Test drive Nissan Qashqai vs Mazda CX-5

The higher and more powerful the city crossover, the further to run for the Land Cruiser Prado.

“While your SUVs were sitting here last spring, I flew over here on the Grant.” Familiar? To finally dispel the myth that urban crossovers like the Nissan Qashqai and Mazda CX-5 are not capable of anything, we dipped them in the mud up to the very mirrors. A washed-out suburban country road at the end of October, deep ruts, sharp elevation changes and clay - a difficult obstacle course, where even the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, which we took as a technical vehicle, periodically strained all the locks.

The snow-white Nissan Qashqai froze in front of a huge puddle, like a parachutist before the first jump. One more step - and there will be no turning back. But there was no need to push the crossover into the abyss - he himself slowly plunged into the water: the road protector at the very beginning of the route was hopelessly clogged with mud. And this, as it turned out later, became the main problem for the car.

In order to take the off-road by storm, we chose the most expensive Qashqai - with a 2,0-liter engine (144 hp and 200 Nm), CVT and all-wheel drive. The top versions of Nissan, unlike most crossovers on the market, have a transmission control system - All Mode 4 × 4-i. There are three modes in total: 2WD, Auto and Lock. In the first case, Qashqai, regardless of road conditions, always remains front-wheel drive, in the second, it automatically connects the rear axle when the front wheels slip. And finally, in the case of Lock, the electronics forcibly distribute the torque equally between the front and rear wheels at speeds up to 80 km / h, after which the "automatic" mode is activated.

From a technical point of view, the Mazda CX-5's all-wheel drive transmission seems simpler. Here, for example, it is impossible to forcibly block the electromagnetic clutch: the system itself decides when and how to connect the rear wheels. Another thing is that the top-end CX-5 is equipped with a 2,5-liter "four" with a capacity of 192 hp, more powerful than that of the Qashqai. and 256 Nm of torque.

At first, Mazda emerged from deep puddles too easily: a little more "gas" - and the road tires are not a tread, so the speed clings to slippery ground. Having swallowed plenty of marsh slurry with a radiator grill and fastening kilograms of wet grass on the rear suspension arms, the CX-5 for some reason turned towards an abandoned barn and fell into the underworld.

“Cars are usually taken from here by helicopter,” either the local “jeeper” who “teared off more than one towing eye here” either joked or sympathized. Meanwhile, the Nissan Qashqai lagged behind the Mazda by several tens of meters: the crossover could not overcome the rut overgrown with slippery grass. The all-wheel drive system works almost without errors, transferring the moment to the right wheel, and it seems that Qashqai is about to leave the land, but the suspension arms are removed into the ground.

The clearance of the Nissan assembled in Russia in comparison with the English version was increased by exactly one centimeter - this was achieved due to the stiffer springs and shock absorbers. As a result, the Qashqai's ground clearance turned out to be very decent for its class - 200 millimeters. So you can't complain about the geometric cross-country ability of the Japanese crossover - if Nissan frankly does not export somewhere, then this is definitely not a problem with low bumpers.

Mazda CX-5 risked remaining in the swampy slurry forever - the body slowly sank deeper and deeper, which even had to turn off the engine. The Land Cruiser Prado seemed like a sure savior, but the trouble started with the crossover's towing eyelet getting stuck in the mud. After the "Mazda" somehow managed to hook on the dynamic line, the problems began already with Prado.

On a very viscous surface, even the Land Cruiser Prado, prepared for the difficulties, was helpless - it simply does not have a “barn” mode. The Japanese SUV is equipped with a highly intelligent Multi-terrain Select system that fine-tunes engine, transmission and suspension modes to suit current road conditions. For most road conditions, these packages are enough, where the electronics itself decides how much slip to allow, whether individual wheels need to be braked and what traction limit must be ensured in order to overcome a steep hill. In addition, the Land Cruiser Prado has "classic" locks for interaxle and rear interwheel differentials. You can, of course, also turn on the lowering row and raise the stern thanks to the rear air struts.

Prado, unlike its competitors, did not fall into the abyss - at some point it simply hung in place, burying itself even deeper. What was under the wheels of the SUV is difficult to call the earth. However, when the Land Cruiser cannot move, another Land Cruiser comes to its aid - in our case it was a turbodiesel version of the previous generation. Tow bar, dynamic sling, blocking - and the prepared SUV pulled two cars at once.

Lumps of clay, monotonous engine sounds and a terrible rumble are not military actions, but just a Nissan Qashqai, whose road tread is completely clogged. He, on the verge of a foul, overcame another difficult section and was already preparing to turn around, when he refused to go on the necessary tractor and got stuck in the deepest puddle on the route. But Qashqai unexpectedly refused the services of the Land Cruiser Prado: a few minutes of races - and the crossover independently got out onto the asphalt without a hint of overheating of the variator.

Mazda CX-5 passed the Qashqai path gracefully, almost without errors. Where frankly there was not enough grip on a slippery surface, a 192-horsepower engine rescued. There was no need to complain about the geometric patency: the ground clearance from the lowest point of the bottom to the ground is 215 millimeters. These are already quite off-road performance, but the overall off-road potential was slightly spoiled by bulky overhangs. Clack-clack-boom is the CX-5 bouncing over potholes, each time clinging to the ground with its rear bumper. It's better to be careful with speed than to look for bumper clips in clay. But the crossover does not forgive mistakes: once we were modest with “gas” - we run after the Land Cruiser.

The body of the CX-5 is well protected from dirt: massive doors completely cover the sills, so that the opening always remains clean. At the bottom of the front bumper is a wide black reinforced plastic segment. The rear bumper is almost entirely protected from dirt and impacts with a matte lining. The Qashqai also has an off-road body kit, but it rather serves as a decorative function: the dirt from under the front wheels flies onto the side windows and mirrors, and the front protective apron protects the bumper mostly from high curbs.

After the off-road, crossovers begin a new life. It will not work just like that and change the image from a rural to a city one: you will need an expensive car wash, preferably with dry cleaning and bottom cleaning. The rims should be additionally rinsed with a high-pressure hose: the brakes on the Qashqai and CX-5 are not protected by anything.

For some reason, most consumers believed that since the crossover is built on common units with a sedan or a C-class hatchback, then it is better not to drive it outside the Moscow Ring Road. But later, models from the B segment appeared, and the perception of "older" SUVs changed dramatically. Crossovers themselves have matured: now models like the Mazda CX-5 and Nissan Qashqai can and, most importantly, love to drive over difficult rough terrain. The first SUVs in the world were made for the American countryside, but the opposite is true for modern cars. You can drive a crossover out of a city, but never a city out of a crossover.

	Nissan Qashqai		Mazda CX-5
Body type	Universal	Universal
Dimensions (length / width / height), mm	4377/1837/1595	4555/1840/1670
Wheelbase, mm	2646	2700
Ground clearance, mm	200	210
Cargo space, l	430	403
Curb weight, kg	1475	1495
Gross vehicle weight, kg	1950	2075
engine's type	Gasoline, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder	Gasoline, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder
Working volume, cubic meters cm.	1997	2488
Max. power, h.p. (at rpm)	144/6000	192/5700
Max. cool. moment, nm (at rpm)	200/4400	256/4000
Drive type, transmission	Full, variator	Full, 6KP
Max. speed km / h	182	194
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s	10,5	7,9
Fuel consumption, average, l / 100 km	7,3	7,3
Price from, $.	19 527	22 950