Nissan UK's last stand - the Qashqai story

When the Qashqai was introduced to Australia, Nissan changed the name because they were worried it would be called the Nissan “Cash Cow”. But that’s precisely what the Qashqai has become - a runaway success, and a breakout hit for Nissan’s embattled European operation. It’s a rare story of a successful British designed and produced mass-market car in the 21st century, and a car that’s not only been a hit in the UK, but around the world. David Twohig knows more than most about the Qashqai’s development, being the General Manager in charge of bringing it to life. He’s been kind enough to sit down for an interview, and if you want to learn more about his work on the Nissan Qashqai, Renault ZOE and Alpine A110 he’s got a new book out called “Inside the Machine” - there’s a link in the description.
David's book - "Inside The Machine":
www.veloce.co.uk/store/Inside...
Optional Extra video: • Nissan Qashqai - Optio...
Full interview with David Twohig: • David Twohig Nissan Qa...
Music:
Addict (Instrumental) - NEFFEX (from the KZbin Audio Library)
The Blue Danube - Johann Strauss II (from the KZbin Audio Library)
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Sources:
Inside the machine - David Twohig
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_...
europe.nissannews.com/en-GB/r...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault...
www.autoexpress.co.uk/nissan/...
www.topgear.com/car-reviews/n...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_...
www.autoexpress.co.uk/nissan/...
www.autoexpress.co.uk/nissan/...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_...
www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/...
#bigcar

[@bobjoegt2337]

Even though it’s bland, you’ve got to appreciate the Qashqai for succeeding in getting Nissan UK out of the gutter.

[@jumpferjoy1st]

"Bland" is an understatement. It has all the pizzazz of a single slice of Sainsburys white medium sliced bread. And no, nothing exciting like a crust. hahahaa

[@jeffbovell7750]

@@jumpferjoy1st a

[@MotorTorq_ZA]

the qashqai isn’t bland. People are too obsessed with Toyota supras and Gtrs

[@jumpferjoy1st]

@@MotorTorq_ZA hahahaha. It is the potato of the motoring world. A single slice of sainsburys medium white bread has more pazzazz. This is the car for people that think magnolia paint is exciting and have not got a clue about cars.

[@MotorTorq_ZA]

@@jumpferjoy1st magnolia is one of my favourite colors. I know my bit about cars though

[@paulrobinson3649]

You've provided a lot of model and manufacture history that I was unaware of, until now. Many thanks.

[@DavidParkinson]

Super interesting video. In 2013 I was in charge of the global launch for the new of the Qashqai in London, a process that took two years of planning, countless presentations and a lot of bringing together for the launch of the great people who had made the new version, from engineers to salespeople to designers. The innovative concept of a “traditional” launch up front and a secret back area where we had three cars setup with the people responsible for designing them explaning the features to journalists is one that stands the test of time today. From a chap who started at Nissan in 1991 on the production line building the new Micra to ultimately be given the responsibility of launching a car vital to the continued future of the company was a career high for me, one which ultimately led to me deciding to leave the company and start my own business. Having been at Nissan so long a lot of these stories rang many bells, including the disaster that was the Almera - a car so bad even the adverts hated it. Some great memories, from helicopters on standby, to removing croutons from CG’s meals to building a set and stage in the world famous Three Mills studios as Noel Fielding filmed his TV show in the stage next door. Long and happy days and I remanin grateful to everyone who was part of it’s sucess. Ps - never launch a car in East London.

[@ryunzen074]

Interesting story! What do you think of Nissan product nowadays?

[@DavidParkinson]

@Paul Gilliatt It was that bad. I remember first seeing a preview of it for staff. My heart sank. It was a car designed by committee if ever I saw one. Pulsar ended up no better.

[@viorelnegru9710]

Being an auto electrician I can tell it’s not a very good car. A lot of issues with engine sensors, airbag modules, ABS sensors and big problems with wiring looms. You did a great video 👏

[@thatpeskyswan]

I agree it's a truly garbage car, loads of electrical, mechanical, gearbox, engine, dpf, sensor issues... The list goes on.

[@danr1920]

Nissan's are a brand to avoid. At one time they were up there with Toyota, but they stopped making reliable cars along the way.

[@andrew2353]

@@danr1920 Nissans quality took a nose dive after the Renault merger.

[@edwardmills6456]

That's because they are Renault's not Nissan everything sold in Europe is Renault based mechanics and electrics cheapest bidder builds components Mercedes use similar engine's but proper decent components !

[@viorelnegru9710]

@@edwardmills6456 Mercedes use the same engine, you’re right, but quality of the parts are still the same. Most of the wiring looms and control modules are built in Europe, most of them in Romania. I know that because I’m Romanian. Nothing to do with cheap labour or bad material used to build a vehicle. Even it’s built in Asia or Europe they still use the same materials. And about the 1.6 dci Renault engine…. Mercedes didn’t used them anymore.

