen.
There’s a USB-A and USB-C port in the front and back seats, plus a wireless charger for your smartphone.
The ST-L grade also offers in-built satellite navigation, which provides a handy ‘Where am I?’ button that tells you the name of the street you’re currently on, plus the one you just came from and any nearby streets too.
There are steering wheel buttons to control audio and phone calls while on the move – unfortunately in my test car the button for volume control came a bit loose, meaning there was a delay between button input and volume response.
Is the Nissan Qashqai ST-L a safe car?
The updated Nissan Qashqai received a five-star safety rating from ANCAP when it was tested in 2021.
As part of this rating, it received a 91 per cent score for adult occupant protection, a 93 per cent score for child occupant protection, a 74 per cent score for vulnerable road user protection, and a 97 per cent score for safety assist.
All Qashqai variants feature dual front, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting curtain airbags as standard, plus a new centre airbag that provides added protection to front-seat occupants in the event of a side impact.
| 2023 Nissan Qashqai ST-L | |
| ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2021) |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP report |
What safety technology does the Nissan Qashqai ST-L have?
The Qashqai ST-L grade receives the full suite of safety technology available on the model, including Nissan’s ProPilot semi-autonomous driving assist technology.
ProPilot is essentially a fancy form of cruise control that manages the bulk of the steering and pedal input for you to keep you centred in your lane – even around corners – and maintain a safe distance from the car in front and slow in line with the traffic ahead.
It’s easy to activate – you simply hit the blue-ringed button on the right side of the steering wheel and ProPilot takes over.
I particularly loved how effortlessly the lane-trace system disengages when you start indicating so you can change lanes, then sounds a beep to indicate it has re-engaged once you’ve safely completed the manoeuvre.
The live speed limit information, captured via traffic sign recognition and displayed in the 7.0-inch driver display, is extremely useful and up-to-date, while the active speed limiter works to ensure you’re never accidentally over the limit.
I would have appreciated an option to make the digital speedometer in the driver display appear a little larger, as it can easily be lost among all the other information provided – but that’s me being picky.
The high-resolution around-view monitor in the Qashqai is invaluable when parking in tight spaces and a fantastic excuse to spend more money, given the only grade that misses out on this technology is the base-spec ST.
The entire Qashqai range also receives tyre pressure monitoring, active blind-spot monitoring, driver attention monitoring, reverse autonomous braking, a rear cross-traffic alert, high beam assist, traffic sign recognition with active speed limiter, active lane-keeping, active cruise control and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection and junction assistance.
How much does the Nissan Qashqai ST-L cost to maintain?
The Qashqai is offered with Nissan’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty and five years of 24-hour roadside assistance.
Nissan has also capped the price of servicing for the first six visits, ranging in price from $375 for the first visit up to $1108 for the sixth visit, and totalling $4024 over the full six-year period.
Service intervals are set at every 12 months or 15,000km. That works out to an average of $670 per year over six years, which isn’t particularly affordable for a mass-market small SUV.
Capped-price servicing for rivals like the Mazda CX-30 will cost you roughly $346 per year over five years, while the Toyota Corolla Cross costs $250 a year, and the Kia Seltos costs an average of $497 per year over the course of seven years.
Meanwhile, the Nissan Qashqai will cost $1444.56 to insure annually based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
Additionally, Nissan requires Qashqai owners to refill their vehicle with premium unleaded petrol with a minimum octane rating of 95, which can add a few dollars per tank to the cost of filling up.
| At a glance | 2023 Nissan Qashqai ST-L |
| Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1467 (3 years) $4024 (6 years) |
Is the Nissan Qashqai ST-L fuel-efficient?
The trade-off for requiring a minimum of 95-octane premium unleaded fuel is that the Nissan Qashqai is an undisputedly economical small SUV.
After a day trip to Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula, which consisted mainly of freeway driving, the trip computer showed average consumption of 5.6L/100km. This settled at 6.0L/100km over my full week of driving – the remainder of which skewed mostly urban.
That’s ever-so-slightly lower than Nissan’s claim of 6.1L/100km on a combined driving cycle. On a personal note, it’s rare I’m ever able to equal, let alone best, a manufacturer’s fuel consumption claim. I might frame this article.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Usage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 6.1L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 6.0L/100km |
| Fuel type | 95-octane premium unleaded |
| Fuel tank size | 55L |
What is the Nissan Qashqai ST-L like to drive?
Around town, the Qashqai feels positively perky thanks to its 1.3-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which can manage peak outputs of 110kW and 250Nm.
The Qashqai’s performance capabilities are well-matched to its size and, as a result, it never feels heavy or cumbersome – quite the opposite, in fact.
While my colleague Tom noticed some body roll going around tight corners, my docile driving style meant this was less of an issue for me.
I did notice a slight lag between pedal input and response from a standstill, likely the fault of the idle-stop system, which can be patchy in its performance – occasionally low to both engage and disengage.
However, once you get moving the continuously variable transmission (CVT) is eager and makes the Qashqai quite enjoyable to drive.
Flooring it on a freeway on-ramp, the CVT briefly sounded like it was struggling, but once it gained speed it cruised along nicely and had power in reserve for overtaking too.
The cabin is fairly well insulated from outside noise, but I was aware of some tyre noise over rougher surfaces and a bit of wind noise at the front of the car when travelling on the freeway – but neither are deal-breakers.
The seating position feels quite elevated in the context of the rest of the cabin, but this affords the driver an unencumbered view of the road – greatly aided by large side mirrors.
Over things like tram tracks and gravel, the Qashqai is supple but engaging to drive, with a good sense of the road surface below, but little discomfort. Harder edges like potholes and speed bumps, when approached at a reasonable speed, are also no trouble for the Qashai to tackle.
The steering feel is perfectly matched to the car, and the 11.5m turning circle actually feels even smaller thanks to the Qashqai’s ability to manage sharp manoeuvres in small spaces.
My only complaint was with the flat-bottomed steering wheel that also features on the new-generation Nissan X-Trail. On both cars, I found my fingers struggled to get a grip on the base of the wheel, with no natural gaps or indents in which to place your fingers.
| Key details | 2023 Nissan Qashqai ST-L |
| Engine | 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol |
| Power | 110kW @ 5500rpm |
| Torque | 250Nm @ 1600–3750rpm |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Continuously variable transmission |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 75.8kW/t |
| Weight | 1482kg |
| Spare tyre type | Space-saver |
| Tow rating | 1500kg braked 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 11.5m |
Should I buy a Nissan Qashqai ST-L?
All of a sudden, the new-generation Nissan Qashqai has become an enticing small SUV.
The changes to this new-generation model have taken it from being just ‘good enough’ to becoming a serious contender in its class, with enhancements to both its performance and packaging.
The cabin is modern and pleasant, with extra room compared to other small SUVs, and the mod-cons offered as standard on the ST-L grade certainly justify spending a bit extra.
The real highlights are the sheer level of active safety technology available (even on the lower grades), the slick infotainment screen and the perky on-road performance.
Compared to more budget-friendly rivals, the Qashqai’s pricing and ownership costs do appear high, but are partially offset by its economical fuel consumption and long list of standard features.
Plus, given the powertrain and most of the safety tech remain unchanged no matter which grade you purchase, you could potentially save some money by shopping further down in the range.
Colour this urban nomad impressed.
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