Test drive Nissan Qashqai against Suzuki SX4 and Subaru XV
Test Drive

Test drive Nissan Qashqai against Suzuki SX4 and Subaru XV

The Nissan Qashqai was not the first C-Class hatchback with high ground clearance, and there was no head-spinning success in its clean, tight lines. However, in ten years more than three million vehicles have been sold worldwide. The competitors - Suzuki SX4 and Subaru XV - are not so famous, but this does not mean at all that they have nothing to oppose the bestseller.

With the change of generations, the Qashqai has become more massive and now looks more like a crossover, and not like a passenger hatchback. With the launch of production in St. Petersburg, he began his third life - already in the role of one of the most popular cars in the segment. The localized crossover received a suspension adapted to our conditions, with new shock absorbers and an extended track.

The all-wheel drive Suzuki SX4 hatch originally played in the B-class. The next generation grew in size and imitated the first generation "Qashqai": a tilted rear pillar, large naive headlights, a variator, a four-wheel drive mode switch washer. It was not possible only to repeat the success - the crossover, renamed S-Cross, did not fundamentally change the position on the European market. In Russia, he started well in 2014, the supply of cars stopped.

Test drive Nissan Qashqai against Suzuki SX4 and Subaru XV

During the time when the SX4 was absent from us, Suzuki worked on the mistakes: removed the variator, added a turbo engine and tried to make the car more solid. I overdid it with the latter - the powerful chrome grille “I want to be Prado” and the huge headlights seem to have been borrowed from an SUV a couple of sizes larger and are not importantly combined with 16-inch wheels in spacious arches.

Subaru XV is essentially the Impreza hatchback, but with increased clearance to 220 mm and a protective body kit. Despite the long nose, it looks more like an SUV than other test participants. This is a real exotic in the segment: a horizontally positioned boxer engine, its own transmission. Being the most affordable crossover of the Subaru brand, it was still inferior in popularity to the older Forester. In 2016, the XV underwent restyling and received new chassis settings, and with them a price tag of $ 21, which made the crossover even more exotic.

Test drive Nissan Qashqai against Suzuki SX4 and Subaru XV

Qashqai immediately has an abundance of soft plastic, a neat fit of parts and a solid shine of piano lacquer. And also options - only it has a panoramic sunroof and all-round cameras. Standard navigation learns about traffic jams via the radio channel and instantly recalculates the route.

The restyled Subaru XV has beautiful accents with aluminum and piano lacquer, but the feeling of quality is spoiled by wide gaps and uneven stitching on the leather. The interior of the Suzuki SX4 has also changed for the better - soft front fascia, modern navigation - but among the test cars it is the most modest. In the top-end configuration, the same fabric seat upholstery, only with contrasting stitching. Multimedia Subaru offers additional applications, Suzuki - advanced voice control, but they do not know how to calculate a route taking into account traffic jams.

Test drive Nissan Qashqai against Suzuki SX4 and Subaru XV

The Nissan Qashqai is wider in the shoulders and superior to the competition in wheelbase. In theory, its second row should be the most comfortable and spacious, there are even additional air ducts. But in fact, the sofa cushion is set low in comparison with competitors. In headroom and headroom, the Nissan matches the more compact Suzuki and is inferior to the Subaru. The SX4's trunk is equal to Nissan's, but when the rear seat backs are folded down, the Qashqai takes revenge. Suzuki leads the way in convenience, with lower loading height and underfloor storage. The XV has the most uncomfortable and cramped trunk - just over XNUMX liters.

The Nissan Qashqai soft wide seat with adjustable lumbar support is soothing, the thick A-pillars affect visibility, but look reliable, as if emphasizing the strength of the body. Subaru has the most dense, sporty seat, and the view is like in the openwork cockpit of an airplane. The nondescript SX4 seat is unexpectedly comfortable and cozy, and the landing here is the lowest - a regular passenger hatchback.

Test drive Nissan Qashqai against Suzuki SX4 and Subaru XV

Nissan Qashqai accelerates with laziness - the engine is straining to roar, the tachometer needle takes off to the red zone, but at the exit - a viscous rubber acceleration. The Subaru XV has a second wind acceleration: a good pick up at the start and another one, but closer to 60 km per hour. The variator works faster here and is struggling to resemble a traditional "automatic". Suzuki SX4 makes the impression of the most lively in the three - due to the turbo engine, which produces peak torque already at 1500 crankshaft rpm, quick reactions of the six-speed automatic transmission and the smallest mass.

According to the passport, it is: acceleration of Suzuki to 100 km / h takes 10,2 s, but objectively, the dynamics of crossovers does not differ so much, by tenths of a second. Qashqai is 0,2 seconds faster than XV. Subjectively, it is the slowest, which is why you abuse the accelerator. Surprisingly, the speed penalty came only on this car.

