Nissan Qashqai Midnight Edition debuts with more safety, more black

Nissan has launched a limited Midnight Edition of the Qashqai small SUV with unique exterior styling comprised of dark chrome trim, some black alloys and extra active safety kit for $35,900.

While it may look a little different from the outside, under the skin the Midnight Edition is otherwise pure Qashqai and blends the specification of the range-topping Ti and mid-spec ST-L grades.

The styling tweaks include the Nissan’s signature ‘V’ grille and fog light strakes finished in dark chrome, though the regular chrome finish remains around the side windows. Smoked tail lights, body colour bumpers and bespoke 19-inch wheels painted gloss black finish off the exterior with precisely one cup of extra aggression.

It’s no secret the Qashqai is getting a little long in the tooth, the second-gen car launched in 2013 and was latterly facelifted in 2018, which is why Nissan has lifted the exterior appearance of this SUV to keep in touch with rivals like the Kia Seltos and Mazda CX-30.

Stephen Lester, Managing Director of Nissan Australia, was quick to point out that: “style doesn’t come without substance at Nissan, and so the Midnight Edition isn’t just equipped with a stand-out look, but with our latest safety and technology features, too.”

Essentially the Midnight Edition takes the N-Sport specification and adds some extra safety kit. That means blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert and driver attention warning are standard. Sadly, the Midnight Edition still misses out on the 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise and lane-keep assist fitted to the Ti.

At least the Midnight Edition bolsters passive safety thanks to the adaptive LED headlights which follow steering inputs and auto high beams, both from the loaded Ti grade.

Inside the Midnight Edition differentiates itself with illuminated kick plates, with gloss black interior highlights on the air vents and interior trims and leather-appointed wheel and shifter. The seats miss out on the lush quilting that the Ti sports, but are still upholstered in a classy mix of leather and Alcantara and retain manual adjustment.

Infotainment is handled by a small-for-the-class seven-inch touchscreen running Nissan’s software that boasts sat-nav with traffic information, DAB and voice activation. Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability has been added as a running update since the facelift, too.

Despite its Midnight moniker, Nissan will offer this special edition Qashqai in a raft of colours including the Gun Metallic pictured, as well as Ivory Pearl, a vibrant Magnetic Red, Ivory Blue and Pearl Black.

Propulsion is taken care of by a familiar two-litre direct-injection four-cylinder with outputs of 106kW and 200Nm sent to the front wheels via a CVT transmission. Unfortunately, the European market turbocharged 1.6 still eludes Australian Qashqai buyers.

Sales of the Qashqai Midnight Edition will commence in the middle of November, with the uprated SUV slotting between the ST-L and Ti grades at $35,900.