Called Qashqai+2, the newest Nissan builds on the success and the design of the original Qashqai, which has been sold in 170,000 units since its launch.

According to Nissan, "customers of the existing Qashqai are clearly attracted to it by its design – three-quarters are new to Nissan – and this is a pattern that will continue with Qashqai+2."

Compared to the standard model, the Qashqai+2 has increased dimensions: the wheelbase is extended by 135 mm, the overall length rises by 211 mm and the overall height increases by 38 mm.

This allowed for a third row of seats that split on a 50/50 basis and can be folded completely flat to increase luggage space.

The Qashqai will debut at London Motor Show in July, while sales in Europe will begin in October.

From the official Press Release:

Design

Qashqai+2 shares clear family design DNA with the original, but is subtly different from virtually every angle.

Created by designers at Nissan Design Europe in London’s Paddington, the new model is essentially identical to Qashqai from the A-Pillar forward… but everything else behind has been changed.

With a wheelbase extended by 135 mm – taking it to 2,765 mm – the overall length of Qashqai+2 has risen to 4,526 mm, an increase of 211 mm over the five-seat version.

To ensure there’s ample headroom in the third set of seats, the roofline has been lengthened and re-profiled at the rear of the vehicle, adding 38 mm to the overall height and taking it to 1,643 mm.

Headroom in the front and middle row of seats has increased by 16 mm and 10 mm respectively, while knee room in the middle row has improved by 23 mm.

At the same time, both front and rear doors have been restyled: the window frames of the front door are squarer in line with the re-profiled roofline, while the rear pair are completely new – longer and also with squarer window frames.

Other styling changes include larger side windows at the rear of the vehicle to provide a light and airy environment for occupants of the third row of seats. Further differentiation between five and seven-seat versions is provided by a new tailgate with a deeper rear window and revised bumper profile at the rear and a sleek new grille, exclusive to Qashqai+2, at the front.

Another exterior feature found as standard on Qashqai+2 is a huge panoramic glass roof to give the same light, airy feeling that is so popular with customers on the existing Qashqai. The fixed roof is 140 mm longer than the equivalent sunroof offered on Qashqai and has a one-touch electric operated sunshade.

Additionally, Qashqai+2 has roof rails as standard adding a premium feel to its silhouette, while darkened privacy glass for all windows behind the front doors is standard on all versions.

Styling aside, the nature of the new model means much of the engineering and development work has been concentrated on the rear of the car where the aim has been to make it as flexible, practical and convenient as possible for passengers.

Lengthening the rear doors has improved ingress to the passenger compartment while access to the rearmost pair of seats is further eased by revisions to the middle bench. As well as having a folding backrest, the bench now slides fore and aft to provide walk-in access to the back row.

As well as moving through a total of 100 mm, the middle bench seat now has a three way folding operation on a 40/20/40 split for added modularity. The five-seat version splits on a 60/40 basis. The backrest also reclines and has no fewer than nine adjustment positions over a range from 10 deg to 25 deg of inclination.

The centre ‘20’ portion doubles as a seat or a generously wide multi-function armrest. When used as an armrest, as well as providing a greater feeling of spaciousness for those in the third row, the seat back incorporates two cupholders and a lidded storage box large enough to hold personal music players, games consoles and CDs. It also has an integrated power outlet. When upright, the box becomes a storage recess for those in the rearmost seats.

(Source: Nissan)