Review: Nissan Qashqai Ti e-Power proves hybrid appeal

Over the past five years or so, carmakers around the world have made ambitious pledges to move exclusively to fully electric vehicles, but as sales growth of these models slows, brands are now shifting their focus to hybrids .

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Hybrid vehicles will become more common in several markets around the world, including the United States, offering better fuel economy than traditional combustion engine models without the range anxiety of electric vehicles. So it’s no surprise that Nissan has decided now is the perfect time to launch a hybrid version of its popular Qashqai in Australia, another market where hybrid car sales are booming and long-distance driving is common.

Read: 2024 Nissan Qashqai updated with electric hybrid in Australia

Nissan has been selling the Qashqai equipped with the innovative e-Power powertrain in Europe for more than a year. Still, we were curious to see how it performed on the open road, so planned a 1,700-kilometer (about 1,050-mile) road trip through parts of rural southeastern Australia to see if it was up to the task. Does it make sense to have a hybrid powertrain in a vehicle like the Qashqai? Let’s take a look.

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quick overview

Photo credit: Brad Anderson/Carscoops

While the third-generation Qashqai has been available in select markets since 2021, it’s only been available in Australia since last year. Nissan recently launched a facelifted version of the Qashqai in Europe, but fundamentally, aside from a few visual updates, it’s the same vehicle you see here. This tweaked version should arrive in Australia by the end of the year.

Several different versions of the 2024 Qashqai are on sale. Prices for the Qashqai ST range from AU$33,890 (approximately US$22,800), to Qashqai ST+ at AU$37,890 (approximately US$25,500), Qashqai ST-L at US$42,190 (approximately US$28,400), and Qashqai at US$47,390 (approximately US$31,900). titanium. All these models come with a mediocre 1.3-liter turbo engine as standard, but the Ti can be had with Nissan’s e-Power system for an extra AU$4,200 (about $2,800), raising the price to AU$51,590 (about $34,700) before on-road costs. , or cost A$56,743 (approximately US$38,200) to drive.

That’s a lot of money for an SUV of this size. In fact, you can drive away the larger, more practical mid-range X-Trail Ti for AU$55,701 (about US$37,500). Granted, it does come with the more powerful 2.5-liter engine as standard, but the same e-Power setup can also be optioned for AU$59,978 (approximately US$40,400).

cabin

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While I was initially shocked by the Qashqai Ti e-Power’s starting price, after looking at the spec sheet, I realized it wasn’t unreasonable. Similar-spec Toyota RAV4 and Kia Sportage hybrid versions also cost around AU$55,000 (approximately US$37,000). And, like the Sportage (not the RAV4…), the Qashqai’s interior feels befitting of the price tag.

Photo credit: Brad Anderson/Carscoops

Like the latest-generation X-Trail, the new-generation Qashqai’s cabin is a significant improvement over the vehicle it replaces. In fact, I’d say it’s one of the most well-appointed cabins I’ve experienced in an SUV in this price range, regardless of size. This may be hard to believe considering how outdated some of Nissan’s older products are, but it’s true.

Like its bigger brother, the Qashqai Ti comes standard with a handsome flat-bottomed steering wheel in soft-touch black leather, which sits in front of a beautiful 12.3-inch TFT digital instrument cluster. All Qashqai Ti e-Power models on sale locally come in an interesting combination of black and dark blue leather, which I really like as it adds a little extra style to the cabin and makes it stand out from the competition.

Admittedly, the black and blue leather suited our test car particularly well, as it was painted in Magnetic Blue with black accents. Blue leather may not match the Qashqai’s other colors, such as Fuji Sunset Red or Burgundy.

All leather-wrapped surfaces are very soft to the touch, almost as soft as the leather in current Mazda models. Other popular features include a highly configurable 10.8-inch head-up display, a 12.3-inch infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, and a 10-speaker audio system from Bose.

