This small SUV was surprisingly perfect for my three dogs

Due to an apparent lack of self-control and a mild addiction to the pet aisle of Kmart, I am the owner of three fantastic dogs. So, when a car comes through our garage, I immediately judge it based on how I think it would cope with my pack. Enter: Drive’s long-termer, the 2024 Nissan Qashqai.  

RELATED: Is the Nissan Qashqai family-friendly? Me and my kids put it to the test

We took delivery of the 2024 Nissan Qashqai Ti e-Power a couple of months back, and everyone who has taken it for a spin seems to quite enjoy it. Tung put it to work taking his two young boys and wife to Preston Market, and it seemed to cope rather well. So why not put it to the test with my own family of four-legged friends?

Our three judges were Strudel (4kg), Edward (10kg) and Nugget (30kg).

Packing the dogs into the car is not my favourite thing to do, although we seem to have a routine that works most days. Due to Nugget’s size, he often gets to claim the boot for himself, while the other two are back seat passengers. And then there’s the required equipment.

Nissan actually has a Dog Pack available in its store, so for this review, I used the Nissan Dog Pack plus Nissan dog ramp. The pack includes a lead, poo bag holder, portable water bowl, portable storage bag and a bed for the boot.

The bed was one of my favourite additions, as it is super easy to wipe clean and reduces the amount of hair that could get stuck in the carpet. I do wish the pack came with a full boot cover though.

Nugget loved the water bowl; it is a decent size and he definitely preferred it to my tiny portable bowls. We used the bag for towels for a riverside excursion, and it was definitely a winner as the lining is waterproof and easy to clean.

The ramp received three very different responses from my pups. Nugget was a hard no and avoided getting on it, going near it or even looking at it. I am unsure if he has ever had a run-in with a ramp before, but if he has, he definitely lost. Edward could be persuaded to use it and did so when asked, but preferred to jump. Strudel and the ramp were best friends and, if she could, she would use it to get onto our bed. I think the ramp would be a welcome feature for our shorter furry friends, like dachshunds and older dogs, or even those who just refuse to jump.

In the back seat, Strudel and Edward use a back seat cover from Stylish Hound, which I recommend to everyone with dogs. It saves doors from sneaky scratches courtesy of little paws and protects seats from hair, sand, dribble and all the other lovely dog stuff. My favourite things about it are the storage pockets and the mesh window between the front and back seat (it stops Edward really testing the length of his seatbelt).

The back seat pair also each have a medium car bed from Snooza. They were a black-Friday purchase, and while they are comfy, they're not my favourite. They’re hard to clean and they don’t give Strudel or Eddie the height they need to see out of the windows, which as two very nosey dogs they find very important. They also don't come with attached tether points like many other dog car seats do, which is rather annoying.

All dogs are secured with their harnesses and seatbelt tethers. Nugget and Edward's tethers are attached to the headrest, and Strudel's is in the seatbelt buckle. All tethers are random buys from Amazon from years back.

That’s the kit, now the car.

The Qashqai’s boot was fantastic for Nugget. He had no trouble jumping in and out of it and keeping his head out of the way as the auto tailgate closed. There was enough room for him to get up and turn around, but not too much so that he could hurt himself with whatever gymnastics routine he thought he could do. There wasn't much room left next to him for some bags if we were going on a longer road trip, but the Qashqai is classed as a small SUV so I wouldn’t expect that.

I found the rear window rather small so visibility wasn’t great, and Nugget’s enormous head made it even harder.

One of my favourite things about the Qashqai by far was the rear door clearance. Nissan has spent a lot of time on this and it shows. Packing Strudel and Edward into the back with all their gear was markedly easier than loading them into my own car (a Volvo XC40) thanks to the wide opening angle. Once the back seat hammock is in, there’s no trouble filling the footwell with cargo and there’s no trouble retrieving that stuff, which is a huge bonus, as doing so in my car is difficult and frustrating.

All dogs were comfortable on their trip and so was I. The cabin is bright thanks to the huge moon roof, although it would be nice to have a sunroof option as it would be nice to open it and not have a dog try to bungee jump onto the M1. Ride comfort was measured by how much of the trip Nugget remained asleep, which was at least 80 per cent, not forgetting to wake up and shout at any cyclist who came too close.

Once we got to the river and all the dogs ran off, getting them back in the car was a breeze, and thanks to Nissan's dog pack and the back seat gear, the wet-dog clean-up was easy.

The Qashqai wasn't necessarily designed with crazy dog people like myself front of mind, but it was a winner for me. The dog kit is a cool addition, and with dogs becoming as spoilt as some children, I think dog kits will become a pretty popular add-on. We really enjoyed our time in the car, and should you have the same lack of self-control as I do and end up outnumbered by dogs, consider taking one for a spin next time you need an upgrade.

Happy Take Your Dog To Work Day! This June 21, 2024, dog owners are encouraged to bring their beloved pets to work. Tell us, what's your favourite car for ferrying your dog? Let us know in the comments.