Toyota has been the hybrid king for the higher half of the present millennium. A current-generation Corolla or Camry can have you sipping nicely beneath 4.0L/100km, and even a RAV4 will dip beneath the 5.0L/100km mark.
WATCH: Paul’s video evaluate of the Nissan Qashqai Ti
So for any car producer to face an opportunity in opposition to the would possibly of the world’s greatest automobile firm, one would suppose the best choice can be to develop the same system.
Nissan, it appears, didn’t get that memo. The rival Japanese carmaker has taken a really completely different method to hybrid expertise with ‘e-Energy’, the Nissan-trademarked petrol-electric drivetrain system that powers the Qashqai small SUV which I’ve been driving for the previous few months.
Over the subsequent few months we’ll check out what it’s wish to reside and work with the Nissan Qashqai Ti e-Energy (which is definitely an MY24 car; be aware that there’s an up to date MY25 Qashqai vary coming quickly), however for now right here’s a rundown on what this intelligent little electrified SUV is all about.
How does the Nissan Qashqai evaluate?
View an in depth breakdown of the Nissan Qashqai in opposition to equally sized automobiles.
Nissan
Qashqai
How a lot does the Nissan Qashqai price?
The Qashqai e-Energy is at present unique to the flagship Ti trim, priced from $52,090 earlier than on-road prices. A facelifted Qashqai mannequin vary is on the best way, and it’s anticipated to convey with it a extra inexpensive ST-L e-Energy variant, too.
| Mannequin | Worth earlier than on-roads |
|---|---|
| Nissan Qashqai ST | $34,390 |
| Nissan Qashqai ST+ | $38,390 |
| Nissan Qashqai ST-L | $42,690 |
| Nissan Qashqai Ti | $47,890 |
| Nissan Qashqai Ti e-Energy | $52,090 |
To see how the Nissan Qashqai strains up in opposition to the competitors, try our comparability instrument
What’s the Nissan Qashqai like on the within?
Opposite to what lots of people would possibly take into consideration interiors of cheaper Japanese automobiles, the top-shelf Qashqai Ti feels, dare I say, luxurious. Granted, it’s luxurious on a relative funds, but it surely’s way more plush than one thing like even a much bigger Toyota RAV4.
The seats are upholstered in quilted leather-based and up entrance you’ve heating and therapeutic massage features – okay, the therapeutic massage perform does really feel like a kitten is strolling in your again but it surely’s higher than nothing. The seats are agency and supportive with out being rock-solid.
The sprint, doorways and centre console have tons of soft-touch supplies and the huge 12-inch infotainment display screen is a pleasing improve from different Nissan merchandise. It’s sharp, quick and has wi-fi Apple CarPlay, which is all I would like in a automobile nowadays. It additionally has a 360-degree digital camera, however the high quality is so low, particularly in low-light conditions, that it’s virtually pointless.
Wi-fi Apple CarPlay does have a lag concern that grows as you drive too, and it will get worse once you go below a toll gantry. The system will drop out for a second and when it comes again the lag will get progressively worse. For those who press pause or skip the lag is most noticeable – it additionally makes it nearly unimaginable to carry a dialog throughout a name.
This is a matter that seems current in a variety of automobiles with wi-fi smartphone mirroring, so it might not be the fault of Nissan. Nonetheless, it’s annoying.
One other gripe is the shortage of sensible storage. There’s a wi-fi telephone charger in entrance of the centre console beneath the air-conditioning controls, and two cupholders in entrance of a slightly small centre storage unit – that’s it.
You’ll be able to’t flip the wi-fi charger off so it’s not best for putting keys or different small objects on, and it costs so slowly that even after an hour of driving your telephone will solely improve cost by a small proportion, but you possibly can fry an egg on it.
This wouldn’t be so dangerous if it wasn’t for the large piece of woodgrain-looking plastic that surrounds the small gear selector. It simply looks like poorly utilised area for a car that’s solely front-wheel drive and doesn’t require a tailshaft tunnel.
The second row is pretty spacious for a small SUV. There’s ample leg room for anybody as much as 6’2” and the top room is beneficiant even with a full glass roof. It has ISOFIX little one seat anchors on the outboard seats, plus top-tether factors, a USB-C outlet and air vents.
The boot is a standout (452-1376L), with lined compartments within the ground for storing valuables and a big, stable parcel shelf that may be eliminated if required. There’s additionally a 12-volt outlet and aspect pocket storage areas.
Folding the rear units permits us to suit most of our movie tools and circumstances in when travelling to the Lang Lang proving floor, one thing that has been a wrestle in bigger automobiles prior to now.
| Dimensions | Nissan Qashqai e-Energy |
|---|---|
| Size | 4425mm |
| Width | 1835mm |
| Top | 1625mm |
| Wheelbase | 2665mm |
| Cargo capability | 452 litres – rear seats upright 1376 litres – rear seats folded |
To see how the Nissan Qashqai strains up in opposition to the competitors, try our comparability instrument
What’s below the bonnet?
