Our Fleet: Nissan Qashqai 1.6 dCi N-Tec + - January 2013

As the Nissan Qashqai nears the end of its first-generation life, and our 1.6 dCi N-Tec+ approaches the end of its stay with us, it’s worth considering the model’s success.

The manufacturer abandoned the traditional medium car sectors occupied by the Almera and Primera and focused on a niche when it introduced the Qashqai six years ago.

In 2012 it sold more high-spec Qashqai N-Tec+ models (which made up 60% of sales) in the UK than the entire number of Mondeos registered.

In total, of Nissan's fleet registrations of almost 51,000 units in 2012 (an increase of more than 3,000 units), almost 28,000 were Qashqais.

Our Qashqai test car was fitted with Nissan’s Around View 360° monitor, which uses four cameras to display the area around the car on the screen inside when parking. Nissan has now focused on this technology in launching a new Qashqai derivative to replace the N-Tec+ in 2013, called the 360 – an attractive model in the car’s run out year.

We expect to see a new version of the Qashqai at a major motor show this year. In this month's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Nissan showed a concept car called Resonance (click here for report), which showed how its crossover car design is likely to evolve.

We’ve forgiven our Qashqai’s trip computer aberration because the car’s breadth of ability makes it so easy to live with and, with the 1.6-litre diesel engine, it’s still proving to be one of the most fuel-efficient cars on our fleet.