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Nissan Qashqai review - a mature class leader - MPG and running costs

Nissan’s genre-defining family focussed crossover might not thrill, but it’s a chart topper regardless.

Evo rating
RRP
from £18,545
  • Neat styling, economical, refined engines and plenty of space
  • It’ll never handle with the verve of a hatchback, a bit mumsy

MPG and running costs

The Qashqai might have been conceived to compete against conventional hatchbacks, though it’s priced a bit higher than them. The 1.5 dCi economy champion with its 99g/km CO2 output is £20,015 in its entry-level Visia specification, which is around £1500 more than a Ford Focus 98g/km 1.5 TDCi in Style trim or the equivalent VW Golf. There’s no denying that the Qashqai is a more appealing proposition for most buyers, too, that demonstrated by its higher retained values on the used market - to the benefit of personal leasing, finance and fleet deal rates. Running a Qashqai shouldn’t be more expensive than running the cars it’s designed to compete with.

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The 108bhp 1.5 dCi returns an official combined consumption figure of 74.3mpg, which beats many superminis, though it’s unlikely you’ll ever actually achieve that. Official figures, unrealistic in day-to-day driving or not, are good across the range, with only the highest performance 1.6 DIG-T not managing above 50mpg. Choosing the Xtronic automatic on the 1.2 DIG-T sees it return the same economy and emissions figures as its manual alternative, though the 1.6 dCi loses a few mpg and ups the CO2 marginally, too. That’s true if you opt for the 4x4 version of the 1.6 dCi, which sees economy drop from 64.2mpg and 115g/km to 57.6mpg and 129g/km. 

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