Nissan Qashqai 1,3 Acenta Plus

All-round improvement but you have to pay to play

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We are so used to facelifts involving little more than adding to the vast number of manufacturers' parts bins that we have to be diligent when reporting. This new Qashqai may look like a facelift, but it is completely new and, of course, larger. To summarize, 48 mm longer, 29 mm wider, 35 mm taller, and the wheelbase is stretched by 19 mm. Even the ground clearance has improved to a respectable 194 mm Sheet-metal crease lines have been altered and the lighting is more ornate than before.

Many would say the Qashqai has reached the ideal size for a family vehicle. Not too difficult to park, more than enough interior space and a large boot. We know what will happen to it eventually, though. This car will end up larger than the X-Trail, which in turn will become the size of the Patrol, and so on. Then some new names will be randomly generated by an algorithm to add to the long list of as-yet unregistered titles. Sensibly, its awkward name is embedded alongside the headlamps in case you still haven’t mastered the correct spelling.