Nissan Qashqai review - Practicality & boot space

Practicality isn’t the most exciting aspect of a new car but SUVs aimed at families need to be capable of carrying lots. Inevitably, cars in this class have grown in size as new models have launched and the Qashqai is no different with the current third-generation version being the biggest yet. 

The amount of space inside the Qashqai is okay for the class. The front seats are very comfortable and when you’ve got a driver of around six feet in height, there’s just about room for a similarly sized passenger to sit behind. They may have to press their knees into the soft padding on the back of the front seat a little, though. Headroom in the back is also fine, only those well over six feet tall will have problems. Getting three adults across the back will be less comfortable as the middle seat base cushion is narrow and raised slightly. Then there’s the lump in the floor where that middle occupant’s feet need to go.

Storage space isn’t huge. The glovebox is small and the door pockets, although shaped to take a bottle, aren’t the largest. There are two cup holders in the centre console and a shelf that becomes a wireless charging pad on the higher spec cars. Other than that, it’s the deep bin under the centre armrest that’s the best location for your accoutrements. 

Does the Nissan Qashqai have a big boot?

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Nissan Qashqai offers a total of 504 litres of boot space in base form. In the N-Connecta, Tekna, N-Design and Tekna+ trims, boot capacity is reduced slightly to 479 litres due to standard fit luggage boards, which allow you to separate the boot into sections: a useful feature if you intend on carrying fragile items.

The boot floor is reversible and can be raised or lowered, depending on what you need. Raising the boot floor allows you to have a completely flat floor when the rear seats are folded. Doing so frees up 1,447 litres of boot space in lower-spec models, falling to 1,422 litres in models fitted with the luggage board boot floor system. Both of these figures are measured up to the roof of the car.

Is the Nissan Qashqai a good tow car?

The Qashqai can tow a braked trailer of 1,400kg in entry-level form. This increases to 1,650kg if you upgrade from the 138bhp 1.3-litre engine to the 156bhp version and 1,800kg if you add four-wheel drive. Be warned if you’re considering the e-Power Nissan Qashqai that it’s not really suitable as a tow car with a limit of just 750kg. These weights are beaten by the best tow cars in the class, which can pull over two tonnes – usually helped by a diesel engine.