[@brianstafford98]

I’ll say that 2000 Almera that we had up until this year was the most reliable car I’ve ever seen. Owned it for 6 years and never failed to start and go despite a rough life on a farm. Never properly serviced either, just gave it tractor oil when it was low. Hard to understand why it wasn’t more popular.

[@ChrisJames-pq6gg]

had many never spent a penny on them apart from wear and tear... great cars sooo underrated

[@arsenic4480]

Great video! Nissan here in India have also rescued themselves with a crossover, the Magnite. It’s sub-4m to take advantage of tax benefits, and has been selling pretty well alongside its twin, the Renault Kiger. Both cars have been exported to ASEAN markets as well. It’s one of only two cars Nissan is selling here, with the other one being the ‘Kicks’ which is actually built on the same platform of the Dacia Duster instead of the platform on which the global Kicks is based on. What has really helped it get sales is the fact that Renault/Nissan actually priced the cars closer to city cars like the Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS and the Maruti Suzuki Swift, rather than other

[@brioblancaflor3662]

Nissan is also doing great on their SUV and pickup market. the Terra and Navara have been huge successes in the Philippines so far :))

[@juanpablocorreiaecheverria2857]

Your car stories are amazing! You make even a small crossover sound interesting.

[@JoshuaC923]

Making boring cars interesting, this channel is a true gem

[@davidsanders8887]

2008: I felt immensely proud and excited to buy my first ever new car (having owned dozens of used cars of all shapes, makes and sizes since 1979) a Qashqai 1.6 petrol. I could only afford basic visia spec, so I chose a black paint finish, to hide the fact that the door handles and mirrors were not body coloured on this version. I kept and enjoyed this car, despite its very modest performance for 16,000 miles and 3 trouble free years. In 2011, I traded-in for a very good price, on my second new car, a mid-range Qashqai 1.5 diesel acenta in silver. This car was a big improvement in terms of performance and economy, and with its facelifted design and extra refinements, it too was much enjoyed, and problem free during my 3-year ownership.

[@goncaloferreira6863]

Did you really buy a brand new car and only owned it for 3 years?

[@davidsanders8887]

@@goncaloferreira6863 yes

[@goncaloferreira6863]

@@davidsanders8887 damn, you ballin', everyone I know that bought a brand new car owned it for at least 20 years

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@goncaloferreira6863 if you keep a car for 10-13 years, you lose most of it to deprecation. The only ways are to resell after a couple years and commit to doing that every few years (such that each step “only” costs a few grand); or run each one into the ground and milk every penny from the purchase price. Both are fine options, it’s just the middle option that ends up costing the most. Of course buying used cars isn’t all that different - you either buy and resell within the magic mileage window of most deprecation already occurring (but not yet too many mechanical risks) and resell it for roughly what you paid 6-12 months later, or buy used and run it into the ground to milk every penny from the purchase price.

[@willswheels283]

I’m not a huge fan of crossovers as I don’t think they offer anymore from a practicality point of view than a family hatchback or estate, and they don’t handle as well as their lower to the ground brethren. But I will hand it to Nissan though that the 1st Qashqai still looks modern and reasonably up to date even in 2022. Nissan used to make solid dependable cars that were no fuss to own but these days they have the same electrical gremlins as Renault do which affects reliability and quality of the vehicles. Great informative video again sir and well researched.

[@terrybrown6057]

The customer demands more complexity nowadays... You try making a car that drives itself, keeps you in the lane, has automatic everything can see objects moving and avoid them, I certainly wouldn't want to design it

[@paullacey2999]

I had a Almera,Jap built.Super reliable. Then I had a Almera Tino,based on the Renault Scenic,very unreliable.Your statement is correct!

[@terrybrown6057]

@@paullacey2999 I had an almera.. Suffered badly from rust. They were made in Japan under different corrosion protection standards... The sills rotted through where the inner rear arch joined, the chassis legs also rotted through... Engine bay was also riddled

[@kaitlyn__L]

Yeah, I tend to find crossovers have hardly any boot space for their size. Much smaller hatchbacks can hold much larger items. And the boot opening in crossovers is often that wonderful combination of high-up AND small.

[@gravemind6536]

@@kaitlyn__L Yep there is little in the way of actual capacity increase because the load floor is also higher just like the rest of the car. The fact remains that if you want space you buy an estate. These crossovers do however handle worse have poorer MPG and the cost of basic wear and tear items like tyres and brakes are more expensive they are also for the most poor an eyesore to look at.

[@TheGalacticEmperorOfLabels]

The designer talked about crossovers being a combination of an off-roader, people carrier and hatchback. Well, I like ice cream, beer, and cigars, so perhaps I'll try combining all three in one dish.