Whereas the broader Qashqai vary is powered by a 110kW/250Nm 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, the e-Energy incorporates a bigger and extra highly effective 1.5-litre donk below the bonnet – however there’s a catch.
| Mannequin | Nissan Qashqai e-Energy |
|---|---|
| Engine | 1.5L 4cyl turbo-petrol |
| Energy | 116kW |
| Torque | 250Nm |
| Electrical motor | Single motor, entrance axle |
| Energy | 140kW |
| Torque | 330Nm |
| Battery | 2.1kWh li-ion |
| Gas consumption (claimed) | 5.2L/100km |
| Gas consumption (as examined) | 5.4L/100km |
| Gas tank capability | 55 litres |
| Gas score | 95 RON |
Outputs for the e-Energy’s petrol engine are quoted at 116kW and 250Nm, however in contrast to standard hybrid methods that’s plumbed by way of a motor-generator and into an inverter.
That’s proper, there’s no direct connection from the combustion engine to the wheels. The truth is, the petrol motor exists purely as an influence generator for the two.1kWh battery that lives below the ground.
Once you press the throttle, it sends a command to a single electrical motor mounted on the entrance axle that drives the wheels. The e-motor’s outputs are quoted at 140kW and 330Nm.
If all that may be a bit mind-boggling for you, right here is the TL;DR model. The Nissan Qashqai e-Energy is actually an electrical automobile with an inbuilt generator that makes it able to travelling round 1000km on a full tank of gas.
So whereas its plugless hybrid system makes it extra like a Toyota collection hybrid than a plug-in hybrid, it’s not a pure battery-electric car (EV) and extra accurately described as a range-extender EV.
Nonetheless advanced it’s, and no matter you need to name it, this distinctive powertrain (which is provided with all-wheel drive within the bigger X-Path e-Energy), works seamlessly from the motive force’s perspective.
To see how the Nissan Qashqai strains up in opposition to the competitors, try our comparability instrument
How does the Nissan Qashqai drive?
Like an EV – it has that clean, fixed acceleration you discover in lower-powered electrical automobiles. The place it differs although, is when the petrol engine fires to life.
It’s a little bit of a screamer – not 2003 F1 spec – but it surely does sound prefer it revs to 11. That is particularly bizarre when your throttle inputs don’t align with the sounds the engine is making. Or when it fires into life on the site visitors lights if the battery runs low.
You do get used to it after some time, however one thing you don’t get used to is how tough the engine start-up feels when the automobile isn’t transferring. That might use some refinement, but it surely’s exacerbated by how quiet the powertrain is in any other case, and within the grand scheme of issues it’s not a deal-breaker.
Gas economic system has shocked me. My common every day commute is round 100km return from the outer suburbs to the CarExpert workplace on the outskirts of Melbourne’s CBD.
I can both take the motorway (shoutout to my fellow travellers parking on the Monash each morning), or I can take the scenic Seashore Highway route. Both manner, the Qashqai spends most of its time quietly placing alongside, when gas consumption sits below 5L/100km.
When driving to Lang Lang for filming days it isn’t as economical, as a result of the vast majority of the 200km spherical journey is spent at 100km/h, which retains the petrol engine working extra usually to make sure the tiny battery has juice to drive the wheels.
This bumps gas utilization up a bit, to round 6-7L/100km, however the general common continues to be so low you possibly can forgive it, and the 55-litre tank will nonetheless take you additional than you count on. At present, it’s sitting at 5.4L/100km since refuelling, having travelled 233km.
The adaptive cruise management is superb, however the Nissan-branded ProPILOT system was turned off virtually instantly. It’s a complicated lane-centring system and it does an important job, however the place it falls aside is on straight stretches of street.
Even with each fingers on the wheel, if you end up driving alongside a multi-lane freeway without having for any wheel enter, the system will get irritated at you for not holding the wheel. Fortunately there’s a button to the best of the steering wheel to rapidly toggle the system.
It hasn’t all been daisies and sunshine with the opposite help methods, both.
On a variety of events, the front-facing digital camera sensor determined it needed the break day, inflicting all method of lights to look on the sprint. This in flip means cruise management doesn’t work, nor the lane methods. An influence cycle of the car will typically repair this, nevertheless, the trigger escapes me.
Twice it occurred on foggy mornings, which is comprehensible if the system is camera-based slightly than radar. It has additionally occurred as soon as throughout mild drizzle, so it’s simply one thing to bear in mind.
Then there was the early winter morning when the entrance left tyre received a puncture. As everyone knows, Australia’s 355,000km of sealed roads have world-class potholes.
One early August morning on the best way to filming hours earlier than the solar got here up, I launched the Qashqai to one in every of these potholes, slicing the sidewall and inflicting the air to dissipate slightly rapidly.
I used to be in a position to limp it to a close-by tyre store, the place I waited for Paul Maric to select me up. That afternoon I returned to get the tyre changed, at a price of round $350.
