Nissan has revealed some of the “secret” tests its crossovers have to pass before being shipped to customers in Europe. Since the Qashqai was introduced in 2007, Nissan has conducted more than 150,000 tests across its crossover range, including some bizarre ones.
For example, the sound systems of the X-Trail, Juke and Qashqai must be able to play music at high volume for a total of 1,200 days (or 1,728,000 minutes) using specifically selected tracks in order to cover the widest range of pitch and beat. The songs include...Mariah Carey for the high notes and German House music for its thumping bass.
Another curious test is to drop weights to ensure the glass roof can withstand the weight of a brown bear climbing on the car. Other components are abused as well, including the windows, which are opened and closed by special robots at least 30,000 times per model. Volcanic dust imported from Japan is also used to test against scratching and ensure the durable functioning of the electric window mechanism.
Additional tests include activating the windscreen wipers for 480 hours at different speeds and settings in simulated varied weather conditions, as well as deploying the indicators right and left 2.25 million times on every model.
Nissan is also using a wide range of cups, bottles and containers to make sure the cupholders and door pockets are adapted to what customers need. For example, engineers decided to redesign the front door pocket of the Qashqai when they found out that the new bottle of a popular brand of Japanese Green Tea would not fit without being slightly squeezed. The design was modified at a cost of more than €50,000 ($55,780).
In addition, more than twenty driver seat variations have been evaluated and tested for comfort over 300 times, with the cabins tested against every-day stains such as chocolate and oil, lipstick, hair gel and coffee.
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