[@milksheihk]

Never realised the Dualis was a Qashqui, I'd never heard of the Qashqai until it was re-released as that in Aus in 2013.

[@vinicruz893]

Love the videos you bring the Engineers involved in the project. Thks for putting time and effort in your videos, they are great!

[@BigCar2]

Thx Vini

[@jorisspee]

Lovely video, as usual. Very informative! I took my driving lessons in a 1st gen Qashqai and I liked it, apart from the high driving positiion. A couple years later I bought a 1997 Nissan... Almera for €500. Boring to look at but amazing handling. Drove it for 5 years and it plainly refused to die. Good times, thank you for this my man!

[@ethanwd]

Errmm... "Soon, other cars were imitating the Qashqai, like the Toyota Rav4".... Is it just me, or does the Qashqai seem more like an imitation of the Rav4 than the other way around...? After all, the Rav4 has been around since the mid-90s, whilst the Qashqai came out in the mid-2000s...? I can't really think of any way in which the Rav4 has "imitated" the Qashqai. I believe the Rav4 even offered cheaper 2WD models before the Qashqai did, etc. Other than this, great video. I just don't think the Qashqai was quite as revolutionary as this video makes out. Competitors like the Outlander, Rav4, Freelander, Forester, etc all debuted well before the Qashqai. It has been a huge sales success for Nissan, which is great, but it really wasn't a new idea as this video seems to suggest... Even Nissan's own 1st-gen X-trail was about the same size as the Qashqai!

[@Iain_C]

We had a Qashqai mk1.5 for a few years. Only fault in that time was the washer pump...a Renault branded part 🤣 Was a good family car and we sold it for not much less than the purchase price (pre pandemic).

[@BavarianM]

The whole car is Renault...

[@MotorTorq_ZA]

@@BavarianM the whole car is magnificent

[@terrybrown6057]

@@BavarianM no its not you muppet

@@BavarianM I suggest you watch the video.

[@Francoberry]

18:17 the Astra and Zafira had some awesome panoramic roof options! Not just Peugeot

[@BavarianM]

Zafira is a crap car

[@6ettinold]

@@BavarianM as was the Peugeot 308.

[@barron204]

One of my cars is a JDM Dualis apparently built in the Kanda factory in Japan. The JDM vehicles are slightly different to the UK with the specification levels and the facelift wasn’t available till 2012. The USDM Rogue was built at the same time.

[@AJT296]

Great video. Hadn’t realised what a lifesaver it was for Nissan. I think I’m right in saying it is the fastest British built car to reach 1 million units?

[@BigCar2]

Maybe so!

[@mateipanaiteacu]

Excellent presentation as always! Nice having the designer there too

[@runoflife87]

We had 2 second-gen Qashqais; decent car for its money. Although a bit undepowered and not without flaws. The UK-made car (1st one) had CVT and bonnet painting issues.

[@terrybrown6057]

No paint issues I was aware of. I worked 23yrs on paint inspection. We saw EVERY variation of issue and non public reports... Can't remember any... Usual stuff tbh...

[@procta2343]

That's cause its all done on the cheap.

[@terrybrown6057]

@@procta2343 no different to any other mass production car then... Its not a luxury car so what are you expecting? Even then luxury cars are worse than mass production cars...

[@procta2343]

@@terrybrown6057 a bit of pride in their cars quality. its something most manufactures have started to steer away from.

[@terrybrown6057]

@@procta2343 pride.... Lol... Depends on how much crap your employer gives its employees... How much they're abused by the management....

[@elicaul6506]

Thanks Andy for producing another engaging and fun video! I watched this thinking that the Qashqai was a product unique to Europe and ended up realizing that I had never taken more than a cursory look at the Rogue as it is sold here in NA.

[@joepartyka1183]

Owned a Nissan qashqai ‘12 as my first car *almost* (had a vauxhall briefly but needed 4x4 for reasons) and now with slightly more experience driving i’ve had to come to appreciate how good the mid-ish range qashqai was as a young driver while not being especially sexy it was fully packed with great features and was comfortable for road trips. As well as the driving feel and handling was excellent for a car of those proportions with a small 2l being more or less enough for what i needed.

[@kamenkiranov3923]

It's a nice video garnished with a David Twohig interview to become a very appealing and complete Quashqai story. I would love to see a video for the development of small SUV ( crossovers ) which are probably the main reason for shrined D & C segment cars. I used to like the first Quashaqi and even did a test drive. But what I needed was 4WD, frugal diesel engine, auto gearbox and competitive cost. Quashqai never really got there as that role was given to X-trail, which (I feel) didn't match competitors' cost and refinement.

