NISSAN IS PLOUGHING £2 billion into its Sunderland plant to prepare it to build the new Leaf and electric successors to the Juke and Qashqai. But with uncertainty surrounding EV uptake and regulations, it’s yet to commit to an arrival date for the latter. Given the popularity of the segment defining crossover, that’s understandable caution. In caution. In the meantime, the firm is focused on improving the current Qashqai, including upgrading the e-Power hybrid version that arrived in 2022. upgrading the Ho
Nissan claims e-Power is a hybrid system born fron EV technology, rather than a petrul powertrain that has been electrified. Instead of both power sources driving the wheels, only the electric motor does sa, drawing power from a 1.8kWh battery charged by the 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine. It works the same way as the Leapmotor REEV but is a pure
hybrid rather than a plug-in. Nissan says its third-generation e-Power system (the first was only offered in Japan) benefits from significant upgrades. The engine was claimed to be a bespoke new unit. Although the basic architecture is unchanged, it has been remapped for its function as a generator, running more constantly at the most efficient RPM. And the motor is actually a new five-in-one unit that combines the motor, generator, Inverter, increaser and reverter into a single package, reducing its size, increasing MPG for hybrid size and aiding efficiency. Power is up from 188 bhp to 201 bhp, with torque unchanged. More substantially, Nissan claims a 15% increase in fuel efficiency and a significant reduction in cabin noise (up to 5.6dba) and vibrations. We had an early taste of a
Qashqai running a late prototype of the new system, driving it back to back with a current model. A few laps of Nisaan’s Grandrive test track in Japan offered no chance to judge any fuel economy improvement (which could boost official economy to around 60mpg) but did hint at the increased refinement.
It’s subtle, though: as well as having a touch more pep, the engine is slightly quieter and, because it runs more constantly, less thrashy when you accelerate hard. It’s a little smoother too. Just don’t expect any added dynamism.
Practical family motoring, is this better than before? I’d agree that this Power hybrid still doesn’t feel like a hushed EV. But, for now, subtle improvements are probably enough to keep the Qashqai success story rolling along.
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