The 2008 Nissan Rogue, a new compact SUV, hasn’t even gone into production yet, and already there is talk about a seven-passenger version in the works. Sparking the speculation: These spy shots of a stretched Nissan Qashqai with what appears to be a third row made possible by about five inches of extra wheelbase. We shouldn’t be surprised; a stretched Qashqai has been a possibility since that Euro-market SUV’s launch.
Unclear are the implications for the Nissan Rogue, the Qashqai’s North American–bound counterpart, which lacks a third row and optional V-6 engine, both of which are available from one of its main competitors, the Toyota RAV4. Nissan’s Murano also is only a five-passenger crossover.
The Qashqai and the pending Rogue share the same Nissan global C-platform that underpins the front-wheel-drive Nissan Altima. The Rogue and the Qashqai have very different exteriors, but the interiors, with a driver-centric cockpit, are virtually identical. The Qashqai has a shorter wheelbase and less interior volume, however, in deference to Europe’s narrow roads. And the front end is smaller because the largest engine displacement for the Qashqai is 2.0 liters.
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