The Nissan crossover was also the most voracious: in traffic jams, gasoline consumption grew to 11 liters. Subaru with an atmospheric boxer with a similar weight and power turned out to be more economical by a liter. The least appetite was demonstrated by the Suzuki turbo engine: about 10 liters, according to the readings of the on-board computer.

All-wheel drive transmissions of crossovers are structured approximately the same: the rear axle is connected automatically by a multi-plate clutch. The difference lies mainly in the settings and advanced modes. Qashqai can be made front-wheel drive by turning the washer - fuel economy is most relevant for it. For off-road conditions, the Lock mode is intended - up to 40 km / h, the thrust will be equally distributed between the axles.

Test drive Nissan Qashqai against Suzuki SX4 and Subaru XV

The SX4 clutch can also be forcibly locked, but only for this Suzuki has special Snow and Sport modes. In the first case, the motor responds smoother to gas, and the electronics transmits more torque. In the second, the clutch works with preload, the accelerator becomes sharper, and the grip of the stabilization system weakens.

Subaru does not allow interference in the all-wheel drive system - the electronics itself distributes traction between the axles. The XV's multi-plate clutch is packaged in one crankcase with the transmission and is therefore not afraid of overheating off-road. In theory, Subaru should be the most driver-oriented and sporty, but no special modes are provided here.

Test drive Nissan Qashqai against Suzuki SX4 and Subaru XV

The Qashqai's character is the most peaceful and urban - even the sporty mode of the electric booster only grips the steering wheel without adding feedback. The stabilization system is tuned for maximum safety and rigidly suppresses any hint of slipping. It’s even strange that it turns off completely. The suspension of the Russian version has been adapted for bad roads, but it still goes through holes and ice build-ups a little harshly. In principle, for the sake of a smooth ride, here it was possible to abandon the fight against rolls and make the crossover even softer.

Subaru XV demonstrates rally genes: it has the sharpest steering wheel and the most comfortable suspension on a dirt road. But going to all the Subarov stars will not work: the supervision of strict electronics can only be weakened, but it does not turn off completely. The Suzuki SX4 in Sport mode readily and predictably rides sideways. Thanks to the thickest tires, the car smoothly works out pits, but for the same reason, its reactions are inferior to Subaru in sharpness. The crossover's ground clearance is the smallest among the cars in the test, and the all-wheel drive is combined with a semi-independent rear beam.

Test drive Nissan Qashqai against Suzuki SX4 and Subaru XV

The main trump card of the Nissan Qashqai is the Russian assembly, which made it possible to adjust prices. And a wide range of options, among which there is even a diesel. The simplest crossover with a 1,2-liter gasoline turbo engine, "mechanics" and front-wheel drive will cost $ 13 with a little. The two-liter version with all-wheel drive and variator costs from $ 349 to $ 20.

Suzuki also has an initial million dollar version, but the turbo and all-wheel drive will cost more than $ 21. The Subaru XV is offered exclusively with all-wheel drive, for the version with a CVT they ask for $ 011, and the limited edition Hyper Edition has already pulled for $ 21. In any case, even the top-end XV and SX011 versions are outperformed by the Qashqai.

Test drive Nissan Qashqai against Suzuki SX4 and Subaru XV

Suzuki SX4 was pleasantly surprised by its combative character. Qashqai is inferior to competitors in certain disciplines, but in general it is better balanced - the character is even, albeit boring. This is the moment when you can take a car blindly and not regret it. Suzuki and Subaru require a thoughtful approach: you need to prioritize, weigh all the arguments and decide whether, for example, for the sake of driver's ambitions, it is worth paying for delivery from IKEA a couple of times a year.

A type
CrossoverCrossoverCrossover
Dimensions: length / width / height, mm
4377 / 1837 / 15954300 / 1785 / 15854450 / 1780 / 1615
Wheelbase, mm
264626002635
Ground clearance, mm
200180220
Cargo space, l
430-1585430-1269310-1200
Curb weight, kg
1480/15311235/12601430-1535
Gross vehicle weight, kg
199717301940
engine's type
Gasoline atmosphericTurbocharged petrolGasoline atmospheric
Working volume, cubic meters cm.
199313731995
Max. power, h.p. (at rpm)
144 / 6000140 / 5500150 / 6200
Max. cool. moment, Nm (at rpm)
200 / 4400220 / 1500-4000196 / 4200
Drive type, transmission
Full, variatorFull, AKP6Full, variator
Max. speed km / h
182200187
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s
10,510,210,7
Fuel consumption, l / 100 km
7,36,27
Price from, $.
20 21121 61321 346

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