Nissan Qashqai e-Power in suburban trials: goodbye diesel! | Video 06 June 2023 1

I’ve been driving this for a couple of weeks now. nissan qashqai electronic power which, in my opinion, is one of the most interesting cars at the moment because of the technology with which its power plant was developed. Yes, that’s right, Nissan is marketing this car as an electric car that doesn’t need to be recharged, and rightly so. Although it is always and exclusively powered by the electric motor, it does not need to be plugged into an outlet to recharge the battery that is used to power the electric motor. So how does it work? And above all, how much does he consume? I will tell you everything in the next few lines.

Let’s start right away with a brief overview of how the power plant of this Nissan Qashqai works. I’ll go pretty quickly because we’ve already covered a piece of content on this topic, which I’m linking to here. First of all, it must be said that this is a completely different solution compared to classic hybrids, whether full-fledged or plug-in. In fact, in these two cases, the hybrid system is said to be “parallel” when both engines are connected to the wheels and therefore both can together or alternately make the vehicle move.

However, in the case of the Nissan e-Power hybrid system the only motor actually connected to the wheels is electric.. In fact, therefore, the behavior and feedback behind the wheel is the same as when we sit on board an all-electric car. So we have a classic. torque is always available immediately, good power, no gearbox and hence that feeling of extreme fluidity and comfort typical of electric vehicles.

So what is a heat engine used for? Just to generate the current needed to recharge the battery that powers the electric motor. In particular, we are talking about a three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with an output of 158 hp, which is more than enough to generate the current needed for the purpose just described. On the other hand, we have 140 kW or 190 hp electric motor with a torque of 330 Nm.

Between the two engines we find an inverter that takes care of the direction of the electrical energy generated by the heat engine; to the battery or directly to the electric motor, depending on the driving situation.

The battery on board also has a capacity of 1.8 kWh. which, as an absolute value, is certainly small. Let’s assume it matches the battery capacity of a classic full hybrid system, which can actually only go a few miles on electricity alone. The difference here is precisely that this battery is constantly powered, and therefore we could actually consider it almost “infinite”.

As mentioned above the driving experience is exactly the same as if you were on board an all-electric car. The intensity of the regeneration system also resembles a car that runs only on an electronic engine. And what’s more, as with all electric vehicles, the so-called single-pedal drive can be activated. Clicking on a button electronic pedal, in fact, the most extreme level of regenerative braking is activated, which in fact, with a few tricks, allows us to control the car using almost one pedal. In fact, the system significantly reduces the speed, practically stopping the car. At this point regeneration is at its maximum and a bit of autonomy can be added to what would have been the total kilometer covered with this feature disabled.

Again, by activating the button on the central dashboard, we have the option to change the driving mode from Eco to Standard and finally to Sport. Eco mode is the most economical. in terms of consumption, but I advise you to use it only on fast flowing roads or in any case on country roads where you will find yourself driving several kilometers at a constant speed. In a busier context such as city traffic, the power outage needed to reduce consumption really makes itself felt, shooting is much slower and generally lacks a lot of reactivity. In these situations, I find it much more comfortable to try and make the most of the e-Pedal and regenerative braking.

On the other hand, the sport mode is the one that maximizes performance. even at the expense of a little autonomy. In this case, the internal combustion engine turns on much more often and runs at higher speeds precisely so that the electric motor always has the charge necessary to release all its horsepower.

We find ourselves halfway Standard mode, which I used for 90% of the kilometers covered in these two weeks. It’s a great compromise that guarantees more than good performance and absolutely low consumption, as we’ll see shortly. Let’s talk about the default active mode and, in fact, the one that I recommend for everyday trips.

Otherwise, I must admit that on board this Quashqai e-Power you travel in a very comfortable way. There is a lot of space on board, both when we sit in the front seats and if we sit on the back sofa. Here, with the driver’s seat positioned to accommodate a person about 175/180 cm tall, we still have enough knee room for rear passengers and just as much air overhead. Even luggage compartment with a volume of more than 500 liters (which reaches over 1,500 with the seats folded down) offers all the space you need to load enough bags and luggage.

