Nissan Qashqai TI v Subaru XV 2.0I Premium comparison review

Price & Equipment - Winner: Subaru XV

The top-spec petrol Qashqai is loaded with a 7.0-inch colour touchscreen, reverse camera, sat-nav, six airbags, smart-key entry, auto headlights, dual-zone air-con, a parking assistance system, leather/synthetic trim, heated front seats (powered for the driver) lane-departure and blind spot warnings, 19-inch alloys, and a powered glass roof.

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The Subaru XV 2.0i Premium is a rung down from top billing, and $2350 cheaper than the Nissan. But in lieu of heated-seat luxe and big-wheel bling you get AEB, adaptive cruise, lane-keeping assistance, a tyre pressure monitor, a driver’s knee airbag, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto via an 8.0-inch screen. AWD and metallic paint are standard, too.

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Interior & Versatility - Winner: Subaru XV

The Brit-built Nissan Qashqai Ti is nicely put together and reasonably classy. The leather is comfy and the glass roof lightens the mood. It’s roomy in the back though not as easy to see out of as the Subie, partly because of the rising window-line. There are no rear air-con vents either, though the Nissan’s boot is usefully bigger at 430L.

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The Subaru XV gets tactile cloth and leather trim, and quality plastics and switchgear. Besides being better finished than the outgoing model, it’s roomier, front and back, though the boot is still modest at 310L – you could always put a pod on the roof rails. The view from the back seat forward and out the sides is good, and there are rear air-con vents.

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Performance & Economy - Winner: Draw

Both these jacked-up hatches weigh around 1450kg and have 2.0-litre petrol fours paired with a CVT auto. The Nissan officially uses less fuel at 6.9L/100km and there may be some saving in only driving the front wheels, but real world urban figures are likely to rise to circa 9L/100km for both. CVT is stepped to erase the usual rev drone.

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Subie donk differs with flat layout and stop-start system. Uses 7.5L/100km on the official combined cycle, and draws from a tank two litres smaller than its rival’s at 63L. The CVT also adopts (seven) artificial ratio steps, but drone is the default noise during hard acceleration, sidestepped by shifting manually. The XV is flexible, but not fast.

Ride & Refinement - Winner: Subaru XV

The Nissan is reasonably refined in terms of shutting out tyre, wind, and engine noise, unless you’re flat-out uphill. Body movements are well controlled yet the primary ride is supple, though this is spoilt by the 19s with shallow sidewalls, which relay constant jiggle into the cabin on poorly maintained urban surfaces.

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Like the fifth-gen Impreza it’s derived from, the Subaru XV is an extremely solid, quiet, and refined machine. Meanwhile, it builds on the donor hatch and sedan’s good ride by bringing a bit more travel and absorbency, while sticking to more sensible 17in boots than its rival to iron out urban lumps and road joins.

Steering & Handling - Winner: Subaru XV

The Qashqai, even without all-wheel drive to fuel the soft-roading illusion, is essentially a raised hatchback and that’s how it drives (which is a good thing). The Nissan is tautly controlled, reasonably grippy, and steers with accuracy if not feel, and sitting up higher than you would in a normal hatch helps you pick your lines.

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AWD and the X-Mode system, give the XV real slippery road/loose conditions advantage, and the subtle effect of active torque vectoring, which points the nose by braking individual wheels satisfies. But the highlight is the steering – the best in a modern Subaru – with a lovely fluid feel and connection from just off centre.

Verdict - Winner: Subaru XV

The box-fresh Subaru brings all the gear today’s buyers expect as standard in a car, such as AEB, but its price advantage over the higher-spec Nissan might be negated, because there’s not much room for discounting. The Qashqai is due for a facelift – we’re expecting an update late this year – so we’d be surprised if you couldn’t get all that Ti-level fruit for less than list price.

Yet, on value, the Subaru, with its unlimited-kay warranty, AWD, and standard metallic paint, is at least a nose ahead. It’s nicer to sit in, though it’s a pity it doesn’t have a bigger boot. On the powertrain front, neither sparkles, but both do the job with reasonable economy. Yet the Subaru’s chassis sets it apart from the Nissan. The refined, fine-riding, sweet-steering XV takes gold.

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