There have been a variety of cheaper choices, however given the automobile belongs to Nissan Australia and needs to be returned the identical manner it was loaned out, I used to be left with little alternative.
To assist with economic system and street noise, the Qashqai e-Energy is fitted with EV-specific tyres which sadly include a little bit of a tax.
Desirous about shopping for a Nissan Qashqai? Get in contact with one in every of CarExpert’s trusted sellers right here
What do you get?
The Ti e-Energy sits on the very prime of the Qashqai lineup in Australia.
Qashqai ST:
- Automated LED headlights
- Automated high-beam
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Non permanent spare wheel
- One-touch energy home windows with distant operation
- Proximity entry and push-button begin
- Energy-folding, heated aspect mirrors with LED indicators
- Urethane steering wheel with rake and attain adjustment
- Digital park brake with auto maintain
- 7.0-inch TFT journey laptop
- Handbook air-con controls with rear vents
- 8.0-inch touchscreen show
- Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- AM/FM and DAB+
- Inbuilt voice controls
- Entrance and rear USB-A and USB-C ports
- 6-speaker sound system
- Driver’s seat lumbar alter
- Charcoal fabric seats
Qashqai ST+ provides:
- Rain-sensing wipers
- LED entrance fog lights
- 18-inch wheels
- 12.3-inch touchscreen show
- Satellite tv for pc navigation with reside site visitors
- Wi-fi Apple CarPlay
Qashqai ST-L provides:
- 19-inch wheels
- Rear privateness glass
- Roof rails
- Adaptive, auto-levelling headlights (12 particular person segments per mild)
- Heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Wi-fi telephone charger
- Twin-zone local weather management
- Fold-down rear-centre armrest with cupholders
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
- Material/PVC leather-based upholstery
- 8-way energy driver’s seat
- Heated entrance seats
- Ambient lighting (centre console)
Qashqai Ti provides:
- Arms-free energy tailgate
- Panoramic glass sunroof
- Auto-tilting exterior aspect mirrors when reversing
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 10.8-inch head-up show
- Clever key with driver reminiscence for seat, mirrors, audio
- 10-speaker Bose sound system with subwoofer and digital amp
- Energy entrance seats with three therapeutic massage modes
- Quilted leather-based upholstery
- Black roof headlining
Qashqai Ti e-Energy provides:
- Energetic Noise Cancellation
- ‘Premium’ entrance grille
- Alert sound for pedestrians
To see how the Nissan Qashqai strains up in opposition to the competitors, try our comparability instrument
Is the Nissan Qashqai secure?
The Nissan Qashqai has a five-star ANCAP score, based mostly on Euro NCAP testing in 2021.
| Class | Nissan Qashqai |
|---|---|
| Grownup occupant safety | 91 per cent |
| Youngster occupant safety | 93 per cent |
| Susceptible street consumer safety | 74 per cent |
| Security help | 97 per cent |
Commonplace security options embody:
- 7 airbags incl. front-centre
- Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
- Pedestrian, Bike owner detection
- Junction help
- Reverse AEB incl. Pedestrian detection
- Energetic velocity limiter
- Adaptive cruise management
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Ahead collision warning
- Lane departure warning
- Lane hold help
- Rear parking sensors
- Reversing digital camera
- Visitors signal recognition
- Tyre strain monitoring
Qashqai ST+ provides:
- Clever Round View Monitor (360 digital camera)
- Shifting Object Detection
Qashqai ST-L provides:
- Entrance parking sensors
- ProPILOT (lane centring)
- Alarm system
Qashqai Ti provides:
- Clever Park Help (semi-auto park)
- Aspect parking sensors
To see how the Nissan Qashqai strains up in opposition to the competitors, try our comparability instrument
How a lot does the Nissan Qashqai price to run?
Like the broader Nissan lineup, the Qashqai is roofed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee.
| Working prices | Nissan Qashqai e-Energy |
|---|---|
| Guarantee | 5 years, limitless kilometres |
| Roadside help | 5 years |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 10,000 kilometres |
| Capped-price servicing | As much as 5 years |
| Whole capped-price service price | $2007 |
To see how the Nissan Qashqai strains up in opposition to the competitors, try our comparability instrument
CarExpert’s Tackle the Nissan Qashqai
Exterior of some small quibbles, the Qashqai has been a dream. Everybody within the CarExpert group who drives it fingers me again the keys with glowing reward – and shock at how a lot they loved driving it.
The one downside actually can be the value. At $52,090 earlier than on-road prices, it isn’t the most affordable small SUV on sale, however out of all of the small hybrids I’ve pushed at CarExpert thus far, it’s actually the one I’d decide.
Within the subsequent replace, I’ll cowl among the video tasks we’ve got put the Qashqai by way of, in addition to what it’s wish to pack and take away on an extended journey.
Desirous about shopping for a Nissan Qashqai? Get in contact with one in every of CarExpert’s trusted sellers right here
Click on the pictures for the complete gallery
