I am moving to Switzerland from USA, and planning to buy a SUV. I am split between Mazda CX-5 and Nissan Qashqai. While Mazda CX-5 has 4WD, higher hp, Nissan Qashqai is perhaps most popular family SUV with great equipment at the same price.
Hi all,
Think most of the Qashqais sold here are 4x4
personally prefer the CX5 but really depends what you need from the car
it is a bit like choosing between coffee with milk and coffee with sugar: it is a matter of taste but no matter which option you choose, it is not really exciting.
Not anymore they're not, you can only get 4x4 with a manual gearbox now. If you want auto you're stuck with FWD.
In answer to the original question, I prefer the CX5, but the petrol engine in the Nissan is better. Nissan have great 0% leasing deals which means the car is cheaper to buy assuming you want to lease a new one but at the end of the day it depends which one you prefer. Both are excellent cars and are probably the two best family crossovers out there.
One other to consider depending on time is the Seat Ateca though, it's had great reviews and will be well priced so will be worth a look too if it's available when you are ready to buy.
CX5 gets the better reviews. A friend has one and is very happy. Another has a Qashqai and is also content (despite having had the gearbox replaced under warranty.
Haven't driven a CX5, have the Qashqai and on that find the suspension far too soft for my liking.
I would also suggest looking at the Yeti and Kuga if that's the sort of thing you are looking for.
The Yeti is nice, but it's a bit smaller than the others, I agree it's worth a look though. The Kuga, I'm not so keen on personally and it doesn't look like great value against the other options. It's one of those Fords where they have tried to build a 'global' car and it doesn't quite hit the spot for the European market (see also new Mondeo, EcoSport and probably the Edge when it arrives here too).
The Yeti is actually much bigger inside than you might think - has more space than the Qashqai.
Yes, the Kuga is one of their global cars but it probably has the best suspension and handling of all that class of car; at least in its European spec. AFAIK, the main inputs in its design were European (being very closely based on the first Kuga which was 100% European), the American input was more-or-less restricted to asking for it to be 20cm longer.
In the end it's all a question of your personal taste anyway
I test-drove a Qashqai a few years ago, but found the driving position a little cramped. I'm taller than average, (6 2") and it had a sun roof, so my head was jammed up against the roof. I suppose I could have lowered the seat a little, but I just didn't feel thta comfortable. Never tried the CX-5; we ended up with a Hyundai Santa Fe and we're very happy with it.
This.
I hate the steering wheel in the Qashqai - the design is horrible and the stitching on the leather is too coarse and sticks out too far, this is enough to put me off buying the car
The Yeti is a "cheerful" car. It seems so much more competent at pretty much everything than you expect.
Sure the interior isn't going to win any design awards and perhaps the plastics feel just that little bit thinner than they should - but it is a very likeable, family focused things - which has a level of all round competence that is hard to beat.
I know a forum member who bought one and was very happy with it.
varoom,
The best thing to do would be to arrive here and give them a try. I own a Qashqai which I bought in 2010 new (J10). It is a 4x4 manual Tekna version (roof, leather sits, etc) and I use it as a daily commuter. I also took this car in a few trips across Europe and here is my feedback.
Since that time the only problem I had is some glitch in rear door which prevented the car from locking the door. This was discovered after 2 weeks of owning the vehicle and was fixed under warranty.
Since that time no problems. I still have original headlights and original bulbs in turn indicators, etc.
My feedback in general is the following:
Good points:
1. Very reliable car. I have 2.0 petrol engine which does not consume any oil between OCI (oil change intervals) of 15'000 km
2. Engine uses chain, so it should last 200'000 km+ if treated properly. Also, engine warms up quite fast so you don't really need to idle and pollute air
3. Reasonably economical for it's size (my consumption is about 7.6 l / 100 km)
4. Nice to drive on motorways - very stable and comfortable. I took the car to trips in Germany, Italy, France, and Luxembourg.
