Looking back on past programs, I haven’t talked about Japanese cars for a long time. The last time I talked about a new Japanese product was the Mazda CX-50 two months ago. Today, we are also talking about an SUV, which is the new generation of Nissan Qashqai that has just been launched (Inquiry | Pictures | Parameters). The new car is priced from 139,900 to 174,900, and it is still positioned as a compact SUV.
As soon as the price of the new car came out, netizens said it was really expensive. So in today’s episode, let’s talk about how expensive is the new Nissan Qashqai? What are the differences from the old model? What are the competing products at the same level?
Is the price of the new Qashqai expensive?
As a current fuel compact SUV, this price is really expensive.
First of all, in terms of size, although the new Qashqai has increased in size compared to the old model, the length, width and height are 4440/1840/1627mm, and the wheelbase is 2665mm. The length is 39mm longer and 3mm wider than the old model, and the wheelbase is longer. 19mm. However, the length of 4.44 meters and the wheelbase of 2.66 meters are definitely small in the compact SUV class.
In the same price range, the Haval Xiaolong MAX has a length of more than 4.75 meters and a wheelbase of 2.8 meters. If these are put together, it will be like the eldest brother taking the younger brother out for shopping. I heard that Haval will recently launch a SUV with the largest size in the 150,000-class segment, which is the Haval H5.
The length of the car exceeds 5.1 meters, the wheelbase exceeds 3.1 meters, but the price is 150,000, so don’t say anything else, it’s just one word big. Therefore, the size of the Qashqai and the wheelbase are not as big as the Baojun Yundu. In the current environment, the space is indeed small.
Secondly, although Qashqai gave up the 2.0L naturally aspirated engine that has remained unchanged for thousands of years, it replaced it with a 1.3T engine with a smaller displacement. You have to say that nowadays everyone is using 1.5T, and it also has a motor. Even the public is now starting to abandon the previous 1.4T and replace it with 1.5T, but your Qashqai directly uses 1.3T.
More importantly, the new car only has a new engine, and the transmission is still a very low-cost CVT continuously variable transmission. Everyone knows that Nissan's CVT has many shortcomings because of its low cost. First, the service life is short. Because the CVT does not use a gear set to shift gears, it uses conical wheels and steel belts for transmission, so it wears a lot.
And once it breaks, it will only be replaced but not repaired, unless you go to an outside auto repair shop to repair it yourself. Moreover, Nissan's JATCO's continuously variable transmission has problems with shifting gears and abnormal noises. It also has a common problem of low temperature and cold protection in winter, which has seriously affected the normal use of consumers in some areas. Therefore, it is recommended that consumers in cold northern areas should not buy Nissan's CVT models as a last resort.
In addition, in terms of configuration, the new Qashqai is still trembling. The lowest configuration of RMB 139,900 still comes with nothing, including reversing radar and sunroof. The seats are fabric manual, the steering wheel is plastic, and there are only four speakers. Only the 154,900 luxury version has the configurations expected. Therefore, in terms of configuration level, the new Qashqai has not improved compared to the old model.
In summary, the guide price of the new Qashqai is still very expensive, so if the later discount does not exceed 30,000, it is really not recommended to buy it. However, the production of the previous generation Qashqai was not discontinued. Instead, it was named Qashqai Classic, and like the Sylphy, the two generations were sold under the same roof. Therefore, I feel that the Qashqai Classic has returned to its proper price after the price reduction, and the most authentic price of Qashqai is after discounts are taken into account.
What is the difference between the new model and the old model?
To talk about the difference between the new generation Qashqai and the old model, the biggest difference must be the engine. The new generation Qashqai is equipped with a 1.3T small-displacement turbocharged engine with a maximum horsepower of 158 horsepower and a maximum torque of 270 N·m. Although the displacement is 0.7 liters less, the maximum horsepower is 7 more horses and the maximum torque is 76 Nm more.
The key is that the maximum torque speed has also been expanded from the previous 4400 rpm to 1800-3750 rpm. The intuitive benefit is that the new car will have more low-end torque than the old model, and the turbine will be more explosive when driven. So the biggest change in Qashqai this time is in power.
But when it comes to 1.3T engines, you will find that except for Mercedes-Benz, no brand will use 1.3T, either 1.5T or Volkswagen's 1.4T. 1.3T is the only one of Mercedes-Benz. Are Nissan and Mercedes-Benz related?
To be precise, this 1.3T engine was jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and Renault, so in addition to Mercedes-Benz's A, B, GLA and GLB, the previously discontinued Renault Corybin also used this 1.3T. It’s just that there were very few people buying Renault at that time, let alone Corybin.
Many overseas models including Renault still use this 1.3T engine. And Nissan and Renault are in an alliance, so it is logical for Nissan to use Renault's engine. Moreover, the size of the Qashqai is not large, and the curb weight is only a little over 1.5 tons, so this 1.3T is completely sufficient.
In addition to the engine, the difference is the appearance and interior. Qashqai finally uses Nissan's latest design language, which is the front face of the X-Trail. The C-shaped headlights are exactly the same as those of the X-Trail. On the interior, the new Qashqai has finally adopted Nissan's new design language, which finally doesn't look like the design of the last century.
The 12.3-inch central control screen, 12.3-inch full LCD instrument panel and 10.8-inch HUD head-up display, and equipped with Nissan Connect 2.0 car system, can be regarded as keeping up with the times. Although it still doesn’t look technological, at least it is no longer so shabby. . If we describe it as a mobile phone, the screen of the new Qashqai is very similar to the iPhone 8 of the year. It is not completely unusable, but it is impossible to have a better experience.
