On the face of it, Nissan have gone for something vaguely unpronounceable for their latest mid-sized SUV. However, once you get your tongue around the consonants, it all becomes clear – as Neil Hopkins discovers.

Qashqai (pronounced Cash-Kai). It doesn’t look like an English word – and certainly not like a Japanese one. If pushed, I’d probably say that it has its routes in Arabic. A quick search on trust Wikipedia reveals that Qashqai is, in fact, a Turkic language spoken by an ethnic group living in the Fars region of Iran. Quite what this has to do with a medium-sized SUV is anyone’s guess, but it’s an interesting aside. It’s probably meant to conjure up images of remote, exotic lands, where the smell of spices waft enticingly through the area; inaccessible hillsides and awe-inspiring vistas that only Nissan’s SUV can get you to. Or perhaps it’s just a nice word.

Moving swiftly on from the name, I had a rare opportunity, afforded by Yeomans Nissan in Bognor Regis who asked me if I’d like to double test the diesel and the petrol variants of the marque’s latest addition to the market. I ‘ummed’, I ‘ahhed’ and let them know that, if they twisted my arm, I would be prepared to take a car that I’d been wanting to get my paws on for a while around the block. It’s a hard life…

First up was the petrol variant. 2.0 litres with selectable two or four wheel drive (this was also available on the diesel I took out) and 140bhp on tap. It sounds promising. It’s certainly lively and agile, with a road stance and stability that inspires confidence. The engine is quiet and surprisingly economical as well – I was recording over 30mpg tootling around town and even higher on a blast down the motorway. For a petrol, that’s pretty cool. It’s nicely torque-y as well, at a figure of 145lb/ft – this means that there’s a bit of muscle under the loud pedal rather than just all out speed. I can certainly recommend the six-speed gearbox and light-touch clutch which makes light work of getting around the urban area and helps to eat up motorway miles (especially if you flick the cruise control on as well – possibly the best invention in the history of automotion).

With the petrol tested, time to take out the diesel, which was also a 2.0. Now, I’m not the biggest fan of diesels, usually finding them to be noisy and slow. Not so with the Qashqai however – it puts out 148bhp (eight more than the petrol) and a near-ridiculous 236lb/ft of torque. It is lightening fast, with throttle response times that I’d traditionally ascribe to a petrol engine.

In fact (whisper it softly), I actually would take the diesel over the petrol any day. There’s nothing wrong with the petrol – it’s a very nice lump – but the diesel is something else. It’s obvious that the chassis of the Qashqai deserves, demands even, the sheer brute force that the diesel engine puts out. It’s happiest at the top of the torque curve and makes the driver feel near invincible. Less a car, more a force of nature neatly packaged and on the forecourt waiting for you.

It’s a quiet diesel as well; yes, there’s some start-up chatter but other than that, it’s a world away from the traditional image of a tractor engine with some new clothes. It’s great in fact.

In terms of ride quality, both variants are excellent, there’s no doubt about that. Wallow through corners is conspicuous by its absence and they take the bump’n’grind of the urban jungle well. There’s little wind noise at speed and the steering is full of feel.

The Qashqai range is built well, as you’d expect from a Nissan, and there was little to choose between the well specified interiors – although I did prefer the cloth seats of the diesel as opposed to the heated leather seats of the petrol. Not entirely sure why, to be honest – probably just one of those things or a lingering fondness for cows from when I used to live next to a farm.

The cabin was particularly impressive as well with plenty of space (especially in the boot) and the rear seats. Steering wheel mounted audio, phone and cruise control buttons make for little effort and the climate control buttons are all within easy reach on the console as well. The versions I took out both had full length sunroofs (non-opening) to allow more light into the cabin, as well as rain sensitive wipers and lights.

Call me a geek but, aside from cruise control, rain/light sensitive things are the best additions to a car since wheels. Why bother working out if you need your lights on or not? Why try to work out the frequency of the rain drops to see how fast you need the wipers? Let the car do it for you: sit back, relax and take the Qashqai to new and exciting places.

So, what didn’t I like? Only a couple of things, if I’m honest. The rear view seems tiny – although the wing mirrors are a decent size and the view backwards is uninterrupted, the miniscule nature of the back window takes some getting used to. However, on reversing into a particularly tight parking space, the view didn’t pose a problem. The other niggle is the position of the handbrake – it’s too far over for my liking and the centre storage box got in my way. Neither are major problems however.

In conclusion, I loved the Qashqai. I would never have expected to prefer the diesel to the petrol, but life’s full of little surprises. For the family or business buyer, Nissan’s latest SUV represents a sensible purchase; excellent value-to-money ratio, plenty of economy and the back-up of the Nissan reputation.

Give one a try today and discover something different…