2024 Nissan Qashqai e-Power review: Australian first drive

When you think hybrids, Nissan is not the first brand that comes to mind. The car maker's unique fuel-sipping e-Power technology is proliferating across its line-up, and the latest model to benefit is the Nissan Qashqai small SUV.

We’re big fans of the Nissan Qashqai at Drive, and the model has performed well in comparisons past. It even won our 2023 Drive Car of the Year Best Small SUV award.

Implementing e-Power technology promises fuel-saving returns like those offered by Toyota's conventional hybrid systems. But the e-Power system's approach to reducing emissions and fuel bills is different from that of other hybrids.

Drive attended the model’s Australian launch to discover how the unique technology fares under the 2024 Nissan Qashqai Ti e-Power's bonnet.

Unfortunately, Nissan only offers the e-Power underpinnings on the flagship Ti model grade. That means if you want a frugal Nissan Qashqai, it’s priced at $51,590 before on-road costs.

Nissan Australia is open to expanding the availability of e-Power onto lower-specified variants in the range, much like the brand has done with the X-Trail ST-L e-Power. However, managing director Adam Paterson wouldn’t give a timeline.

It competes in the small SUV segment alongside hybrid rivals such as the Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos Hybrid FWD ($47,030 plus ORCs) and the Hyundai Kona Hybrid Premium N Line ($46,500 plus ORCs). By comparison, the Nissan is a pricey prospect, especially when you consider that its rivals claim to use even less fuel.

To briefly explain the e-Power hybrid system, it is Nissan’s roundabout technology that effectively powers an electric drivetrain with petrol fuel.

Unlike a parallel hybrid system, which powers the wheels using an electric motor or the internal combustion motor – or both at once – the e-Power system uses a petrol engine to power a battery, which in turn drives the wheels. This is called a series hybrid system.

This is said to not only offer an EV-like driving experience, but also eliminate the inconvenience of plugging in the high-voltage electric battery like you would with a plug-in hybrid or fully-electric vehicle.

There are relatively few ways to distinguish an e-Power from its petrol alternative. Trainspotters will notice a slightly different front grille with a new plastic strip and e-Power badging down the side and on the boot.

Spec highlights for the e-Power mirror those of the Ti. That means a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.8-inch colour head-up display, a 10-speaker Bose sound system, a hands-free power tailgate, black headlining, a semi-auto parking assist, and ambient interior lighting.

It also features quilted leather seats, a panoramic glass roof, two-tone exterior colouring, 19-inch alloy wheels, and adaptive LED headlights.

Powering the Qashqai e-Power is a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine that acts as a generator to power a 140kW/330Nm motor on the front axle. That means only the front wheels are driven on the Qashqai e-Power, and there is no all-wheel drive.

Fuel consumption is a claimed 5.2 litres per 100 kilometres on a combined cycle.

Even though the Qashqai Ti has a dark headlining, it’s great to see that the big panoramic sunroof allows abundant light to enter the cabin. The light and airy feel is at odds with most interior surfaces, considering they are dark, but it makes the space feel larger than it is.

The front seat area is spacious enough for even tall passengers, and thanks to electric-adjusting controls, I was easily able to change the seat position (between drivers). The seats also offer heating and massage functions.

The big digital displays for driving and infotainment look classy – more than an afterthought stuck on the dash – and the quilt-effect seat stitching is very premium in this small SUV segment. Most materials are lovely soft-touch and feel built to last the distance.

For storage in the front row, there are two cupholders in the centre console, bottle holders in the door pockets, a decent hideaway cubby under the centre console armrest, and, of course, a glovebox.

It’s disappointing to see halogen lights in the second row today, but at least the light from the sunroof is useful. There’s no real diminishment in the quality of the second-row materials, which is always lovely to see at the affordable end of the market.

There are rear air vents, one USB-A, one USB-C, map pockets, and a fold-down centre armrest with two cupholders.

The space available is tight for tall occupants like me. I’m 194cm tall and had my knees pressed into the seat back, though average-sized adults should fare fine. One awesome aspect of the Qashqai is that the rear doors open super wide, making it a cinch to slide inside.

The amount of head room is decent, even under the bulky panoramic sunroof.

The boot has a commendable 452-litre capacity on its own, but the real trick is the Ti-exclusive Divide-N-Hide adaptable storage system, which comes in handy for busy parents. It allows the boot floor to be compartmentalised so that luggage or items don’t fly around the cavity while on the go.

Its boot capacity fares well compared to its segment, considering the Toyota Corolla Cross only fits 380L and the Hyundai Kona Hybrid fits 407L.

The Qashqai's boot can be expanded to 1518L with the back seats folded flat. There are also a couple of shopping hooks and a 12-volt outlet, but no spare wheel – just a tyre repair kit.

The Nissan Qashqai’s entertainment system is housed in a 12.3-inch display mounted atop the dash. This widescreen unit is touch-sensitive, and designers have also included a few shortcut buttons to skip between functions.

The screen size is comparable with that of its rivals, such as the Hyundai Kona, and is bigger than the Toyota Corolla Cross’s 10.5-inch screen.

The Qashqai comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but only CarPlay works wirelessly. Nissan’s infotainment software is configurable on the home screen, so drivers can have varying information as they please while the graphics and colours are bright and clear.

Speaking of customisation, the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster has a wealth of adjustments available. Between that physical screen and the 10.8-inch colour head-up display information shown on the windscreen, vital information is never too far away from the driver’s line of sight.

The Qashqai comes with a smartphone companion app that can send navigation and map data to the car. The app also allows you to view vehicle health statuses and even lock/unlock the car remotely.

