Nissan Qashqai: Bestseller in Spain, absent in French top 20

According to a forum user, the SUV dominating Spain misses the top 20 in France or Italy

A forum user reports that the Nissan Qashqai was once the best-selling car in Spain. The same user claims such models do not even appear in the top twenty in France or Italy. The debate raises whether the SUV meets a real need or is just a fashion; some attribute it to a trend visible at school gates.

More expensive, higher, and with less trunk space than a compact

The initial post argues that the SUV accumulates disadvantages without offering proportional benefits. They are more expensive than the compacts they derive from, consume more fuel due to greater weight, and their size complicates parking and maneuvering in the city. On highways, a higher center of gravity penalizes stability. And although many are 4x4, they are not true off-roaders: on certain trails, they get stuck.

The thread compares trunk data. A Nissan Qashqai declares 430 liters. A Skoda Scala, which is a compact, announces 467. This comparison questions the space advantage attributed to the SUV.

Trunk comparison: sedans and compacts

Segment D sedans have an advantage in the provided data: an Avensis has around 509 liters, a Mondeo 550, a Passat 586, and an Octavia reaches 590. Compared to these figures, the compact SUV falls short.

Those who really need to carry large items—a stove, a washing machine, a whole move—usually end up with a large MPV or directly a van, according to the initial message. Wide tailgates and foldable seats in five-door cars contribute more to practicality, according to several posts. A Citroën Xantia from two decades ago already declared 470 liters, more than many current SUVs.

Comfort getting in and out, the argument defended by several

There is one point several participants defend: accessibility. For older people or families with small children, entering and exiting a high car requires less effort than bending down into a sedan. Those who drive many kilometers and suffer back problems report the same: switching to a vehicle with a higher seating position reduces fatigue and pain at the end of the alucinación.

Some also live in mountainous areas or travel on poorly maintained roads and need more ground clearance than a sedan offers. For this profile, an SUV without full-time four-wheel drive may be sufficient, without reaching the cost and consumption of a pure off-roader. The key lies in whether this use is habitual or exceptional.

Safety: an arms race that does not convince everyone

The safety argument is the most debated. For one participant, in a frontal collision between an SUV and a sedan, the occupant of the taller and heavier vehicle fares better: the other's front end dives underneath and absorbs the impact. That same participant argues that crash tests may give both the same score, but the real outcome depends on who you collide with.

Other participants object that if safety depends on the other driver having something smaller, the advantage disappears as soon as everyone increases size. It is an escalation that does not protect the collective, only distributes damage better among those inside each vehicle, according to that objection. And in parking lots, poor visibility and tow balls cause the rest, according to one post.

The counterexample of those who actually use it

Not everything is about showing off. Someone living in a mountain village who swapped a sedan for a seven-seater SUV describes the change as an improvement in comfort and relaxation while driving. And there are those who buy used units that have barely touched a curb, benefiting from others' trends.

Size as a social signal

There is a current that does not bother discussing performance: the SUV is bought to show off. The elevated position allows looking down on other drivers, and size is read as status. Those supporting this recall that a BMW 3 Series compared to a Renault Mégane also implies a component of ostentation, but at least the former offers more car in various aspects. The compact SUV, however, does not improve upon the compact it derives from.

The vehicle offer is very wide, and some buy an SUV simply because they like it or find it useful, according to several posts. The thread also mentions school pick-ups and traffic jams at the school gate.