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Our Fleet Test Drive: Nissan Qashqai+2 - 3rd Report
Date: 21 September 2009 | Author: Tony Rock
Ignition
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Our Qashqai+2 comes with Nissan's Intelligent Key system that enables the driver to enter and leave the car without having to take the keyfob from their pocket.
Just walk up to the car, press a small black button on the door handle and pull, and the door opens thanks to the car sensing the proximity of the keyfob. Simply pressing the black button on the handle will lock the doors when exiting the car, too.
The doors can be locked/unlocked using the keyfob in the conventional manner as well, but that's not quite as cool.
Once inside, rather than using a circular start/stop button to fire up the engine favoured by some manufacturers, Nissan has chosen for our diesel Tekna spec car an ignition knob positioned where an old-school ignition switch would be. There's also a push-release button.
In order to start the car you must apply the brake, push in ignition knob and turn away from you. That's relatively straightforward. However, to turn off the engine, you turn the knob half-way towards you, press-in the push-release button until it clicks, then carry on turning the knob towards you until it's in 'lock' position, which applies the steering lock. While it's not particularly taxing, it's not as simple as pressing what it essentially a big on/off button as used by other car makers.
Nissan's says the reason for the ignition knob is to replicate the action of inserting and twisting a conventional key, while the push-release button ensures the ignition is off, preventing an accidental battery draining, before you exit the car. I?can see the logic in both explanations, however, when the car features something as modern as Intelligent Key, having an overly complicated method of starting/stopping the engine just seems, well, a bit old-fashioned.
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