ford kuga or nissan qashqai

10JH

ukjoel wrote: »

Would also ask why your looking at one of these cars and compare them to some decent estates. Actual space in most of the small 4x4 is small with the Kuga having less room in it than a Focus. Not surprising as they share the same chassis.

Good point. Focus estate gets great reviews too, it's also got some very economical engines too.

goldspanners

i know folk who have a kuga and i know someone else who has a qashqai. both equally love thier cars, but for me the kuga wins hands down.

the kuga looks much nicer inside and out and is a bit bigger inside.

the nissan on the other hand just looks super bland and more suited to pensioners.

another angle is nissan parts can be very expensive if needed where most of my experience with fords have been reasonable prices for parts.

in the end its your choice,go test both and see which one suits your needs best.

littlemisscheap

Its a really interesting question for me becuase i was recently in the very same position so I went to the Nissan dealer & test drove a Qashqai which as nice as it was, for the basic driver, in my opinion was very uncomfortable becuase once i had my seat & steering wheel in the correct position, every time I hit the brake pedal/clutch, I hit my knee below the steering which left me with a sore knee after such a short ride. The handbrake wasnt so easy to access with a panel in the way & the ride still felt like my micra only mildly smoother & higher. I had been looking at the tekna range coz im into gadgets so compared the same kinda spec on each & frankly the Kuga won hands down. Now I was after the very specific automatic model 2.0 litre in both makes too so the specs were very much similar. I picked mine up for a favourable 25.6k in all including met paint, app pack, conv pack, DDS, top of the range DVD sat nav camera b/t system inc sensors front & back. The model is again the top oof the range Titanium which is AWD rather than 2WD but in the Kuga this car automatically selects the 2 wheel or 4 wheel modes based on sensors so will nearly always be in 2WD equivalent for me as Im a city dweller. NB: Go to dealers with the spec u want coz they will negotiate. I based my choice on the ride as I am currently doing a lot of mileage 1500 per month so its important to be comfy in my car as Im pratcically in it for hrs on end regularly for business purposes. Having done all this, I still dont have my car thou coz the auto model is just going into production as I type. The best thing about the Kuga is that its on a brand new more efficient engines (mines due to be 163PS diesel auto 2.0 litre) - the petrol manual engines can be under 160 on CO2 emmissions depending on which model u choose but I really cant be asked with manual. Nissan dealers were much more negotiable on price than Ford but in the end the ford product won hands down on all aspects of quality & engineering was well ahead of the Qashqai albeit giving Kuga a run for the money. In my opinion, if u r not scraping the barrel for a new car then u need to go for the best all rounder but I will recommend you go for a test drive of the 2 motors on the same day as I did if possible - that is most likely to make yr mind up for you. Good luck - Im just waiting forever on delivery now....*sigh*!



BTW I think women in particular will love the keyless entry & keyless start features on the Kuga which means that the key stays firmly INSIDE yr handbag - so no fumbling around & unlocks as you merely approach the car or walk away - its safer too! All we need now is a secure place to keep yr handbag whilst the window is full on open!

PS the hardest bit was choosing what colour...

Black/Dark Grey/White/Greeny Silver/Blue(yucky!)/medium silver

..pls let me know as Im torn between Dark Grey, Black, Silver & White & I hv to let em know by end of wk if Im to get it changed from Dark Grey,

ukjoel

littlemisscheap wrote: »

BTW I think women in particular will love the keyless entry & keyless start features on the Kuga which means that the key stays firmly INSIDE yr handbag - ,

Only until someone climbs into the passenger seat.
Not a fan of keyless entry and I know when it first launched with Ford we had loads of problems with them.

The signal wasnt always reliable (bit like a mobile phone) and AA had to turn up and tow the car (often is little as 5 or 10 metres) for it to work.

They may have improved it but it used to be a right pain in the backside.

goldspanners

littlemisscheap wrote: »

..pls let me know as Im torn between Dark Grey, Black, Silver & White & I hv to let em know by end of wk if Im to get it changed from Dark Grey,

go for the white, the titanium in white with the dull aluminium part on the back bumper looks great.
if i decide to stay in this country and have kids here then this is what we will be going for i think.

funkycoldribena

goldspanners wrote: »

i know folk who have a kuga and i know someone else who has a qashqai. both equally love thier cars, but for me the kuga wins hands down.

the kuga looks much nicer inside and out and is a bit bigger inside.

the nissan on the other hand just looks super bland and more suited to pensioners.

another angle is nissan parts can be very expensive if needed where most of my experience with fords have been reasonable prices for parts.

in the end its your choice,go test both and see which one suits your needs best.

Totally agree,Kugas much better looking.

sillygoose

I have been test driving them recently for work...
The Kuga is overpriced, looks very cheap in dark colours due to the cheap looking external trim, has a mean boot and by todays standards weak equipment levels unless you spec it up to silly money. It is an enjoyable drive though.
The new 2010 Qashqai's have an improved drive, cleaner looks and come loaded with equipment at most levels. It also has a limited boot unless you buy the +2 model with extra fold away seats. I also found the Hyundai IX35 very impressive. Very well equipped, good to drive, stylish, bigger boot. Also consider the Honda CRV which is usefully bit bigger than the Nissan or the Ford (actually the Ford is about the same size but less well designed so ends up with less interior space and boot than the Honda) The Honda drives with real quality and feels a class above to me, not discounted as much but holds value exceptionally so actually costs less in total ownership cost.

littlemisscheap

ukjoel wrote: »

Only until someone climbs into the passenger seat.
Not a fan of keyless entry and I know when it first launched with Ford we had loads of problems with them.

The signal wasnt always reliable (bit like a mobile phone) and AA had to turn up and tow the car (often is little as 5 or 10 metres) for it to work.

They may have improved it but it used to be a right pain in the backside.

I wonder how is this any diff to remote central locking/unlocking in terms of someone climbing in the passenger seat - only their is a setting for individual/drivers door only/first as I understand. I guess I will find out soon enuff!

Ive narrowed colours to silver or grey - coz white & black look to dirty after my driving mileages with never enuff time to clean frequent enuff.

10JH

Go for grey!

Silver is so dull, everyone has it. IMO of course...!

Strider590

Im staying out of this one.

Both are cars that look wonderful....... For mounting the kerb and blocking the road outside the local school :mad:

I can't really see any practical reason to buy one.