2019 BMW X2 vs 2023 Nissan Qashqai

What's the difference?

If the X2 M35i doesn't wake Australia up to the charms of the X2, then perhaps we're dead inside. This car is brilliant fun, reasonably practical and goes about the business of going fast with a childish glee.

Unusually for BMW it's extraordinarily competitively priced and by competitive I mean cheaper than its obvious rivals by quite some margin. One of its rivals is faster but it's also harder to live with and the other one is old and about to depart this Earth.

What this car also tells us is that despite BMW's smallest cars going to four-cylinders and front- or all-wheel drive, the fast stuff is in no danger of being boring.

As mentioned we need more time behind the wheel for more accurate drive impressions, but it appears, once again, that Nissan has stepped up its game and made significant improvements over the model it replaces.

The new Qashqai is far more refined than the old model, and indeed much more refined than a bunch of other top-selling small SUVs.

A larger and more premium interior, huge uptick in standard gear and much needed safety boost are the icing on the cake.

Nissan is well and truly on a winning streak. 

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

The X2 is by far the prettiest of the even-numbered Xes. While it shares a lot of heritage with the X1, the shorter X2 is way cooler. Designed by Sebastian Simm, it's a bit more at the lifestyle end of things. The headlights are sleeker than the X1, it has its own distinctive rendition of the BMW kidney grille (it looks like it's upside down) and on the M35i, it's satin grey rather than chrome. Like other BMW SUVs - sorry, SACs - the wheel-arches are squared off a little, for more "stance" according to Simm. I'm a big fan of the shapely rear lights, too. 

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The nose is quite high and bluff, but the efforts to stop it from being too square-rigged has worked wonders - only from some angles does it look a bit like it kissed a wall.

The M35i features a huge set of 20-inch alloys that look the business, deeper front and rear bumpers and those dud silver caps on the mirrors.

Inside, it's pretty familiar and the tail-end of BMW's long-standing design philosophy. Lots of grey plastic, a small, hooded instrument pack and a decent-sized screen perched on the dash. I liked the Alcantara trim on the seats but wasn't a fan of the 90s-looking blue pattern on the seats.

After recently spending quite a bit of time with Nissan’s other two new SUVs, the X-Trail and Pathfinder, there’s a clear family resemblance to the new Qashqai.

It represents an evolution of the second-gen model it replaces, but brings it bang up to date. Interesting touches include a floating roof, which is two-tone on some grades, LED boomerang-style headlights, lashings of chrome, and a ‘Qashqai’ imprint stamped into the front quarter panels.

Nissan didn’t stray too far from the formula of the larger X-Trail with the interior, which makes sense given the two models share Nissan’s CMF-C platform.

The new Qashqai is longer, wider, taller and has a longer wheelbase than the old model.

There’s been a focus on tactility of the controls and the design is elevated. The clean, modern look and feel is a welcome departure from the dated look of the previous Qashqai.

We only sampled the higher grade ST-L and Ti, but ST and ST+ make do with a cheaper looking plastic steering wheel. The leather D-shaped steering wheel with stitching in higher grades is a nice touch. 

The X2 is smaller than the X1 and if you step out of the latter, you'll notice. The roof is lower and its shorter overall, meaning some compromise. But only a little. The rear seats have plenty of room for people up to 180cm, with the roof lining thinning for that extra bit of headroom and just enough legroom, as Richard Berry discovered when he first drove the car.

The boot starts at 470 litres with all seats in place and then 1355 with the 40/20/40 split-fold rear seats down.

Front seat passengers have two cupholders under the centre stack and a couple of slots for odds ends. All are covered by a sliding two piece cover. The armrest contains the wireless charging cradle and, as I've already said, won't hold an iPhone XS in its sliding plastic jaw - it won't open wide enough.

Rear seat passengers score a further two cupholders and each door has a bottle holder and pocket.

Following last month’s X-Trail launch, it was clear as soon as I jumped behind the wheel of the Qashqai that the two models are related.

The dash layout and design are the same, which is not a criticism, with some elements like the gear shifter mirrored in both models. The Qashqai misses out on the under-console storage tray found in the X-Trail and Pathfinder.

There may be far fewer than the old model, but I’m glad Nissan hasn’t completely ditched physical buttons like some brands are trying to do. It’s much faster to change air-con settings that way, rather than via a touchscreen menu.

Speaking of, the 12.3-inch multimedia screen is responsive and has a relatively logical menu structure - the graphics are much more visually appealing than the old model, too. There was no ST at the launch so I’m not sure what the 8.0-inch system is like.

On higher grades, the digital instrument cluster is easy to customise, while the head-up display is crisp. 