All done then even more comfortable from an extremely quiet cabin, finished with soft materials almost everywhere to minimize vibrations. The internal combustion engine feels very little, so much so that it is almost always covered by the usual aerodynamic hiss and tire wobble. In addition, to further improve the acoustic comfort of the driver and passengers accustomed to traveling in traditional cars, Linear Tune was created, a system that guarantees a direct relationship between the number of revolutions of the internal combustion engine and the speed of the vehicle. car.

In short, someone who has had the opportunity to test various electric vehicles will tell you that in the vast majority of cases it will absolutely feel like you are driving a fully electric vehicle.

And now we come to the most interesting part of today’s article, because if I have been holding this Qashqai e-Power in my hands for the past two weeks, it is precisely in order to try to understand whether, according to the intention of the Japanese manufacturer, this type of engine really able to replace the old diesel engine in terms of autonomy and consumption.

First of all, let’s assume that my home route, on which the suburban test is based, consists of urban and suburban roads, including state roads, ring roads, and a few kilometers in the city. The journey is about 50 km and is a typical journey that a classic passenger makes every day. move to Milan and back with all subsequent traffic (alas, often very intense).

So after about 10 days of round trips, I can tell you that depending on the amount of traffic, the average consumption can therefore varies from 5 liters per 100 km to less than 4 liters per 100 km. In particular, the more intense the traffic becomes, the more the consumption drops, which is a typical behavior of hybrid vehicles. For a couple of trips to Milan, I even managed to get an average fuel consumption of 3.8 liters per 100 km, or more than 25 km per liter of gasoline.

However, in the worst case, the average consumption was 5.1 liters per 100 km, or just under 20 km per liter. When entering the city, using regenerative braking and the lowest speed, it is almost always around 4 liters per 100 km, and on country roads in the outback areas of Milan, it is around 5. In short, given the weight of the car and its dimensions, this is definitely what I would call a “good trip”.

And on the highway at code speeds? Let’s assume that, as with electric vehicles, this situation is a bit more difficult to drive when the internal combustion engine stays on longer and at higher speeds. For two weeks in his company, I happened to make a couple of trips along the highway, in total about 200 km were covered. In these cases, the average always fluctuated. from 6.2 to 6.4 liters per 100 km, that is, 15-16 km per liter. These are certainly higher averages than normal daily runs, but we’re still at the consumption level of the 150hp 1.7 dCi engine that was on the price list in previous Qashqai generations.

At the end of my 15 days of use lthe total average recorded since the reset of the on-board computer (coinciding with a full tank), was exactly 5.1 liters per 100 km, or just under 20 km per litre. A figure that is, in fact, even better than Nissan’s claimed WLTP combined cycle average of 5.5 liters per 100 km according to the manufacturer, and which was also confirmed by the top-up test. Having used exactly 32 liters of fuel and driven 617 km, we have a real average of 19.3 km with one liter and another 400 km that can be easily covered with the remaining 23 liters available. Thus, the 1000 km with a full tank declared by Nissan during the promotion is absolutely achievable.. A milestone that is certainly important and that I could hardly have predicted given the type of car.

What to say then? If Nissan’s intention with this e-Power was indeed to replace older diesel engines, we can say that, at least in terms of guaranteed autonomy, the mission is largely accomplished. In addition, an emission component must be taken into account, which is, of course, much lower than in older diesel engines and in many modern gasoline engines. In short, the benefits are many and this Qashqai e-Power can be considered the best. ideal solution for those who one way or another attracts the driving experience that you get behind the wheel of an all-electric car, but which, at the same time, they do not have the ability to easily and regularly replenish the account, or they cannot afford it yet because of the high cost.

Yes why is this The Qashqai e-Power starts with the Acenta trim level and costs €37,320. which is less than many if not all EVs of the same size, and around €2,500 more than the 158bhp Mild-Hybrid model. with an automatic transmission in the same configuration. The difference in price, in my opinion, is absolutely justified by the greater engine power and lower fuel consumption and emissions, as well as the equipment, which, in any case, while remaining Acenta, includes several more options, for example, alloy wheels from 18, against 17 for the model MHEV.

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