Other luxe touches include quilted patterns on the front and rear seats, and there’s even an adjustable massage function for the front seats, a feature you don’t often see in this price range and which proved to be a plus for us. Very popular for long distance travel. Nissan has also added a wireless smartphone charger and a fixed panoramic glass roof, adding to the sense of space and premium.

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The Qashqai Ti e-Power also comes standard with Nissan’s ProPilot driver assistance suite. It includes adaptive cruise control with lane centering, which worked seamlessly on well-marked highways, keeping us in the center of our lane without any driver input.

The second row is surprisingly spacious. There’s plenty of legroom and headroom in the back for adults. The seats offer adequate support and have access to USB-A and USB-C charging ports. Rear trunk space is 452 liters (15.9 cubic feet), which increases to 1,518 liters (53.6 cubic feet) with the second row folded flat.

smooth performer

Before driving the Qashqai, I had never experienced Nissan’s e-Power system. It’s slightly different than most other hybrids on the market in that the 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder internal combustion engine doesn’t drive the wheels. Instead, the engine is used exclusively to charge a 2.1 kWh battery pack, which then sends power to a single electric motor on the front axle.

All told, the Qashqai Ti e-Power delivers 188 hp (140 kW) and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque. While those numbers may not sound impressive, the SUV is actually quite brisk, hitting 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.9 seconds. It also continues to track those speeds strongly, which means it’s adept at motorway overtaking without making you feel the need to speed up.

Photo credit: Brad Anderson/Carscoops

The e-Power setup not only delivers solid performance but is also more fuel efficient than the standard 1.3-liter turbocharged engine, while producing an additional 30 kW (40 hp) of power and 70 Nm (52 ​​lb-ft) of torque. Nissan says it averages 5.2 L/100 km (45.2 US mpg) on ​​the combined cycle, compared with 6.1 L/100 km (38.5 US mpg) for the 1.3-liter engine. During our time with the Qashqai, we averaged 5.8 L/100 km (40.5 US mpg), but the vast majority of that was spent on the highway at 110 km/h (68 mph). We did see fuel consumption figures as low as 5.0 L/100 km (47 US mpg) when driving at 100 km/h (62 mph) or less.

Nissan has also done a great job in making the cabin of the Qashqai Ti e-Power tranquil. It comes standard with active noise cancellation, which does a great job of canceling out surrounding road noise. The engine is also unusually quiet. In fact, there were many times during the two weeks I drove this Nissan that I couldn’t hear the engine at all, even under moderate acceleration, and I had to look down at the tachometer to see if it was actually is turned on or has been switched. Enter pure electric mode.

Another advantage of the e-Power system is the inclusion of a regenerative braking system, which not all hybrids are equipped with. The e-pedal works very similarly to the one on the Nissan Leaf and provides powerful regeneration so you can drive almost There is only one pedal. We say “almost” because the system doesn’t bring you to a complete stop, but it does slow you down, capturing energy in the process and feeding it back into the battery.

The Qashqai’s steering feels very unnatural and may seem too assisted to some, but I quite like it, especially considering how many miles I’ve put on the motorway in it. It’s light but lacks feedback, although the same can be said about many other cars on the market. The ride is firm and can be a little uncomfortable over speed bumps and potholes. It would be nice if Nissan could make it a little softer and better suited to Australia’s rough roads.

The good thing about the ride is that the Qashqai feels impressively nimble and is actually quite fun to drive around corners, despite the Continental EcoContact 6 tires screaming in agony.

judgment

To be honest, I didn’t expect to like the Qashqai as much as I did. The quirky exterior won’t be to everyone’s taste, but the interior feels premium and functional. The e-Power drivetrain is also effective, making the SUV fun to drive while also being very frugal. It is a strong competitor to the Kia Sportage and Toyota RAV4. However, it would be nice if the price were AU$5,000 (about US$3,300) lower so that it could undercut its rivals.

Photo credit: Brad Anderson/Carscoops