[@chrishart8548]

When I looked I liked the idea of the 1.5 diesel for running cost. But I was tempted by 4x4. But in order to get 4x4 I needed to have the 2 litre diesel engine. This meant extra for the bigger engine extra to have 4x4 and now the mpg and road tax were going to suffer. I don't know why manufacturers didn't just turn all the cars like the focus, corolla, astra 308 into crossovers anyway. Or is it all a money making thing. If crossovers are so easy to get In and out of. Are normal cars just deliberately made awkward to get in and out of. After the design has evolved over 100 year.

[@chrisatkins2026]

Another great video. Very informative and very timely as I am leasing a new Qashqai on Monday! Keep up the good work. Looking forward to the RS video part 2.

[@lanceswift9632]

I enjoyed this Doco. I was there at the time leading the Interoor Trim Team and recall the gas strut drama and many others along the way. If anyhing Dave under stated the hard work and commitment from everyone involved that brought this car kicking and screaming to life

[@BigCar2]

Great work Lance! I know the work that goes into getting a product out the door. The book explains a lot more (that I’m sure you’re familiar with).

[@lanceswift9632]

I'm trying to get a copy of Daves book. I'm sure it'll be a good read. I'm living and working in Oz now, so there's a bit of a wait for it to come. I was happy to see Daves face. He's still recognisable, but not as boyish looking as he was back then. Most of the team have moved on now, either upwards in Nissan or out and upwards working for other car companies. When I jumped ship in 2009, and emigrated to Oz the car industry was already dying here. So I moved into Medical devices. I miss working on cars sometimes, especially the close teamwork involved. My colleagues at the time were also my drinking buddies, so lifelong bonds were formed back then. I look back with pride on what was won for Nissan, for UK manufacturing and the west.

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

The Qashqai has a weird offshoot in China called the Venucia T70. Venucia is a budget brand from Dongfeng and Nissan's joint venture (which has been making Qashqai models) The T70 was their first SUV, based on the original J10 Qash with the same wheelbase, same powertrain but completely redesigned interior. Launched in 2014, between the European launch of the J11 Qash in 2013 and the Chinese launch in 2015. Wasn't a mega seller but stayed on the market for 6 years.

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

Now Venucia is making... Something completely different.

[@philhealey449]

Venucia sounds like something fungal you'd be ashamed about when buying ointment to treat it. Doesn't bode well for the car's qualities.....

[@Kermiitti]

It’s interesting to hear that the Almera was not a success, here in Finland old N15 and N16 Almeras are pretty common. In fact I have a N15 for a field car!

[@onelyone6976]

Same and was equally surprised about the last generation primera, I don't particularly like them, but they're also really common here in Finland

[@ComradeUranium]

@@onelyone6976 Nisti-Primera

[@alexhampton2802]

They were relatively popular here in the UK, especially the mk1 Primera, they just don't like the Salt the UK always spreads across the roads in the winter 😅

[@vycanismelodis]

yeah i was surprised about that, i learnt to drive in an almera tino

[@DavidParkinson]

The Almera was a terrible car and I built them! While well put together by the lads at Sunderland it was from the design team at the time another bland cost cutting car that looked like the dashboard had been created by someone throwing a load of random parts at it and seeing what stuck. One of the big successes of the QQ was the one piece dash, something far too expensive for the Almera. They sold well in Spain and the Russians loved the ones with the boot, but the ads put out said it all - They car “they” don’t want you to drive. Just awful end to end. The Primera was bold, but customers hated it. Margins on the Micra, that were still selling well, were so low we needed to sell at least one Primera for every two Micras. We didn’t, which was another nail in the takeover coffin from Renault.

[@edwinreid8355]

There's no denying it's popularity ( incidentally my brother works as a Car Salesman for the Western Nissan Dealership in Edinburgh ). Both my next door neighbour Martin & my best pal Jane & her boyfriend Jason have the 2015 Quashqui Models with the slightly squashed looking cabin.

[@paullacey2999]

I prefered the super reliable Bluebird and Primera,built in the UK too.Todays Nissans arent a patch on these cars unfortunately.

[@nadeemchaudhry6585]

Another brilliant video, thanks for your hardwork.

[@fredericducomet.boquier7920]

A BIG thank you to you and David ! It's brillant ! 🙏👍

[@edwardtrickett6064]

As always EXCELLENT content and insights Thank you for your endeavours, truly appreciated

[@woofgbruk5947]

The Almeira was popular with Taxi/Private hire companies in Birmingham when I worked in that area.

[@GaryJohnWalker1]

Great stugg. The firsthand accounts are great. If you ever get someone involved from the 90s in the Honda/Rover/BMW messy world - that could be great.

[@Happymali10]

19:30 Always interesting watching that older style spot and seeing what cars they crash/crush/etc. Often those aren't coincidences

[@thisisadebrown]

I’ve got a Honda HRV and I absolutely love it, it’s my second

[@briantitchener4829]

I bought a 2019 Qashqai new which has the 7-speed DCT autobox (not CVT) . The newer 1.3 Turbo engine is the nippiest for its size that I have ever driven. The car has a very good safety package. A great little crossover which hasn't given one bit of trouble. Comfy, quiet and economical. Would buy another, I like the hybrid version.