But in general, the main changes in the new Qashqai are in the engine and design. To be honest, I think Nissan's design language is more pleasing to the eye on the smaller Qashqai than on the X-Trail, and its appearance is also much better than the old model.
How to choose between competing products?
Looking back at the sales of Qashqai in previous years, we will find that Nissan's sales have plummeted very sharply in the past few years. Since reaching the peak in 2019, Nissan's sales have begun to decline. It has plummeted from 1.28 million units in 2018 to directly falling below 1 million units in 2022, with only 920,000 units. The decline in Nissan's sales is absolutely inseparable from product strength.
Take the Nissan Qashqai for example. The previous generation Qashqai was made in China in 2016 and has been sold for seven years until today. Honda next door replaces its models every five years, so Nissan's update frequency is much less than that of Honda and Toyota, both Japanese brands.
In fact, in the joint venture SUV market with a price of about 150,000 yuan, Qashqai's sales have been relatively stable in the past few years due to its larger size and space. For example, in the past, for 150,000, you could only buy small SUVs such as Honda's Binzhi and XR-V. The rear axle still had leaf springs, and the interiors were impossible to see directly.
When these consumers see Qashqai again, they will feel that the product is more powerful. After all, the size is one level larger, the rear suspension is independent, and even the engine displacement has become 2.0L. Therefore, Qashqai's annual sales volume will be more than 150,000 units before 2023, and even in 2022, there will be 154,000 units.
But this year, Qashqai's sales in the first half of the year were only more than 48,000 units, less than 50,000 units. According to this pace, the annual sales are estimated to be only 100,000 units, a direct loss of more than 50,000 units. And where did the missing 50,000 units go? I think most customers have gone to see new energy. This is because this year is the first year of the explosion of new energy vehicles, especially for users with less than 150,000 primary needs. For example, the penetration rate of A0-class new energy cars exceeded 60%. Last year, this figure was only 30%.
The same goes for SUVs priced around 150,000 yuan. There are around 150,000 new energy SUVs this year. How many models have been launched in total? Geely Galaxy L7, Haval Xiaolong series, Deep Blue S7, as well as the new BYD Song Pro and Song PLUS brothers, plus the price-butcher Leap C11 in new energy, there are 7 models in total. If we add the previous pure electric products Yuan PLUS and Aian Y, there are 9 models, leaving really little space for these small and medium-sized joint venture SUVs.
People used to buy 150,000 joint venture SUVs like the Qashqai because there were no options. Even for domestically produced gasoline-powered vehicles at the same price, the cost of driving and later use are about the same. They are just more powerful and have higher configurations. The key is that people bought Japanese cars at that time to save fuel and money.
But now, there are so many new energy sources at this price, the fuel consumption of plug-in hybrid is so low, and it can be charged occasionally, not to mention pure electricity. If coupled with home charging piles, the cost of travel is almost 0 , even cheaper than the subway. Therefore, in terms of later use costs, new energy vehicles are a dimensionality reduction blow to traditional fuel vehicles. In addition, the power and NVH performance of new energy vehicles are also better, and they also come with a green card for unlimited driving. The level of intelligence and configuration in the car is very high. Give me a reason not to buy a new energy vehicle?
Therefore, I make a bold guess that most of the users who are still buying these joint venture cars under RMB 150,000 are not only very obsessed with Japanese brands, but also are buying cars for the first time, or they have never owned a serious car at home. cars, maybe the cars I drove before were all priced below RMB 50,000. After all, if you previously drove a Sylphy or Tiida, would you buy a Qashqai of the same level when you change your car?
This is the same as spending 300,000 to buy a new force or a BBA. I am not bragging about the new domestic force, but this is the fact. Many NIO car owners with high ideals have either replaced the BBA at home, or Just buy another one and use it every day. Those who already have a BBA at home rarely spend another 300,000 to 500,000 yuan to buy a BBA. This is just like an internet celebrity check-in place when traveling. Once you have been there, will you go there a second time?
Therefore, Qashqai's real rivals are actually domestic new energy vehicles of the same price range, because they are a dimensionality reduction blow to these traditional joint venture vehicles. Therefore, as long as you are not obsessed with Japanese brands or Nissan, if you should buy a plug-in hybrid, buy a plug-in hybrid, and if possible, buy a pure electric vehicle. Because after using it, you will find that the cost of use is really low, and it is almost unrealistic to want to replace it with an oil truck.
How to choose configuration?
At present, Qashqai has a total of 7 models including the classics of the previous generation. On the contrary, I think the cheapest Qashqai Classic Comfort Edition priced at 125,900 is the best value for money. Since you are planning to buy a Japanese model, do the configuration and power still matter? Just buy the lowest allocation.
However, the new model has just been released, so the discount has not been released yet, and it is only less than 20,000, so I advise you to wait. In two months, that is, September and October will be a good time to buy a car. All major manufacturers have Start to rush, and by then Qashqai will probably get a discount of 40,000 yuan. When you can buy a Qashqai for 100,000 yuan, it is indeed a bit cost-effective.
If you really like new models, then the 1.3T luxury version for RMB 154,900 is enough. It also has L2 driving assistance, panoramic sunroof, electric driver's seat, keyless entry, leather steering wheel, leather seats, automatic air conditioning, etc. , it won’t be so shabby to use. But again, when the discount exceeds 30,000, that’s when Qashqai can really take action.
Author: San Dao, Shinichi
Editor: Shinichi
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