5. A lot of boot space
Negative points:
1. If you have an open roof and you are tall you may feel discomfort. This is only valid for previous generation, the new generation (2014 onwards) probably does not have this problem
The J10 edition is discontinued and it looks like the new Qashqai (J11) is a slightly different car with different engines. I hope that some J11 owner will write here his/her feedback.
Agree with volodymyr, yes gather opinions, but try both yourself before buying. People want different things from their cars, what you want only you know.
We have had 2 Qashqais and are very happy with them, looking to buy a third later in the year. We find the Mazdas plasticky and nowhere near as good as the Qashqai. First Qashqai we had was a petrol Tekna, but the second we went with the diesel version and are very happy with it. We got the 1.6l engine and it does 5.5-5.7l per 100kms depending on the driving. We find it comfortable and plenty of storage/luggage space when needed.
I really like the Yeti - great performer that stays out of attention. That said, getting a used one at a decent price is a different story - for better or for worse
I agree with the Yeti fans in this thread. It is a surprisingly great little car. Best bet is to test drive them all and go with your gut. The other differences are too negligible.
Shortarse. I rented one a while back. I'm 6'5 and had no problems driving it but I do recall it wasn't that big inside. Rented a Santa Fe in Canada and was very impressed with the way it drove.
might find this interesting:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...current-mazda/
I would consider the one closest to where you are going to live!
I used a "new" Mazda 3 about 5 years ago (when it first came out) for an assignment to the Czech Republic. I borrowed it from one of the Swiss car magazines who had it on fleet from Mazda. It was the 2.2 diesel and it was the ideal car for the schlep up across Europe.
It was a good looking little hatch - fairly lusty engine, cruised effortlessly, good economy, well equipped - in fact it really was covering itself in glory and would be a winner - except for 2 minor flaws. The first was wind noise - it was terrible - like they hadn't even bothered to suppress it - almost as if the budget run out after making such a great engine. And then there was the variable assistance steering which would weight up nicely at speed and yet be easy in town. All fine and good - up until the point you were on the back roads and speeds would vary - ending up with you dropping into "town speed" at a hairpin resulting in the steering going light and giving no feedback on what the front tyres were doing!
Lots of positives - 2 flaws - added together were enough to give it the thumbs down.
Actually both of the cars you mention are crossovers and notSUV’s and don’t even come standard with 4x4.
I have owned three Nissan Xtrails 2006, 2008 and 2013 models.All diesel. I would have replaced my last one with another if they hadn’t have scrapedthe xtrail for a re badged Qashqai +2. This forced me to look else where.
I am now the proud owner of an American Dodge Durango. As American imports are not so expensive here I would recommend takinga look at what is on offer. I have had my first winter in the mountains andhave found it to be very capable in the snow and ice and full of the latest gadgets.
The Qashqai is quite popular and one of the highest selling ones. Had test driven both in the diesel form cause I like turbo diesels and although on paper the CX-5 is way more powerful, you still don't feel the Qashqai lacking.
The ride on the CX-5 is very firm compared to the qashqai & is really good handler, but that said the qashqai is'nt far behind in the handling dept but is way ahead when it comes to ride comfort. In fact the Qashqai's ride comfort is comparable to a few high-end sedans.
The CX-5 is more spacious, but the Qashqai has lots of gizmos and the one that's sold on me is the Around view monitor which projects a top view as well as covers all four sides of the car while parking. it is a boon to have in Europe's narrow parking facilities. The sat-nav on both are quite goood, although the graphics on the CX-5 look dated. Nissan also comes with the Google send to car.
Price wise, the Qashqai comes a lot cheaper considering the features you get. My pick would be Qashqai N-Connecta with the panoramic roof.
my 2 cents. Hope this helps.
Thanks everyone for excellent suggestions. I ended up in buying Qashqai (Teckna 1.2 DIG-T) with around view monitor and panoramic roof. So far, I have driven it for continuous 3 hour ride, which I found a lot of fun.
The around view monitor did help a lot in parking in my very cramped parking lot (had a pillar on one side, and a minivan on the other side). Reverse parking seems to do the trick for now.