IT WAS a successful night for Nissan at the annual What Car? Awards in London as the brand scooped an overall category win along with a Best Buy Family Car accolade.
For the second year running, Nissan’s pioneering Qashqai crossover won the title of Best Small SUV while the all-new Pulsar hatchback was chosen as a Best Buy Family Car Under £16,000 in the hugely competitive Family Car category.
Designed, engineered and built in Britain, the Qashqai continues to deliver an unrivalled package of technology, safety, practicality and efficiency.
James Wright, Managing Director, Nissan Motor GB, said: “After winning Qashqai’s category and the outright Car of the Year crown last year, we are extremely delighted with this year’s category win – especially considering the strong competition in this fast-growing segment.
“Like the Qashqai, the new Pulsar majors on technical innovations, safety and practicality – boasting the largest rear legroom of any C-segment hatchback available in the UK. It adds yet another dimension to Nissan’s diverse product line-up and ensures the brand offers a product to suit every customer’s needs.”
Jim Holder, Editor of What Car?, said: “The Qashqai was chosen on the strength of its overall offering in terms of practicality, refinement and standard equipment. As impressive as the new Citroen and Range Rover are, neither really come close to dethroning the Qashqai as our top Small SUV.
“The Pulsar meanwhile delivers incredible value with the entry-grade Visia. It’s hard to think of any other model in this price bracket that offers such a complete package.”
As standard, the Pulsar 1.2 DIG-T 115 Visia costs £15,995 OTR and benefits from air-conditioning, Bluetooth, electric windows, and 16-inch alloys, as well as safety equipment such as six airbags, tyre pressure monitoring and electronic stability control.
Testament to the Qashqai’s popularity, Nissan produced the two millionth Qashqai at its Sunderland factory in November last year – making it the fastest car model to reach this milestone in the history of the UK car industry.
What Car?’s favourite Qashqai is the recently introduced n-tec+ model, which replaced the Acenta Premium grade. With n-tec+, owners get an even greater level of value thanks to a multitude of safety and comfort features, including Around View Monitor (AVM), Forward Emergency Brake (FEB), and additional equipment including roofrails and a Panoramic roof, with prices starting at £22,250 OTR (or £21,700 OTR for n-tec).