[@torgeirbrandsnes1916]

Great vlog as always! My sister had one. Great car. It is transferible to a lot of things. What is the competition doing, cars, airplanes, buses. Not as far as I know: rail cars. Keep up the good work!

[@martinneumann7783]

Impeccable story! Thanks, Mr. Big Car…

[@jamesengland7461]

I eagerly await each video and thoroughly enjoy them all!

[@Wolf_Larsen]

Having the designer of the Nissan Qashqai on for an interview is like interviewing the guy who invented beige wallpaper paste.

[@charlesmoss8119]

For me - brilliant video and the best yet - thank you for your work which taught me, an ex industry dog, a lot of interesting details!

[@BigCar2]

Glad you liked it Charles!

[@theradiodreamer]

Hi great video as always ! I know you’ve touched upon here but any chance you could do a video on the history of Nissan in the uk ? Or the Almera you mentioned here

[@BigCar2]

Maybe one day.

[@mark_u]

Excellent video! The Qashqai was indeed a trailblazer. Its success ultimately caused the boom of the subcompact crossover segment and I think Nissan doesn't get too much credit for that. I think the Ariya is quite bigger than the Qashqai. It may be more like an Rogue- or even a Murano-sized EV 😀

[@jakobholgersson4400]

Why give them "credit"? The SUV/crossover fad is the biggest travesty to ever happen to motoring.

[@orion1983uk]

@@jakobholgersson4400 agreed!

[@SaintNyx]

@@jakobholgersson4400 Exactly. Instead of credit, I would say that they don't get enough blame. lmao

[@mauricionunez4608]

As a Nissan guy and owner, the problem its strictly in UK becouse all cars made in europe have some "Issues" just like the ones made in USA, BUT the ones made in Mexico or Japan DONT have those issues. Thats why the factory in mexico its so succesfull.

[@Berven-gf9jq]

Great upload 🙂 Great story too.

[@TheHomeExpert5]

The original Murano was an amazing vehicle in every way except one. The transmission had a very short life and failed often. Nissan destroyed their own company by pushing CVT transmissions into all their vehicles. I speak from experience, the Murano was extremely roomy, it drove well and the V6 engine was just right. The transmission was just wrong.

[@JDMsubaruGuy]

I've driven both a first gen rogue and an L33 Altima and they both would have been perfect if they had a conventional transmission instead of the xTronic CVT

[@NeXMaX]

JATCO CVTs have had a horrid reputation for poor reliability, especially in those 2000s era cars.

[@RideCamVids]

@@NeXMaX the way to ruin any car company is to get in bed with JATCO CVTs. No matter how much you stick to service/maintenance intervals, the death judder is coming for you,,,, usually sooner than later.

[@stratcat4450]

I had a manager who I worked closely with an traveled out of town with numerous times a year. She bought a rogue new in about 2016. Within 2 years she was trading it in due to wait for it... constant CVT failure. I'm not a huge car geek but here in the states NOBODY wants a used Nissan due to the legend of thier crappy transmissions

[@terrybrown6057]

But too big engine... Cars have to meet euro6 emissions now so those v6's are history I'm afraid... Next gen won't be internal combustion... Even the leaf is getting binned for a new all new EV

[@semarakgeo]

A proud owner of 2007 Nissan murano Z50...already clocked 500k KM...it has its problem but such an excellent car...wish big car can make an episode on the nissan murano

[@courtneypuzzo2502]

@Amir Zaheen Minhaj that's 310,686 miles which is great for a car my late maternal grandmother's 1990 Toyota Camry had around 130,000 miles on it when it had to be junked due to rust in the undercarriage from not being driven often enough. of all the used cars my dad had when I was growing up my favorite was a used 1984 Chevrolet Caprice Classic which was 17 3/4 feet long in its 3rd gen

[@thebigcheese6606]

Great work again. Nice how you get team on too.

[@OfficialRainsynth]

I actually remember people in my town having this car. Yes, it looked little bit bland, but it still was a succesful in my country (Slovakia) and many car magazines advertised this car. They also sold well as used cars later, so even despite looking bit bland, it was quite popular car here.

[@lucienromano3493]

The big problem with car buyers wanting a high driving position is that when most other people also have an SUV, no one is any better off, and they've all spent more money on a taller, heavier vehicle with worse fuel economy and handling. Manufacturers obviously love SUVs, but it's a shame the trend has continued with BEVs, most of which now weigh over 2 tonnes. If that extra bodywork was battery instead, they've have much better range, also helped by lower drag.