The front USB-A and USB-C ports are found in the central bin which is a decent size for the segment, but the glove box - like in the X-Trail - is smaller than expected. Big bottles fit in the front doors, and storage is best described as good for the segment, without being exceptional. 

The front seats in ST-L and Ti don’t have a huge amount of thigh support, but chunky side bolsters. 

There is more rear head and legroom than before and I sat comfortably behind my 183cm (six foot) frame, with loads of toe room and plenty of headroom, even in the Ti with the massive sunroof.

In terms of amenities in the rear, it has knee-level air vents, USB-A and C ports, map pockets, smaller bottle holders in the doors, a fold-down centre armrest (in ST-L and Ti), ISOFIX hooks on the outboard seats and top tethers across the board.

The boot in most grades takes 429 litres of cargo, but that drops to 418L in the Ti due to the placement of a subwoofer. Fold the 60/40 split-fold seats and available volume increases to 1524L (1513L Ti).

It’s a spacious boot but can’t quite hit the heights of the petrol Corolla Cross (436L). There’s a 17-inch temporary spare under the boot floor.

Ti grades also come with Nissan’s ‘Divide N Hide’ boot storage solution that allows you to lift and split the boot floor panels and slide them in vertically so they provide separate, secure spaces in the cargo area. 

From launch, Nissan will offer four grades, all with petrol front-wheel drive powertrains. There’s no longer a price-leading manual base variant, and the petrol-electric ePower variants are still to come in 2023, although timing is unclear.

Four grades are available - the base ST, the ST+, ST-L and top-spec Ti.

The ST starts the range at $33,890 before on-road costs, which is over $3000 more than the old model. The lack of a manual means no more sub-$30,000 Qashqai.

The ST+ is about $5000 more than the old model at $37,890, while the ST-L has gone up by $7500 to $42,190. The range-topping Ti now costs $47,390, which is a staggering $8300 more than the equivalent outgoing variant.

This pricing moves Nissan out of the cheap and cheerful end of the small-SUV segment occupied by the likes of the Mitsubishi ASX and MG ZS. It’s now in the mix with the Mazda CX-30, Subaru XV and the Toyota Corolla Cross.

As one would hope given the repositioning, Nissan has significantly increased the standard equipment for the new model.

As well as the new safety gear (see ‘Safety’ section below), other features in the ST include 17-inch alloy wheels, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, heated and auto-folding exterior mirrors, auto LED headlights, auto stop-start, and keyless entry and start.

The ST+ includes a larger 12.3-inch multimedia display with sat-nav and wireless Apple CarPlay, a surround-view monitor, rain-sensing wipers, LED fog lights and 18-inch alloys.

ST-L grades gain 19-inch alloys, tinted windows, a heated leather steering wheel, power adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, adaptive LED headlights with an anti-dazzle function, wireless charging, auto dimming rear-view mirrors, roof rails and more.

The flagship Ti features quilted leather-accented seats with a massage function for the front seats, driver seat memory function, panoramic sunroof, a 10.8-inch head-up display, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a hands-free power tailgate, 10-speaker Bose audio system, the handy ‘Divide N Hide’ boot storage system, and an auto parking system.

Given the big price hike and the fact that some models have a digital instrument cluster as standard, Nissan could have included the larger multimedia set-up with wireless Apple CarPlay and sat-nav in the base ST. But the rest of the range has a healthy amount of gear.

BMW's B48 modular 2.0-litre four-cylinder can be found across front, rear and all-wheel drive cars in both BMWs and Minis. The X2's Mini origins means its engine is slung across the engine bay - sDrive X2s are front-wheel drive.

Developing 225kW and 450Nm, this engine might fall short of the AMG's hand-built 2.0-litre and Audi's 2.5 five cylinder, but it's more than enough for to send the M35i to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds. You can activate the launch control if you want, but the all-wheel drive system and eight-speed ZF automatic are perfectly capable of doing the job.

Gone is the old 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine from the previous model, replaced by a new 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit that is found, in different states of tune, in sister brand Renault’s Captur and Arkana. 

Power and torque is up by 4.0kW and 50Nm respectively over the old model, for outputs of 110kW and 250Nm.

The engine outputs are better than a number of the aforementioned competitors, while matching those of the Skoda Kamiq.

The new Qashqai is front-wheel drive only (there is no all-wheel drive version planned) and uses a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

The usual government-approved lab testing produced a combined cycle fuel efficiency figure of 7.4 litres per 100 kilometres, aided by stop-start and braking energy recovery.

Pops and bangs cost fuel, though, and they're fun and who doesn't like a poppy-bangy performance car? I certainly like it, which means I burnt through fuel at a rate of 9.7L/100km. On reflection, that's not terrible for the kind of performance on offer.

