Nissan Qashqai Points The Way For Next Jeep Compass, Patriot

by Derek Kreindler

Published: March 24th, 2015

nissan qashqai points the way for next jeep compass patriot

With the arrival of the Jeep Renegade, the Compass and Patriot twins – awkwardly slotted above the Renegade in size, but lower in price – are officially overdue for a replacement. The Jeep twins have more in common with the Dodge Caliber than anything else in the brand’s lineup, and will be replaced with a single, all-new model.

Reports in auto media out of the United Kingdom have talked up the replacement CUV and how it will be positioned against the Nissan Qashqai. Nissan’s CUV, which has been wildly popular in Europe (some even credit it for kicking off the CUV trend on the continent, and rescuing Nissan from irrelevance in that market) has never been sold here, largely because the Rogue made it redundant.

At nearly a foot shorter than the current Rogue, the Qashqai would be awkwardly positioned between the Juke and the Rogue. But in Europe, it’s just right, nestled between those two vehicles in a market where a smaller footprint is actively desired. Since the Qashqai is about the size of a Compass or a Patriot, give or take an inch or two in each dimension, the new CUV will stay close in size to the current Jeep twins. Our Rogue, known as the X-Trail, is considered to be a full size larger, and comes with three row seating. Meanwhile, the Qashqai and its upcoming rival are considered to be the standard size CUV, the same way American buyers consider the Rogue and Cherokee to be an acceptable size.

There will also be a Fiat variant, similar to the shared platform of the Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X. Expect a Trail Rated model to accompany the rest of the lineup, which will likely be similar to the rest of the Jeep models, with several trim variants increasing in content and price point. For Jeep, this will be a crucial product. Roughly three quarters of Jeep sales originate in North America, and FCA is keen to increase the brand’s reach in world markets. Currently, the EU makes up about 8 percent of Jeep sales – the replacement for the Compass/CUV will be just as important as the Renegade – and probably more important than the Cherokee – at increasing that figure.

#Jeep #JeepCompass #JeepPatriot #Nissan #NissanQashqai #NissanRogue

Derek Kreindler

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SCE to AUX on Mar 24, 2015

I test-drove a Renegade this past weekend, and was let down. As with the Dart, I eagerly awaited the Renegade, only to have my hopes dashed when I finally drove it. The interior was smaller than I expected - even though I'm 6'6" - and the back seat was very tight. What they give in headroom (good) is lost in legroom and shoulder room (bad). The 2.4 engine is rough, especially at idle. There is no reason a modern engine should shake like that. It might be at home in a Jeep, but it's a very poor choice for the 500X. It's also loud. The 9-speed transmission shifted abruptly - some might call it crisp - but even at speeds up to 50 mph it only got into 6th gear. The shift speeds didn't seem to be spaced evenly, either - weird. I also experienced something I haven't in a very long time - torque steer. This was a FWD Renegade, but the front end was very darty (pun intended) upon acceleration. I couldn't believe it. Fit and finish were fair. This was a red car, but I noticed the frame rail by the engine was pink - as though the robot hadn't applied enough paint there. So if FCA intends to produce a next-gen Compass/Patriot, I hope they upgrade the drivetrain and quality control beyond what I experienced in the Renegade.

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- Highdesertcat on Mar 24, 2015
  
  Interesting! All the Renegade fans should read your review. I've never driven one, but know someone who was interested in a tiny AWD Jeep, exactly like the Renegade, at a price under $20K (or thereabouts).
  
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- Lie2me on Mar 24, 2015
  
  @highdesertcat I did just read it and am somewhat surprised. This is the first negative I've read
  
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- See 7 up on Mar 24, 2015
  
  @Lie2me I think it may be expectations based. Should I be coming from an old clapped out whatever, the Renegade may be nice. Should I be coming from say a $30k car that is 5 years old and just looking for something different, I may be disappointed. I do find the interior room expectations strange, given the Cherokee is not what I'd call really "roomy". This is the same interior design language in a smaller package.
  
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- SCE to AUX on Mar 24, 2015
  
  @See 7 up I'm coming from a Leaf, whose drivetrain smoothness can't be beat - so yes. As for interior room, I agree that the Cherokee isn't 'large'. Having sat in one a couple of times, I was shocked at how small they are inside. As a Kia partisan, a strong contender for my next car is a Sportage. Its interior is vastly better than the Renegade, and the space is used much more efficiently. I only wish the Sportage could get better fuel economy. A Rogue is also in the running, but I haven't driven its CVT.
  
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- See 7 up on Mar 24, 2015
  
  CX-5. I know, I know - Mazda. But really, they are very nice. The dash layout fits my sense of interior design and they drive great. The base engine is slow, but it does get incredible mileage and is roomy inside. And it you like manuals, you don't even have to worry about colors or options :) It would be a good one to test drive.
  
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Ron B. on Mar 24, 2015

The qashqai (how do you say that? cash key? squashy? ) is a far higher quality machine than any jeep and going by what jeep owners tell me here,far more reliable. But the squashy is popular is in the UK because of this: https://youtu.be/nypeGvQvg_4

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- Big Al from Oz on Mar 25, 2015
  
  @Ron B. I do have to agree with you in relation to the quality of the Qashqai. My uncle in France has one and it is the top of the line, with leather and all the toys one could wish for. The build quality is excellent. If the Jeeps we get are "export" quality then FCA really needs to improve quality if it wants to compete with a vehicle like the Qashqai.
  
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- Beemernator on Mar 25, 2015
  
  I have always pronounced it as "cash cow," as it seems appropriate for its market positioning.
  
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- Big Al from Oz on Mar 25, 2015
  
  @Beemernator, I was having some beers the other day with some Brits and we were discussing the UK and EU. We of course talked cars as it seems a universal topic to talk to anyone about, like the weather. Anyway, I told them about the Qashqai my uncle in France has and the Brits apparently pronounce it Quaash key. In Australia they are sold under a different name, Dualis, pronounced with two syllables, Dew'alis.
  
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- MRF 95 T-Bird on Mar 26, 2015
  
  @Big Al from Oz A few years ago I was in Corsica of all places and drove a friends Qashqai. I was impressed with it. I thought it was just another crossover. It's basically a larger Rouge but a tad smaller than a Murano but with the off-road capability of a Pathfinder. It handled the rough roads quite well. IIRC it had a center locking differential.
  
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