Nissan X-Trail vs Nissan Qashqai
Buying a car with features you don’t need is as much a mistake as buying a car that lacks the features you would want. Let’s think about this.
Car features cost money. So you buy a 4×4 and you really impress the neighbours, but the worst surface you drive on is the grass verge next to the cricket field. Conversely, you save money on a more basic model and then you cannot fit the tent for your year-end holiday.
Okay, so we have established that you will most likely use a car for your everyday commute, weekend shopping and so on. A couple of times a year – a long weekend or during school holidays – you will take the family out to make some memories. Most of us prefer our memories to be nicely memorable, not extreme driving with a chance of being eaten by an elephant. You want to go and tame the bundu, but not break an axle or a neck in the process.
You are like most of us. You need a crossover, great for every day, fantastic for a getaway, fits in your wallet. As the name suggests, the crossover allows you to do both. Now back to paying for what you don’t need or getting something that lacks what you need.
Let’s look at the Nissan Crossovers, the Qashqai and the X-Trail. These are excellent cars but offer a range of options and features for you to consider.
The Qashqai
Some think the Qashqai was the first crossover when it was launched back when. It is a supremely comfortable car, like a spacious station wagon with good ground clearance. It seats five large adults in comfort and you can take it all with you on the trip. For the sake of this discussion, please accept that the Qashqai comes with all the nice features you could possibly want.
The Qashqai comes with CVT if you will spend a lot of time in the traffic and your getaways will be more genteel – mainly tarmac with a light sprinkling of reasonably level dirt for variation. If you need more refs and rally in your trip, the turbo manual will be more your style.
If, however, your favourite bundu has steeper ups and downs, the 1.5dCi will give you loads of torque and great fuel efficiency.
You will choose a Qashqai if you want the performance and economy of a hatchback, but with the space and oomph to take five of you comfortably slightly beyond your comfort zone.
The X-Trail
The legendary X-Trail offers a more comprehensive range. The entry-level is like the Qashqai base model on mild steroids – a comfortable 2 x 4, but with more space and a higher ride. The basic X will go more places than the Qashqai, but it is a more expensive vehicle. As we said, what do you need?
It starts with a very good 2 x 4 five-seater, offering comfort and space to make any trip worthwhile. So your children are older now, may want to bring a friend on the trip – there is a seven-seater option just for that.
Or you may want to venture off the beaten track just a little more often: you can get the X in 4×4 as well. You can choose between the 6-speed manual petrol or diesel, or the exceptional 2.5l CVT that will give you effortless go-anywhere oomph.
Which one?
The Qashqai feels more like a car, the X-trail an SUV. Either one will be a pleasure to drive, but to find out which Nissan crossover is just right for you, why not test drive the Qashqai and the X-Trail? This way you can make sure you pay for exactly what you need and get precisely what you want.
