2019 Nissan Qashqai vs Peugeot 3008

What's the difference?

The Qashqai ST + is a jack of all trades, and when you consider some very good competition in this segment, a master of none. It’s this SUV’s unique dimensions which will set it apart for the majority of buyers, and for what it’s worth they’re getting a great car.

For the Qashqai to be truly impressive, Nissan could up the standard spec by including today’s connectivity musts and get rid of those darned halogen headlights.

The Peugeot 3008 doesn’t look like every other mid-sized SUV from the outside, and its cabin is stunningly futuristic, but the driving and practical side of the equation is compromised by the quirky steering wheel and controls. The SUV isn’t as dynamic on the road as its looks might suggest, either.

That said, if you can overcome the unorthodox steering wheel and shifter, and the adequate on-road performance, you’ll have yourself a cool and unique SUV.

The Qashqai’s design has moved at a glacial pace since it first launched in 2014, but in perhaps a testament to its simple, largely timless design, it has aged much better than something like the Mitsubishi ASX.

Nissan has done a great job of using minor, but effective style updates to bring the Qashqai’s front end, rear end and especially interior up to date with modern trends.

The LED light fittings help with this, as do the carefully applied touches of chrome and black in the grille, around the car’s sides and even in its window frames.

There’s a nice kind of balance to the Qashqai’s proportions when viewed in profile. Perhaps a consequence of its segment-bending size.

You could argue it looks a bit anonymous, but I reckon its better to blend into the crowd tastefully than start to come across as dated, or worse still controversial, as some small SUVs have become.

Again, not everyone wants the overt style of the Mazda CX-3, post-modern looks of the Hyundai Kona or dated design of the Mitsubishi ASX. For those who want something contemporary but not loud, the Qashqai hits the spot.

Inside the same applies, Nissan has applied tactical and tasteful updates to keep the Qashqai at least approximating the paired-back design trends of 2019.

There aren’t any loud coloured trims or contrasting panel work (as in the Kona) to be found here, just a simple, pragmatic approach that carries from the modern D-shaped and leather-bound wheel, through to the dash which is embossed with subtle matt-grey touches.

The colour scheme is a bit grey-on grey, but it’s a simple design with a focus on space. It’s unfortunately dated a bit by the old-school multimedia centre stack which has the screen embedded inside it, surrounded by gloss blacks and old-fashioned shortcut buttons.

One particular element I’d like to call out is the dash cluster. So simple in its execution, it’s brilliant. There’s no digital dash-cluster or any ultra-modern touches, but it consists of big, legible elements and in the case of the ST +, a large colour TFT screen which shows data readouts like your speed, fuel consumption and range.

The size of the elements makes reading your speed at a glance a cinch. I wish more SUVs had dash clusters like it.

I’d bet my last escargot that the 3008’s stylish looks are its biggest selling point, and are the main reason why buyers are drawn to it. Why else wouldn’t you purchase any another SUV with maybe more features for the same money?

Well, for many of us cars are more than just appliances like fridges or washing machines that are designed just to get the job done and blend into the décor. If the 3008 was a fridge, it would be a talking point of your kitchen.

The 3008 Active is not a fridge, of course, but it is unusual and interesting, from that beautiful grille with its rows of tiny mirror-like plates and its jagged headlight design to the tail-light styling.

The cabin is even more stylish, even bordering on bizarre in places, like the gear shifter which looks as though it’s been lifted from a sci-fi movie set. Then there’s the panel of chrome switches above it, the small hexagonal steering wheel, the textured and carved-out door trim, and even the interior door handles themselves.

This is a futuristic-feeling cabin with a minimalist but emotionally moving design. But its practicality and how it impacts the driving experience may not impress you as much – but you can read about that below. For now, it’s just the aesthetics.

The Active comes with aluminium roof rails, a body-coloured rear spoiler with stainless steel trim, and a black and chrome front bumper, while those 17-inch alloy wheels are the smallest in the line-up. The higher grades come with twin exhaust, stainless steel scuff plates and a gloss-black roof.

Inside, the Active has wool-like fabric seats with matching door trim, along with satin chrome and faux carbon-fibre elements that look great, even if they’re fake.

And then there are the dimensions. At 4.4m long, 1.6m tall and 2.1m across (including the wing mirrors), the 3008 is smaller than most mid-sized SUVs.

The Qashqai’s most defining element is its strong point. Being sized above most small SUVs but below mid-sizers means the Qashqai will be perfectly suited to someone who needs to dart down alleyways but also needs a decent amount of boot space and a back seat to suit adults.

