Nissan Qashqai e-Power crosses UK on one tank

The Nissan Qashqai is set to receive an update, but its biggest development is the introduction of the third generation of the e-Power hybrid system. Nissan’s promise is straightforward: stronger performance and among the lowest fuel consumption figures in the segment.

The third-generation e-Power system introduces a more efficient petrol engine, with 42% thermal efficiency - one of the highest figures for a petrol engine - alongside an electric unit that is both more efficient and more compact than before. The outcome is lower fuel use and emissions: 4.5 L/100 km and 102 g/km.

Nissan Qashqai e-Power UK efficiency challenge

Nissan chose to test those claimed efficiency figures by driving the length of the UK, from Land’s End to John O’Groats, using just one tank of petrol. The result went beyond expectations.

After 18 hours behind the wheel over two days, the Japanese SUV completed the 1,347 km route with an average consumption of only 3.76 L/100 km, below Nissan’s official figure. It also had 160 km of range remaining, exceeding the claimed 1,200 km range.

A long-standing Qashqai economy benchmark

Interestingly, this was not the first time a Qashqai had travelled from one end of the UK to the other. In 2007, the first-generation Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi Diesel completed the same journey, setting a fuel-efficiency benchmark at the time with an average of 4.2 L/100 km.

Now, 18 years and three generations later, the current model has repeated the feat with a fuel tank 10 litres smaller, paired with a hybrid system that is, at the very least, unusual.

An unusual hybrid system

Although it is a hybrid that does not require external charging, the third-generation Qashqai e-Power system remains distinct from other hybrid systems because it is a series hybrid rather than a parallel hybrid.

Put simply, the electric motor is the sole source of drive, while the petrol engine works exclusively as an electricity generator and is not connected to the wheels. In other words, the Nissan Qashqai e-Power is a kind of electric car… powered by petrol. Rather than using a large, heavy and expensive battery, its electric motor receives the energy it needs from the petrol engine.

When will it arrive?

The new Nissan Qashqai e-Power is expected to arrive in Portugal during the final quarter of this year. Prices have not yet been confirmed, although they are expected to be similar to those of the current model, which starts at €43,905.