Nissan’s Qashqai is the brand’s biggest seller in Ireland, writes Brian Byrne. By a long shot — last year the C segment SUV sold more than twice the number of the company’s second best performing model here, the iconic Leaf EV. This is the third generation of a nameplate first rolled off the assembly line in 2007. At that time, anticipating the trend of crossover-SUVs for the family car market, it was designed to replace both the Almera compact and the Primera large family saloon models, both aged and tired. The strategy worked, and Qashqai boosted both the carmaker’s reputation and its bank balance. The strange-sounding name was used in Europe — variants were sold in other markets under more normal monikers, such as Rogue in the US. The original quite soft style has sharpened up through the last two iterations, with the current car having a very strong presence indeed. The stylists have provided edgy shapes, managing to meld curves and angles into unexpectedly attractive elements. It