It does both brilliantly, and there are other benefits. Storage for front seat occupants is excellent, with big cupholders in the doors, a phone or wallet sized trench under the centre stack (with a 12-volt outlet), a massive centre console box which I can almost fit my entire arm in (with more power outlets and even clips to manage stray cables) as well as two cupholders behind the shift-knob which can fit large objects.

Nicely designed doorcards are simple, but nice to rest your elbows on. The switchgear is plain, but solidly put together.

Up the back there’s legroom that’s well above average for the segment. It won’t put larger sedans on notice, but you’ll be able to fit two, maybe even three adults back there with ease.

They’ll also get pockets on the backs of the front seats and small bottle holders in the doors, but in a major let-down for something this size, there are no rear air vents.

Boot space comes in at 430 litres, which threatens some SUVs in the mid-size segment. It’s also a big empty space, void of inconvenient obstructions.

Boot space maxes out at a solid 1598 litres with the 60/40 split rear seat folded, which will be enough to even move some whitegoods.

A space-saver spare lives under the boot floor.

If you’re really intent on towing, the Qashqai is capable of dragging a 729kg unbraked trailer or 1200kg braked.

The Peugeot 3008 is smaller than most medium-sized SUVs, but it’s too big to be classed as a small SUV. Being in between sizes has its advantages in that it’s easy to park and pilot in tight city streets, but room inside is also surprisingly good

Room up front is plentiful, although the space in the back is getting tight. I’m 191cm tall and when I sat behind my driving position my knees were touching the seat back. 

Cargo space in the boot, according to Peugeot, is 590 litres. The 3008’s boot opening is wide with a low load lip, too. The second-row seats cleverly fold to be flat and that gives you a cargo capacity of 1670 litres (measure to the roof).

I mentioned earlier that, from a styling point of view, the cabin is stunning, but I encountered some practicality and driving hurdles due to the design. Some examples? Well, the metal switches to access the screen for climate control, navigation and the radio add an extra step to just changing the temperature or changing the music.

That doesn’t sound like much, but trying to operate means the driver needs to take their eyes off the road to tap the correct metal tooth to then be given access to the air-con controls. It’s bordering on a safety issue. 

There are four grades in the 3008 range, and the Active is the entry-level model with its list price of $37,490. As a bit of a point of reference, the most expensive 3008 is the GT at $50,990.
Does this mean the Active is a bit light-on for features, then? Nope. But it does miss out on some things the other grades have, including a bit of advanced safety equipment. 

First, what do you get? Coming standard is an 8.0-inch touchscreen and a 12.3-inch instrument panel. Peugeot calls it a “head up”, but it’s not the type which is projected onto the windscreen, but rather a raised screen which sits high above the steering wheel. So far so, good – these are excellent features.

There’s digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a wireless charging pad and sat nav. This is all great, too.

Dual-zone climate control, automatic headlights and wipers are also on the standard features list, so are front and rear parking sensors, which is also good because many carmakers only give you rear ones on entry-level cars.

Now, let’s talk about what you don’t get: things like push button start (the Active has an ‘old fashioned’ key you need to turn in the ignition), auto parking or tinted rear windows. Those are all standard on the $39,490 Allure. 

Is the Peugeot Active overpriced? Are you just paying more for the fancy French badge? Well, for about the same money as the 3008 Active you could buy a CX-5 in higher-end GT guise or Hyundai Tucson high-spec Elite. Toyota’s RAV4 is a bit bigger than all of these, and $35,490 would get you into a mid-range GXL. These aren’t entry grade SUVs, the Active is – so your money will go a bit further feature-wise if you opt for a Korean or Japanese brand.

What about the missing safety stuff? Right, that’s a conversation for the safety section further below.

All Qashqais are powered by the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder non-turbo engine. It produces an on-par 106kW/200Nm, which isn’t super exciting, but it also isn’t as underpowered as some of its competition.

Every Qashqai drives the front wheels only, there’s no all-wheel drive option, and the only auto available is a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

If you’re after all-wheel drive you’ll have to step up to Nissan’s mid-size X-Trail, and more power is on offer from Hyundai’s Kona (130kW/256Nm) or Suzuki’s Torquey Vitara Turbo (103kW/220Nm).

The Peugeot 3008 Active has a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder, and with 121kW of power and 240Nm of torque, it has adequate grunt for city driving and highways. The six-speed auto is smooth and fairly quick.

Acceleration isn’t lighting fast by any means, with 0-100km/h taking 9.9 seconds.

All 3008s are front-wheel drive, and if you’re after a diesel then you should know you can have it only in the top of the range GT. 

One benefit from the Qashqai’s non-turbo engine is its ability to run on 91RON base-grade unleaded.

The ST + has a claimed/combined fuel consumption rating of 6.9L/100km, against which I scored a reasonable 7.3L/100km over my week of mixed freeway/urban driving.