By using the new engine, the fuel economy figure for the Qashqai has improved over the old model. It now consumes 6.1 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle, down from 6.9 litres.

While the efficiency gains are welcome, the new powertrain requires 95 RON premium petrol whereas the old model made do with cheaper 91 RON fuel.

The petrol Qashqai’s fuel figure is good for the class, but that will improve with the ePower hybrid that consumes about 5.3 litres.

Petrol Qashqais have a 55-litre fuel tank and emit 138 grams of CO2 per kilometre. 

Down to business. The X2 M35i is terrific fun. 

The engine is a good place to start. Fitted with a silly farting and popping exhaust that appeals to my inner eight-year-old, it's a BMW with plenty of character from the get-go.

Flooring it from a standing start means a brief interlude while the twin-scroll turbo starts spooling up and then wham, you're in second and passing 100km/h. Once you're underway, the transmission keeps the M35i on the boil, giving you that lovely big slab of torque when you need it for overtaking or hauling out of the corners.

Speaking of which, the fitment of a proper mechanical limited-slip differential up front is inspired. You can pile into corners indecently quickly and then get back on the power very early, the front wheels sorting themselves out and drawing the car tightly to where you point it. It's a familiar feeling to the GLA45 but without the underpadded seats and hard-riding nonsense that goes with it. Both are on a different planet to the hilarious RSQ3.

The ride is a point worth dwelling on - it's really good and it all happens without adaptive damping like on the other two. It won't be winning any straight spine awards, no, but the combination of grippy seats and good compliance over lumps and bumps means the M35i is surprisingly comfortable. It rides no lower than an M Sport pack equipped X2 but the M magic has wrought a much more responsive front end, a sticky rear end and a good time lesser X2s don't have.

And of course, you want the brakes to back-up the power. The M Performance brakes are very strong and filled me with confidence. Some people complain about BMW brakes but that absolute hammering they need before these complaints arise seems churlish.

These drive impressions are fairly high-level given the launch drive was kept to the city limits of Melbourne and that meant we were stuck in a few traffic jams. 

When accelerating from a standing start, there’s a beat or two of turbo lag from the new engine. Once you’re past that, it’s a super responsive little engine when you’re already up and running. If only it sounded a bit nicer.

The CVT does its job well and without fuss, but is not as smooth as the transmission and 2.5-litre engine combo in the X-Trail. But still, very little to complain about.

Ride quality is difficult to fault when you’re on smooth, urban roads, but it becomes a little more unsettled and jiggly on uneven roads.

I only drove the ST-L and Ti at the launch and both ride on 19-inch alloy wheels. I’m keen to drive the ST (17-inch) and ST+ (18-inch) to see if smaller wheels improve the ride. But as it stands the Qashqai can’t match the impressive ride of the new X-Trail.

It may have had a somewhat thrashy engine, but the previous Qashqai has better than average handling characteristics. We can’t report on that element just yet due to the limited city-focused drive route, but the times we managed to punt it into a corner, it revealed a balanced chassis and well calibrated suspension set-up.

One thing that clearly stands out compared with the old model is how much more refined the Qashqai is. The engine is more muted in the cabin, there’s far less wind and road noise and it just feels like a massive step up. Great job!

The Qashqai achieved a maximum five-star ANCAP rating from crash tests conducted in 2021.

The model has upped safety gear in a big way. From the base ST grade the Qashqai comes standard with a front centre airbag, auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection, rear AEB with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, tyre pressure monitor, traffic sign recognition, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors.

Nissan’s 'ProPilot' system that combines adaptive cruise control with steering and lane keep assist tech for semi-autonomous driving is standard from Qashqai ST-L. That grade and Ti also get front parking sensors and an alarm.

BMWs leave the dealership with a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with roadside assist tossed into bargain. Three years is a bit ho-hum for lesser machinery but appears fine up here in the German layer of the atmosphere.

You can prepay your servicing for five years. BMW has long called their service intervals "condition-based servicing." Basically, the car tells you when to come in for a service. You can buy the basic service package for $1550 upfront, which is the same as the lower models, so that's not bad.

By contrast, the GLA45 will cost you $2880 over just three years (second and third services are $1152 each) and the RSQ3 will shake you down for $2320 over three years or $3380 over five.

As with other Nissan models, the Qashqai comes with a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.

It is also offered with a six-year capped-price servicing plan, and the average price across that six-year period is $670 per service. The cheapest service is year one at $375 and the most expensive is year six at $1108.

The schedule for the servicing is every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres, whichever occurs first, and that is an appropriate term for this model.

The Qashqai also comes with five years of free roadside assistance.