Our Fleet: Nissan Qashqai 1.6 dCi N-Tec + - November 2012

Our otherwise impeccable Nissan Qashqai lost a little bit of its sheen in the past month, as I discovered its exceptional fuel economy wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

In the hands of its previous custodian, the crossover would, according to its trip computer, sometimes return more than 70mpg on journeys – far in excess of its official economy of 62.8mpg.

I was feeling pretty proud of myself, too, when I rolled up to the pumps for the first time with the trip computer telling me that I had averaged 64.7mpg over the 712.5 miles I'd travelled on a single tankful.

However, this didn't seem to correlate with the 13.14 gallons I put in, and a quick calculation later showed me that I'd actually achieved 52.4mpg – 19% less than the reported figure. To get the reported economy, I would have needed to have travelled another 140 miles.

The next fill-up told a similar tale – a reported 60.7mpg turned out to be 50.1mpg, leaving me feeling slightly deflated.
It would be harsh to be too critical of the Qashqai over this because 50mpg-plus is undoubtedly still a good return, but knowing that all is not as it seems just detracts slightly from the car's feelgood factor.

And a feelgood factor is something it has in abundance – from its elevated driving position, its interior design and quality, and its road manners, the Qashqai is a very easy car to like.