Surprisingly, this was a lower number than the one produced by the top-spec Ti I reviewed last year (8.2L/100km) so your driving style might impact this number by a litre or two either way.

All Qashqai’s have a 65-litre tank which offers a little more range than most small SUVs which have 45-55L tanks.

Peugeot says the four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine should consume 7.0L/100km on a combination of urban and open roads. My testing was mainly confined to city and urban usage and the trip computer was reporting an average consumption of 9.2L/100km. That’s less than the 9.8L/100km Peugeot claims for purely city driving.

The Qashqai drives about how you’d expect. But don’t get me wrong, that’s not a bad thing. The engine can be on the thrashy side, but it’s powerful enough and has nice predictable and linear acceleration which won’t offer nasty surprises.

Sure, the CVT gives it a bit of a rubbery feel, with a slight delay, but most won’t be bothered by it. There are competitors with six-speed traditional auto transmissions for those who are really turned off by it.

Otherwise the Qashqai has great fast handling wielded well through the leather bound steering wheels, and suspension which is a little on the stiff side.

I’d say it’s on par with the suspension tune in the Mazda CX-5 or Hyundai Tucson, softer more comfortable tunes are available in Honda’s HR-V or CR-V, and the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is perhaps a little softer, too.

The Qashqai is reasonably quiet, helped by the reasonably-sized wheels and soft rubber. The Ti I drove last year was noisier thanks to its slim tyres and huge wheels.

Visibility is also a strong point. I always felt like I could see plenty out of this car's windows and mirrors, if the multimedia screen was raised up a little

There are more fun small SUVs to drive and more comfortable small SUVs, but the Qashqai hits the nail on the head for the silent majority of consumers looking for something predictable and secure, with enough power for everyday duties.

The gear shifter. The steering wheel. Both look like they’ve been lifted straight out of a Bladerunner car and I really do like the retro-futuristic look, but they damaged the driving experience for me.  

The angular shape of the steering wheel meant it didn’t smoothly flow through my hands during three-point turns, shopping-centre parking and any other steering involving a greater than 90-degree angle. Adding to this is electric steering which felt too quick and unnatural.

I’m also still not convinced the high-placed instrument panel is a good move for Peugeot, even though they’re obviously committed to it. Sure, the full digital panel looks beautiful, but in my driving position the steering wheel still obscured sections of it. A lower (or centrally) placed instrument cluster and a projected head-up display would solve this issue.

I think the shifter is also another case of unnecessary re-invention. From a seated position, it seemed to require more effort than a T- or vertical-style shifter.

So, apart from a steering wheel that feels like you’re holding a shoe box and a shifter that’s not unlike gripping a small dog’s snout, what was it like to drive? The ride was comfortable, despite its rear suspension being a torsion bar set-up, while handling is more than acceptable for a mid-sized SUV. 

The Active’s petrol engine (read more about it below) is responsive and provides just enough grunt to get by adequately, while the six-speed automatic transmission is smooth and reasonably quick to change gears. 

The pedal feel under foot was great, those seats are as comfy as they look (which is very) and despite the steering wheel/instrument placement, the driving position is great.

So a mixed-bag here, really. A pretty good car to drive but let down, I feel, by interior ergonomics.

In 2016 the 3008 was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating, and then in 2018 Peugeot made AEB standard across the range. 

Apart from lane departure warning, the Active still doesn’t have as much advanced safety tech as the other grades and misses out on blind-spot warning and lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control and smart headlights. What’s more annoying is you can’t even option these on the Active, and you’ll have to step up to the Allure grade to do so.

Up front, the driver and co-pilot are covered by font and side airbags, while rear passengers have curtain airbags.

For child seats, there are two ISOFIX points and three top tether mounts across the rear row. Under the boot floor is a space saver spare wheel.

Nissan has updated its warranty recently, to bring it in-line with an ever-competitive batch of opponents.

That means five-years and unlimited kilometres of warranty coverage, up from three years. Nissan has a fairly transparent list of what is and is not covered on their warranty page.

You’ll need to service the Qashqai once a year or every 10,000km. Service prices are capped, costing between $226 and $435 which add up to a yearly average of $357 over the life of the warranty. You’ll also need to change brake fluid every 24 months at a cost of $32.

It adds up to an average-priced program. It would have been nice to see it cost a smidge less given the less complex nature of the engine.

At the time we published this review Peugeot was offering a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. This offers also comes with a five-year roadside assistance package, too.

Servicing is recommended annually or every 20,000km, and is capped at $471 for the first service, $786 for the second, then $471 for the third, $799 for the fourth and $484 for the fifth.