Following the hot Juke Nismo RS, Nissan’s high-performance division will work its magic on the recently-unveiledQashqai crossover as well. According to a report from CAR, the Qashqai Nismo will feature more than 200 horsepower and will be revealed as early as winter 2014.
The report quotes Andy Palmer, Nissan global product chief, as saying that the Qashqai Nismo will be more powerful than the Juke Nismo. “I wouldn't just give it the engine from Juke. It’d have more power than that,” Palmer told the British publication. He added that a solution would be to adopt the uprated 1.6-liter engine from the Juke Nismo RS.
However, the Qashqai would need more than that to be a Nismo. “I’m adamant that Nismo should be about more than just more power. I want us to focus on ride and handling, making cars that aren’t just faster, but also feel obviously more fun to drive,” Palmer said.
Just like other Nismo models, the heated up Qashqai should feature a bodykit with red accents, sporty contact points inside, and will be focused on ride and handling rather than sheer power.
No pricing details were offered, but the Qashqai Nismo is likely to be offered in a single-spec including all necessary features. CAR estimates the sporty crossover should be priced at just under £30,000 (€35,875) in the UK, given that the flagship new Qashqai costs £27,845 - and that there’s a £1,900 gap between a range-topping Juke and its Nismo derivative.
By Dan Mihalascu
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