Nissan Qashqai Acenta Premium review

Bringing plenty of upmarket equipment – including Nissan’s Smart Vision pack – and the Qashqai’s attractive mix of style and space, the Acenta Premium trim level offers a great balance between big car features and affordable pricing.

There are only two trim levels above Acenta Premium in the Nissan Qashqai range, but it’s this model that offers the best balance between strong equipment specification and decent pricing.

Keyless go, a seven-inch touchscreen sat-nav, DAB, privacy glass, 17-inch alloys, a panoramic sunroof and a colour reversing camera all come as standard. On top of this there’s also Nissan’s Smart Vision pack, which includes traffic sign recognition, high beam assist for the headlights, parking sensors all round, autonomous braking and lane departure warning to help improve safety. It also adds extra peace of mind if you’ll be using the Qashqai to transport friends and family.

The Nissan’s sharp styling is matched by the way it drives, as for a family-sized crossover it’s fairly agile. We like the Qashqai’s mix of ride comfort and body control as it treads the line nicely between being fun to drive and effortless on long journeys – the high ride height means a great view of the road, too.

Acenta Premium trim is available with a choice of three engines, including Nissan’s downsized 113bhp 1.2-litre turbocharged DIG-T petrol. It’s not the quickest, with 0-62mph taking 10.9 seconds, but there’s enough performance on offer and decent efficiency, too – Nissan claims up to 50.4mpg, but expect to see closer to high 30s in the real world.

If you’re after frugal motoring, the 108bhp 1.5-litre diesel is a better bet. This engine has been around for a while now and has been developed heavily, so official fuel economy stands at 74.3mpg. CO2 emissions of 99g/km mean it’s also road tax free.

There’s a larger 1.6-litre turbodiesel available that puts out 128bhp, but even though it’s quicker we’d stick to the 1.5 dCi for its mix of mid-range punch and low running costs. If you want four-wheel drive you’ll have to opt for the larger unit, however. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard on this variant, but the 1.2 turbo and 1.6 diesel are available with Nissan’s Xtronic CVT auto transmission.

A good equipment spec and a strong range of engines make the Nissan Qashqai Acenta Premium an attractive mode of family transport. A 430-litre boot and the roomy, robust cabin mean it’ll take all you can throw at it – and although you’ll have to pay extra if you want metallic or pearlescent paint, with a bold range of colours to choose from it’s a worthwhile extra.