5:49pm Tuesday 15th June 2010
By Matt Westcott
IF it ain't broken, don't fix it, goes the saying.
It's a piece of advice that is often wise to observe.
With that in mind, you could have forgiven Nissan for just resting on its laurels when it came to the all-conquering Qashqai.
Since it was launched back in 2007, the Sunderland-built crossover that spurned the genre has turned into the fastest selling model in Nissan Europe's history with more than 500,000 Qashqais and Qashqai+2s sold by the end of last year.
Job done you might think, but not as far as Nissan is concerned.
No, with their rivals playing catch-up, and some of them getting close enough for the Japanese marque to feel their breath on the back of its neck, it has sought to raise the bar still further.
While the basic shape of the car has remained the same, there have been numerous changes both inside and out, as well as tweaks beneath the skin.
The exterior features a new bonnet, front bumper, wings, grille and headlamps that all serve to give the Qashqai a fresh sense of purpose.I liked how it looked anyway, but this revamp made me even keener to be seen out in it.
At the back the alterations are more modest, but changes have been made to the lights to make them more aerodynamic and LEDs are used to increase clarity.
New five-spoke alloys and a couple of new colours, the Magnetic Red on our test car really caught my eye, complete the look.
On the inside, the dials have been redesigned to make them easier to read and low-level lighting has been introduced around the footwells to increase the ambience.
There were plenty of storages spaces to start with, but even more have been incorporated with the overhaul.
The Qashqai was always one of the quieter cars out there, but the occupants are now further insulated from outside forces thanks to the use of new materials.
Our test car also came with a new BOSE stereo, full length sunroof, easy to use satellite navigation and colour reversing camera.
The leather seating in our Tekna model was also much appreciated - some might find it a little too soft for their liking but not me.
That's what you can see, but what you can't are the improvements to the suspension which are aimed at improving comfort and responsiveness.
In addition, ESP has now been fitted to all Qashqai's.
None of these changes have been made for cosmetic reasons, all appear to have been carefully thought out before being put into practice.
The Qashqai remains great to look at, great to drive and that can only be great news for what is undoubtedly a great North-East success story.
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