2020 Nissan Qashqai SL AWD Review: 10,000 Kilometres In PEI With Nissan's Hot-Selling Crossover

Test drives are too short.

It's nobody's fault. Automobile dealers want car shoppers to have a full vehicle experience, but obviously the vehicle does need to come back if it's not paid for - that's just plain and simple economics. Car buyers, on the other hand, also want to replicate a full vehicle experience on a test drive, but they often want to test other vehicles, as well. Besides, everyone is busy between picking kids up for school or getting home in time to make supper.

But what if you could test drive a vehicle for 10,000 kilometres? You'd experience the vehicle in multiple seasons: a winter's drive through Hunter River and a summer road trip to Basin Head. You'd experience the vehicle on every kind of road, from monotonous highway journeys to back-road blitzes from Malpeque to French River. You'd experience the vehicle in Charlottetown traffic and in the Cascumpec wllderness as you scan the darkness for your friends' cottage. You'd experience the vehicle empty and you'd experience it loaded with with smelly hockey gear. 

We tasked one Centennial driver with getting to know the 2020 Nissan Qashqai SL over the course of 10,000 kilometres – the full Prince Edward Island experience – so we could get answers to these seven pressing questions. 

WHAT IS IT?

The Nissan Qashqai landed in Canada as Nissan's smallest utility vehicle in time for the 2017 model year. Slotting in below the brand's best-selling Rogue (and just above the Kicks that would go on sale a couple of years later), the Qashqai is a global top seller for the Nissan brand. It's known as the Rogue Sport in the United States. No matter the market, the Qashqai is designed to compete with vehicles such as the Hyundai Kona, Buick Encore, Subaru Crosstrek, and Toyota C-HR.

For 2020, the Qashqai lineup includes seven different models, all of which are powered by the same fuel-efficient 141-horsepower 2.0-liter engine. There are three Qashqai S models: one with an automatic transmission, one with a 6-speed manual, and an all-wheel-drive Qashqai S with an automatic. The Qashqai SV can be had with either front or all-wheel drive. The top-spec 2020 Qashqai SL comes standard with all-wheel drive but can be topped off as a Platinum with Bose audio, LED headlights, fog lights, and memory settings for the driver's seat and mirrors. 

Standard equipment in the Qashqai S includes a long list of high-end tech: blind spot monitoring, Quick Comfort heated front seats, rearview monitor, and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, for example. The Qashqai SV adds a sunroof, intelligent emergency braking, remote start, dual-zone automatic climate control, auto high beams, proximity access/pushbutton start, lane departure warning, intelligent lane intervention, and a heated steering wheel.

The 2020 Nissan Qashqai SL is the Qashqai in which we spent 10,000 kilometres. The SL adds leather seating, intelligent cruise control, navigation, an 8-way power driver's seat, and an Around View Monitor. There's also ProPILOT assist, which Nissan says "helps out with daily driving – following the car ahead at a preset distance or helping keep you centered in your lane."

HOW BIG IS IT?

Think of the Qashqai this way: not quite a foot shorter (bumper to bumper) than the Nissan Rogue; only 3-4 inches longer than the Nissan Kicks. It's a few inches wider than the Kicks, however, and roughly the same width as the Rogue.

That means the Qashqai is 8.4 inches longer than the Hyundai Kona, which pays huge dividends inside – the Qashqai offers 19% more cargo capacity than the Kona behind the rear seats and 33% more cargo capacity than the Kona with the rear seats folded.

DOES IT WORK?

Perhaps because this Nissan is so right-sized for so many buyer demographics, the Qashqai is both fun to drive and easy to drive. It's roomy, but not gargantuan. It's easy to park, but not so small that you can't stuff it full of gear for a week-long road trip. 

Right-sized and refined. In a segment full of vehicles that were rushed to market off of platforms intended to be used for very inexpensive subcompact cars, the Qashqai's quiet cabin and composed demeanor really stand out. 

Right-sized, refined, and high tech. ProPILOT Assist shows the rapid advancement of Nissan's R&D department over the last decade, but it's still hard not to fall in love with the Around View Monitor, especially if you're parking in a garage alongside another vehicle and trying to avoid the kids' bikes and hockey sticks. The Around View Monitor displays everything and provides a great deal of confidence.

IS ANYONE BUYING IT?

The Qashqai landed in Canada in 2017, and by 2018 it was the best-selling vehicle in its segment. In PEI, the Qashqai is a hit at both ends of the Island thanks to Centennial Nissan's locations in Charlottetown and Summerside. In fact, in 2019, the Qashqai joined the Rogue and Kicks as one of three Nissans on the list of PEI's 10 top-selling SUVs/crossovers.

SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?

In the gigantic Nissan SUV lineup, that all depends on sizing requirements and budgets.

The Kicks offers much of the Qashqai's space at a slightly lower price, albeit without an all-wheel-drive option.

The Rogue offers more space than the Qashqai, but of course that space comes at a cost. Of the two, the Qashqai is the more nimble and agile handler; the Rogue is the more sedate highway cruiser. 

The Nissan Murano is an exceptional V6 value, a true luxury SUV at a truly non-luxury price. Murano pricing starts at $32,998, in between the Qashqai SL and SL Platinum.

Buyers in search of a three-row offering can look at the Nissan Pathfinder. And for the ultimate in luxury and capability, the three-row, V8-engined Nissan Armada is an absolute beast.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?

Incentive offers can vary by location and certainly shift by the month, but as of late October 2020, look for 0% financing up to 60 months on the 2020 Nissan Qashqai. There's also a no-charge Winter Ready Package with winter tires and floor mats.

WHAT'S THE VERDICT?

Superior space and refinement are key aspects of the 2020 Nissan Qashqai's appeal, but don't overlook the technology. In a segment full of vehicles that feel slightly under-developed, the Qashqai feels as though it was designed for the discerning PEI driver thanks to intelligent all-wheel drive and a seemingly limitless supply of advanced features. 

The remote start is linked to intelligent climate control, the Around View Monitor includes Moving Object Detection, there's intelligent emergency braking with pedestrian detection – the list goes on and on. The 2020 Nissan Qashqai is the kind of small crossover that leaves the factory when an automaker decides that innovation comes standard.