NISSAN is giving people the ultimate Christmas gift this year – a stress-free Christmas road-trip thanks to its bestselling family car, the Qashqai, designed for easy loading.
Christmas is already one of our busiest times of the year on the roads for the 268 million passenger cars in Europe. New research out today, commission by Nissan, reveals that European families are in fact dreading festive driving with 60% claiming that packing the car for family road trips to visit relatives causes stress.
With 40% of Europeans travelling to visit 10 people or more over the holidays, the sheer volume of suitcases, food and presents that need to fit into the car causes anxiety for most – to such an extent that 23% of drivers say they would prefer cancel Christmas altogether rather than face packing the car.
To help remove the stress of loading the car for the festive road-trip, Nissan has partnered up with travel and packing expert, Kate Simon, co-author of the renowned book ‘How To Pack for Any Trip’ published by Lonely Planet. In the same way that families’ Christmas traditions have changed, the Qashqai has evolved to meet the needs of its drivers and help them make the most of the space in their `home on the road’. The Qashqai includes innovative features such as the Divide-N-Hide Cargo System, which allows for shelves and dividers to be adjusted to create more space. The model’s boot is also a truly flexible load space with a carrying capacity of 430 litres which increases to an impressive 1,598 litres when the 60:40 split rear seats are folded flat.
Creating an easy to follow six-step guide and drawing on the, often unbeknown, key features of the Qashqai’s versatile design, Kate Simon is giving consumers the ultimate road-trip packing guide. The guide clearly lays out the process from planning the journey at home to time-saving hacks that make the trip less stressful. The guide might even help those packing some of the most obscure items – with Europeans admitting to packing fish tanks, ironing boards, inflatable boats and even a piano for their festive road trips! The Qashqai’s removable boot floor, that can be raised to remove the lip of the trunk, is a key contributor to the car’s easy loading reputation. It’s this level of design that helps make the huge variety of items that come on family road-trips much easier to fit in.
“Christmas preparation can be stressful. And often the need to pack up the car and hit the roads to visit family can only makes things worse. When lending advice on how to make the most out of the space in their cars, I often used the Nissan Qashqai as a prime example due to the car’s impressive practicality and special design.
“Packing for the family road-trip, where lifelong memories will be made, should be a fun activity for all to get involved in, so I was thrilled to partner with Nissan and showcase how one of the most popular family cars can help alleviate the stress this Christmas,” said Kate Simon.
Tips from the step by step guide are:
• Complete trial runs of packing the car (40% of Europeans admit to doing trial runs of packing the car to try and reduce Christmas travel stress)
• Know your boot dimensions to avoid blocking that rear-view mirror (Qashqai has a 430 litres boot extending to 1,598 litres when rear seats are folded)
• Maximise the space within your luggage by rolling all clothes into tight layers and stuffing shoes with socks and toiletries
• For multiple stop Christmas road trips, consider a shared case for each destination
• Poke around for handy hidden space
• Pack in priority order
“Nissan Qashqai is designed for easy loading, through high-class innovation and design that positions families at the forefront” said Jean-Philippe Roux, Chief Marketing Manager, Nissan Europe.
“Partnering up with Kate Simon, a worldwide packing expert, meant we could show consumers how to really make the most out of the space in their Qashqai for the holiday road-trip. We highlighted some key design features of the model and Kate added in some insightful tips to help families not only pack smart, but stress-free this Christmas,” he concluded.