[@sebastiansellers5849]

Yeah but I want to see what's past the forest mate.

[@chrishart8548]

My dad once went in a discovery many years ago and said you could see over the top of all the other vehicles. I said wow that's great everyone should get one with such a useful feature of extra visibility.

[@Pat_RickX]

Surprised that you choose this Nissan for the new story. A very interesting story/video again. Thx.

[@BigCar2]

David offered to do an interview, and it was too good a chance to pass up.

[@usernamechris2525252]

@@BigCar2 i agree… i love all your videos, but having the back ground from someone involved in the design, was an awesome “bonus”… thanks 👍

[@iEnofadov]

The Nissan Qashqai was released in Australia in 2007 and while it was imported from the UK, it was sold as the Nissan Dualis, the same name that was used for the Japanese market. We didn't switch over to the 'Qashqai' name until the second generation was released in Australia in 2014. The Qashqai is Nissan Australia's third most popular model, behind the Navara Ute and the X Trail SUV. The first generation N15 Almera was sold in Australia as the N15 Pulsar and were very popular cars here, however, these were imported from Japan in sedan and hatch bodystyles. The N16 Almera was also sold in Australia as the N16 Pulsar, with the sedan imported from Japan and the 5dr hatch imported from the UK. The 'Almera' name was first used in Australia in 2012, when the second generation Nissan Versa (Nissan Sunny/N17 Almera) sedan was launched here. It only lasted 2 years before being withdrawn from the Australian market due to slow sales.

[@vivianduplooy4904]

I am the satisfied owner of the Qashqai 2 liter that I bought brand new in March,2009.I haave traveled all over SA and Namibia since then and still do.I have had no problems with the car except for batteries,tyres etc.Nothing major and it's still going very well.A very satisfied Qashqay ow er and very proud of it.

[@ashzciwobuz1277]

The Pulsar (Almira) was super popular in Australia. Still see them everywhere

[@daraghmorrissey]

I came to the US from Ireland and it’s interesting to see how they market it differently. They initially called it the Rogue and then the US Rogue was sold as the Pathfinder in the UK and Ireland

[@Banom7a]

Similarly, Nissan brought back the Pathfinder in the US and its again, a proper SUV as it should be.

[@terrybrown6057]

The qashqai was made in 3 factories, one in Sunderland, one in USA and one in Japan. The US one made cars for the americas whilst Japan for its home market. Sunderland made the rest for 70+ countries including Australia and Middle East where it was renamed Dualis.... Never understood why... But each market is different.. Japanese ones are totally different parts from the rest.

[@KA-zh2rq]

The US rogue was never sold in right hand drive markets… the first gen rogue was just a bulbous qashqai and the pathfinder at the time was still big and boxy. The 2nd gen rogue was just a rebadged X Trail and the pathfinder was the class above the xtrail/rogue and sold around the world as the pathfinder

[@shaunw9270]

Great video as always! To be honest the Qashqai isn't really my kind of car but it's looks have grown on me over the years, something I can't say for the Juke. My favourite car I have ever owned was an '02 Almera Sport which I used trouble free for many years and would still have it had it not been written off following an accident. If I could afford a modern Nissan it would be the Pulsar or whatever that car's called outside the UK 👍

[@franzchong5889]

It's disappointing Nissan Australia dropped the Pulsar using excuses such as these make the company more money sales wise.Not everyone wanted a small SUV from memory

[@ramblingrob4693]

Yeah I hate the Juke too. Its like the front of a Qashqai an back of another car

[@GroggRhine]

I have a Qashqai+2 MK1.1 with AWD and it's a cracker of a car. Hoping to keep it on the road until I can no longer get parts, such a versatile car. Thanks for the video :)

[@RikMcCloud]

Reading the comments on this video is proving to be very entertaining. I am not a fan of the Qashqai either but it was interesting to hear the story behind it. Goes to show enthusiasts don't keep car manufacturers alive. The next time I am cut up by one of these pulling out on me from a junction, unable to park unless there are 4 spaces available or not moving off from a traffic light after it's turned green, I will just laugh.

[@JTA1961]

Good point 🎯

[@ChrisJames-pq6gg]

its best days are not over. ..new one best selling car last year... selling faster than any other Qashqai ...

[@AlmirTaranis]

Still driving in my Qashqai 1.6 2011 petrol , 246 thousand kilometers.

[@badbob1982]

The original Qashqai was blander than Ryvita coated in dust, but subsequent models are actually quite pleasing to the eye. My father in law had both the 1st and 2nd gen models, and I had the pleasure of driving his 2nd gen to Belgium from Scotland and back. It was a very pleasant machine on a long journey.

