Nissan: Rolling with the family

For a roomy, high-riding seven-seat at a fair price, try Nissan's Qashqai+2. Photo / Supplied

I wanted to like Nissan's Qashqai+2. It's smart, well-thought-out and I'm sure many families will be very happy with it.

But a wheelbase stretched 135mm and a height up by 40mm has brought some handling compromises, while the 100kg of additional heft is felt in terms of too-relaxed performance from the 2.0-litre engine, especially on steep uphills where I needed to use the manual mode on the CVT to avoid irritation.

The result was increased thirst, which settled on 10.1 by the end of my test.

If you frequently need to flip a third row up and down, while wanting a compact and affordable family hatch, you may put up with the compromise.

The good bit involves the same simple, yet effective, driving environment up front. Lift the rear hatch to find a tonneau cover tucked neatly under the boot floor. Pull up the two third-row seats - each lifts individually in one easy motion. Position the headrests and you're away. Access is easy via a longer rear door and second-row seats which slide well forward.

Those extra pews have their own shallow footwell, but it's constricted by the fuel tank below. When I folded my 1.67m frame into place I found my head too close to the roof and my ribs to my knees. This is short-distance seating only, even for shorter folk who will have their view constricted by the narrow rear window. Still, it's useable - and folding the extra seats down lifts the boot space from a paltry 150 litres to a roomy 550 litres - 140 litres more than the standard five-seat car thanks to a 75mm increase in rear overhang.

Meanwhile two kids will be well happy in the second row, with its nine-step adjustable seatback and the narrow fold-down centre backrest containing cupholders, a cubby and even a power socket.

Nissan's upgraded the suspension to cope with the added weight. The result is reasonable handling from the strut-type front and independent, multi-link, rear suspension, but the +2 is not as assured as the shorter, lower, five-seat car.

If you want a roomy high-riding hatch and occasionally carry seven you'll be happy with the $39,900 Qashqai+2. If the extra folk are regulars you'll need to go elsewhere.

NISSAN QASHQAI+2

What it's got
16-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, Bluetooth, cruise control, CD/MP3/aux, seven seats

We like
Very well-thought out second- and third-row seats/boot/tonneau arrangement - kids will be happy

We don't like
Performance compromises from extra weight and dimensions

Performance
0-100km/h not available, 8l/100km (claimed)

Powertrain
2.0 petrol, 102kW at 6000rpm and 196Nm at 4800rpm, CVT auto drives front wheels

Safety
ABS brakes, stability control, six airbags

Vital stats
4541mm long, 550-litre boot, 65-litre tank