Review – Nissan Qashqai e-Power (2022)
Qashqai e-Power
Nissan is rapidly accelerating the electrification of its model range. In addition to the familiar Nissan Leaf, you can soon get the all-electric Ariya from the Japanese. In addition, all models with a traditional internal combustion engine are now also available as hybrids. For example, we recently drove the Juke Hybrid for the first time. Now we get into the Qashqai e-Power in Stockholm.
Special drive train
Like a Juke Hybrid, the Qashqai e-Power is not a plug-in hybrid. So you don’t have to plug it in. Yet it uses an electric motor, which always drives the wheels. And by always, we really mean always. The gasoline engine is not connected to the wheels. It is only there to generate power. So it’s basically a generator. And the power it generates goes – you guessed it – toward the electric motor.
Electric car
The result is a driving experience similar to that of a fully electric car. Because the wheels are driven exclusively by the electric motor, maximum torque is available right from a standstill and there is no delay when you step on the gas pedal. So just like a full electric car.
The electric motor provides an output of 190 hp. The Qashqai e-Power is therefore deliciously powerful and quick. Thanks to a hefty box of readily available torque – 330 Nm to be exact – it is a lot smoother than its traditional brother with a 1.4-liter gasoline engine. In just 7.9 seconds, it’s at 100 mph. The most powerful Qashqai with traditional gasoline engine (158 hp) takes 9.2 seconds to do a 0-100 sprint. Because a battery pack is missing, the car does not feel excessively heavy, as is often the case with a real EV.
More comfortable than a PHEV
The fact that he gets off to a nice start is a nice bonus, but not his most important feature. The peace and comfort you experience behind the wheel makes all the difference. Traditional hybrids and plug-in hybrids often feel like a traditional gasoline-powered car after 30 to 50 miles – once the battery runs out. Then the gasoline engine does all the work again. In the Qashqai e-Power, it seems like you’re always driving an electric car.
nice and quiet
The partially electric powertrain not only provides smooth and linear acceleration, but it is also whisper-quiet. A lot of insulation material has been used, so you hardly hear the gasoline engine. Only when you press the gas pedal to the floor like a hooligan are you reminded that there is also a traditional fuel engine under the hood. And, of course, when the fuel gauge gets into the red and you have to look for a gas station.
Noise cancelling
Active noise cancellation also ensures that engine noise does not reach the interior. This works the same way as noise-cancelling headphones: small microphones in the interior recognize the monotonous sound of the gasoline engine, then the speakers produce the same frequencies a fraction later. The waves of sound thus cancel each other out, reducing or eliminating the sound of the engine.
E-Pedal
As in Nissan’s EVs, the Qashqai e-Power includes an e-Pedel button. If you press this, the car feels entirely like an EV. In fact, you can then accelerate and decelerate by only operating the accelerator pedal. When you step off the gas, the Qashqai brakes heavily on the electric motor. As a result, you don’t need to use the brake pedal much, if at all. On throttle release, the Qashqai e-Power slows to a crawl with a force of 0.2g – enough to make the brake lights come on.
Who is the Nissan Qashqai e-Power for?
The Qashqai e-Power is for consumers who don’t yet dare or want to make the switch to all-electric, but find it interesting. With the Qashqai e-Power, consumers can carefully take their first steps into the world of electric driving. If you can’t charge at home or at work, or if you want to drive to southern Europe on vacation without hassle, you can turn to Nissan for an SUV that drives like an electric car, but that you can fill up at a gas station in five minutes.
Big in Japan
In Japan, e-POWER drive technology has been popular for some time. Introduced for the first time in Japan in 2017 in the Nissan Note. In fact, a year later, this compact family car became Japan’s best-selling car.
What about consumption?
With a combined consumption of 5.3 l/100 km, the hybrid Qashqai is economical, but not much more economical than a traditional Qashqai. The advantage of the new powertrain is therefore mainly in the pleasant driving experience. So don’t buy it because you want to fill up less often, but because you want to have the finest driving Qashqai.
What does a Nissan Qashqai e-Power cost?
The Qashqai with e-Power powertrain comes from €43,790. This makes it 2,450 euros more expensive than a Qashqai with an automatic. The e-Power variant has no automatic, because it has no gearbox at all. Self-shifting is also not necessary in this version so. The Qashqai e-Power is dressed up nice and thick as standard. There are quite a few more goodies on it than on a basic Qashqai with an automatic. Think 18-inch alloy wheels, front parking sensors, an Around View Monitor, and two 12.3-inch screens in front of your nose are all included in the starting price. The additional price of 2,450 euros is therefore not so bad, especially if you know that you also get a very pleasant driving experience in return.