[@timjohnson67]

Excellent review

[@Danger_mouse]

It's great to see that the Qashqai was a success for Nissan in the UK. It was barely noticeable here in Australia as the first Dualis, and then later under the original name. As with many other vehicles that use the system, it's know here for expensive CVT failures. The once great Nissan is sadly no more, swollowed up by the alliance with Renault and a husk of their former golden years. As a life long Nissan/Datsun fan, it pains me to see what they've become. Bland, lifeless and warranty plagued cars across the various ranges and no class leading product anywhere 😢

[@GolfAlh]

Nice one man, congrats!

[@aidan1585]

It was a huge success for Nissan Ireland too!

[@jkb2016]

I have to say, the Qashqai is everything I hate about modern vehicle styling. Funny enough, my younger brother (now in his early 30s) rode a used Almera for five years and he liked it. Truly, it stood out positively against all these ugly compact crossover SUVs that people who hate cars are driving!

[@gg_vard]

I think the Qashqai is Nissan's best seller in Europe for a lot of years, so congratulations to all the people that made the original happen And congratulations to you for the very informative video

[@orion1983uk]

Congratulations for what? Starting a horrible trend towards SUVs and crossovers?

[@DM-hw4cr]

My U S Rogue CVT has been a decent transmission. It simply needs to be maintained with OEM fluid and reasonable driving habits. 180k miles on mine so far. Good Japanese motor also.

[@jamesmitchell5517]

I learnt to drive in a qashqai in aus we called it the dualis at the time and it was honestly the best car we ever had I will be buying the new model very soon

[@matthoffman8162]

Brilliant recounting of the Qashqai's development. Even though I drive a 5.6L V8 titan, I'm looking forward to Nissan's electrification.

[@uncov8127]

The first version was called a Dualis in Australia.

[@I_hate_Vegemite]

Laughing at the notion of the Focus and Megane as good functional cars. They were complete POS with appalling resale values in Australia due to a litany of problems. The smart buy was a Mazda3 or Corolla hatch. However the Dualis/Qashqai is/was a good enough small SUV that sold well, although nowhere near as well as the medium sized X-Trail. A final note, the Toyota RAV-4 was around 15-20 years before the Qashqai was even considered. The mid-2000s 2.4L mid-sized RAV4 in 3 or 5 door form absolutely shat on the small Qashqai for function, quality and reliability

[@johnedwards3198]

My wife and her sister had an 11 plate and 14 plate respectively. Apart from the dreaded DPF and the trademark boot release falling off they were wonderful cars... No wonder they sold so well

[@willwilliamsabc]

DPF?

[@johnedwards3198]

@@willwilliamsabc diesel particulate filter, if you don't warm it up by doing a motorway run occasionally it will clog up and throw lights. Costs a fair few quid to replace or regenerate

[@Keryaken133]

My mother always wanted a quashqai but she got a cx 5 instead, i finally get to understand why she wanted one. I also got a great idea for the next video, can you please do a history of the rover p series. You seem to talk about them alot in many videos and i think they deserve a video for itself. Thanks

[@BigCar2]

I’d like to do the P6.

[@chrismayer3919]

I just love, love, LOVE the Qashqui ‘skateboard’ commercial! 😃👍

[@santifresnel2320]

what a GREAT interview.

[@aluwanimoyo4093]

26:40 I'm sorry but I have to call BS on this part - how was Toyota imitating the Qashqai when the RAV4 was first introduced in 1994 well over a decade earlier than the Qashqai??? The car pictured in the frame here is actually the second generation RAV4 which was introduced in 2000 - RAV4 was already in its THIRD generation by the time Qashqai came along - so how was Toyota imitating Nissan here? RAV4 first gen - 1994, second gen - 2000, third gen - 2005. Nissan Qashqai introduction 2006! I mean come on! Side note: I can't believe its taken the designer of the Qashqai to FIANALLY give the Honda HR-V its dues! All these fake motor journalists and bloggers should really be embarrassed! I've read and herd FAR TOO MANY crediting the Qashqai with creating the segment. Everybody really needs to calm down.

[@JK061996]

The RAV4 at the time was still heavily inspired by classic 4WDs (see general proportions, top-heavy body, side-hinged tailgate with external spare wheel). The Qashqai on the other hand was the evolution of a hatchback that became taller and a little more rugged.

[@aluwanimoyo4093]

@@JK061996 If the RAV4 has moved away from more more classic 4WD inspiration, that's more likely due to the rise of other larger non off-roading SUVs such as the BMW X5, VW Tuareg, Mercedes ML, Range Rover Sport, Porsche Cayenne etc - not the Qashqai. Those cars all abandoned that classic 4WD styling before Qashqai existed. RAV4 also has an arch rival in the Honda CRV so I think any changes to the formula can be attributed to them trying to compete with that vehicle first rather than them trying to emulate a car in a lower segment. RAV4 has even moved slightly more up market, further away from the Qashqai segment, which has lead to Toyota creating the Corolla Cross to fill that gap. You give that little Nissan way too much credit honestly - it was a great idea, I like them a lot more than most of the commenters here - but RAV4 never needed any kind of help or inspiration from Qashqai.

