Nissan Qashqai+2 review: seven-seat crossover driven

I should have guessed from the suffix ‘+2’, that the new ‘seven-seater’ Nissan Qashqai was, in actual fact, a five-seater with two comedy seats stuffed unceremoniously into the boot. Hmmmm. I should have realised that the extra 211mm of overall length indicated rear-rear seat passengers would need to chop off their legs below the hip, rather than below the knee, to fit in. Double hmmmm. But I have to admit I was expecting more from Nissan. More room. A better answer. More cleverness.

You see, the Qashqai proper is such a clever car that it raised expectations for its new big brother. Here at Top Gear, we waxed lyrical about the useability of the ‘normal’ Qashqai (lessened in the +2), the sensible storage (lessened in the +2) and the squat and purposeful good looks (lessened in the +2). Such a good spring-board for something even better, I thought.

But I thought wrong. What Nissan has actually managed to do is add two interminaby uncomfortable seats (bum on the floor, knees around your ears, scant cushioning) and remove valuable bootspace. Excellent work, guys.