[@realnutteruk1]

The Almera was actually a very nice car, especially in 2.2 diesel form.... plenty quick, but also capable of 60mpg....

[@shaunw9270]

I can imagine as I owned the 1.8 Sport (petrol) which was reasonably fast for a family hatchback, and handled like a much sportier car while still delivering 30 mpg even when pushed hard. I had mine for 7 or 8 years , it was serviced regularly, never let me down and passed every MOT with no advisories!

[@mattw8332]

My last car was an Almera 2.2 diesel (136 bhp). I loved the power but otherwise I never gelled with it. Best MPG I got was 51 but most of the time it was 39 - 41.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

I actually saw one this morning - rare as unicorn poop these days!

[@baronvonjo1929]

Maybe I'm looking at the wrong car but it said it had 110 hp when I looked it up. That's not plenty quick. That's slower than a snail. Thats not power at all. I hope I looked at it wrong

[@shaunw9270]

@@baronvonjo1929 Power to weight ratio . Think about it. Also if you're looking at Nissan's official stats on the car ,bear in mind most Japanese car firms publish lower figures for power, torque and top speed rather than the real figures.

[@RichieRouge206]

What an excellent video! Very interesting indeed.

[@Deckzwabber]

I got to drive a Qashqai as a rental for a few days. I was very pleasantly surprised

[@fathicoltd6774]

As Iranian, I like the Nissan used names from my country. The Qashqai, Qajar and Arya are good names. Although I highly appreciated if they were available in Iran's market. Thanks Nissan for advertising globally though :)

[@mustafanajeeb7859]

Good review & great car.

[@Daniel-OConnell]

David Twohig is originally from Mayfield , Cork City. Ireland.

[@andybiggs9563]

Always loved these videos, but why so many ads? I understand making some money, but 3 ad breaks in one video???

[@jugostran]

We had one of these. It handled like a cruise ship and was comically unstable. Gearbox (manual) went after 100k km.

[@mediacc8372]

nice story, I like those infos in term of industrial facts

[@stug45]

Love the clip from fast show! "Let's off road!"

[@Brera011]

Another great video, but a bit disappointed that the great Lego models of the Ford Mustang and the Porsche 911 are missing on your background. I've build them both, and they certainly deserve a space on tour shels.

[@BigCar2]

I’ve looked at buying the Mustang, but TBH I’m not that into American cars. Having said that, I’m t much into Porsches but I’ve got the 911 model.

[@NoName-qx6pt]

love you vid pls do more about nissan

[@rhiantaylor3446]

What helped the Qashqai enormously was that it was seen to be a medium-ish sized vehicle with some variants at least hitting a co2 number that allowed it to slip beneath the UK govt £0 p.a. threshold for annual tax.

[@ramiroini9504]

OMG that skate comercial was recorded in Buenos Aires!

[@sparky6086]

Mr K retiring, was the beginning of the end for Nissan.

[@reynardkitsune501]

Nissan had good and functional cars in the 80s which sold in respectable numbers, and there was even the one or another heartstopper among them (the 200SX comes readily to mind). And all of a sudden, Nissan decided to throw it all away in the 90s, long before Renault took over. Basically, it was only the Micra which held on to the good old days while most other models were...crap in any possible way. As a German, I had always resented that we got only the standard Nissans while the more interesting and "hotter" versions were only available in other parts of Europe - if, that is. The turbo Micra? LHD Figaros, Pao, S-Cargo? Skyline GT-R? 300ZX SWB? Nope.

[@mikosoft]

When he talked about the weak gas struts, well, funily enough, our Qashqai couldn't hold the tailgait in witner :D But the car had a high mileage and the struts were probably quite done. But I found it funny that they actually had to remediate that but still didn't quite fix it.

[@KenanTurkiye]

Tid-Bit Knowledge: The Qashqai is named after a Turkish tribe who live under parts of what is currently Iran.

[@handsomemackem]

I was the supervisor installing for Comau covering the complete line assembly mods

[@MAtogable]

From time to time you Brits get it right... this, the escort, the Focus, the Transit...

[@reitsmaassociates]

The Qashqai concept is still outstanding! , what a shame it didn’t make it through to production like how the LRX became the evoque.

[@darrensmith6999]

Nice one ,thank you (:

[@johnchedsey1306]

Out of all the crossovers Nissan produced for the US market, I still find the Juke to be the most enjoyable (particularly the Nismo trim). The Rogue Sport/Qashsqai was somewhat underpowered, though a comfortable car. The Rogue (for me) was just too big). I had a Kicks for a few years but once again, it was underpowered. Really interesting story on how Nissan has to operate in other markets!