The Nissan Qashqai has a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on testing from Euro NCAP in 2021. This rating covers both petrol and e-Power variants.

Breaking down the results, it scored an impressive 97 per cent for the safety assist category, 91 per cent for adult occupant protection, 93 per cent for child occupant protection, and 74 per cent for vulnerable road user protection.

By comparison, the Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos Hybrid AWD also scored five stars with ANCAP. Individually, it earned scores of 85 per cent for adult occupant protection, 88 per cent for child occupant protection, 87 per cent for vulnerable road user protection, and 83 per cent for safety assist technology.

In addition to the list of active safety features below, the Qashqai e-Power is unique in offering an external sound generator to alert pedestrians of the car’s presence.

It also has a noise generator inside the cabin, plus a one-pedal drive mode to increase energy regeneration.

Nissan’s ProPilot semi-autonomous driving functionality works well. The system keeps a steady distance behind the car ahead, and the lane-centring assist picks up lane markings very quickly.

As should be expected from small SUV brands in Australia in 2024, the Nissan Qashqai is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.

A five-year roadside assistance program matches that warranty coverage. 

Servicing can be done in a couple of ways. Nissan Qashqai owners can pay-as-you-go with capped-price visits, which are 10 per cent more expensive, or the customer can prepay for two, three, four or five services upfront. These plans cost $723, $1152, $1650 and $2007 respectively.

However, the hybrid must be serviced more regularly than non-hybrid Qashqais. Maintenance should take place every 10,000km or 12 months, whichever is first.

Based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW, the Nissan Qashqai e-Power should cost $1843 to insure per year.

This compares with $1938 for the Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos Hybrid 2WD and $1568 for a Hyundai Kona Premium N Line Hybrid.

Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Although it has EV-like aspects, most of the appeal of e-Power hangs on its frugal fuel use. Nissan says the Qashqai e-Power returns a fuel consumption of 5.2L/100km on a combined cycle. That’s 0.9L/100km better than the 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine.

The car maker states that the car can run roughly 2–3km on its electric power alone, too, though likely only at low speeds. It also claims a range of close to 1000km based on a 5.2L/100km fuel economy.

At the model’s launch, I didn’t experience a fuel economy figure quite as low as what’s claimed – with the car sitting around 5.7L/100km. However, we’d like to get an e-Power through our garage for a more in-depth evaluation considering most of our launch drive was rural.

We've seen figures of 5.4L/100km from an all-wheel-drive Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid before and 4.3L/100km from the new Hyundai Kona Hybrid FWD.

While the Qashqai has a large 55-litre fuel tank, unfortunately it is recommended that the car only be refuelled with 95-octane premium unleaded fuel.

The Nissan Qashqai Ti e-Power doesn’t fire to life with the same noisy surge you get from a petrol-powered Qashqai. Instead of exhaust noise and engine vibration, the e-Power provides a subtle synthetic noise (coming from under the front bonnet) that alerts passengers around the vehicle that it is, in fact, on.

But the petrol engine eventually switches itself on to ensure the electric motor on the front axle stays juiced. The electric motor is the only way power is sent to the ground, and despite the Qashqai e-Power only being front-wheel drive, the system is more than capable of putting down all 140kW/330Nm to the road.

Once switched on and running, the petrol motor makes itself known, but it’s not quite as noisy as conventional hybrid systems. It doesn’t run quite as often as a conventional hybrid’s petrol motor either – only when the 2.1kWh battery runs low on power.

The turbocharged 116kW 1.5-litre petrol engine can bypass the 2.1kWh battery and power the inverter itself (to turn the wheels); however, this is rare and only happens while going uphill or under high throttle load.

Electric outputs of 140kW/330Nm represent roughly 30 per cent improvements over the regular 1.3-litre turbo Qashqai’s maximum figures. It feels perky and more powerful in practice: overtakes are simple and effective, it gets up to speed limits easily, and it’s responsive too.

We’ve driven multiple Nissan Qashqais now and have come to appreciate their build quality. There are minimal creaks and rattles.

About body control and suspension comfort, the Nissan Qashqai’s comfort levels are balanced and plush over all kinds of roads and speed limits. It is one of the firmer-riding cars on the small SUV spectrum, but it's not to the extent that you'd call it uncomfortable or brittle.

The Qashqai feels sporty enough for a small SUV and controls its 1728kg weight (204kg heavier than a regular Qashqai Ti) steadily through bends. It even has perky power outputs to punch out the other side too. There’s a good surge of readily available torque, which brings the car right back up to the speed limit after a corner.

The Qashqai e-Power has a single-speed transmission that’s immediately responsive to changing throttle inputs.

Despite the Nissan Qashqai stocking one of the larger small SUV bodies compared to its class, the car remains easily manoeuvrable into tight parking spots and around suburban areas.

The Nissan Qashqai e-Power is rated to tow 750kg, both braked and unbraked. This is a lower rating than the petrol Nissan Qashqai's 1500kg braked tow rating.

I haven't had the chance to tow using the Nissan Qashqai e-Power, and no tow bars were fitted at the model's launch.

However, the Nissan Qashqai e-Power feels as though it has enough output for a small box trailer and a light load. The non-hybrid Nissan Qashqai, with its extra towing capacity, may be better suited for drivers looking to tow more regularly.

The estimated payload for the Qashqai e-Power stands at 452kg, calculated by subtracting the vehicle's weight from its gross vehicle mass (2180kg). This is enough to cover five average-sized Australian adults at 87kg each.

Remember, if towing close to the Qashqai e-Power's 750kg limit, the 10 per cent towball weight rule dictates that 75kg be added to the vehicle's payload. This reduces the permissible payload to 377kg.

We were already big fans of the petrol-powered Nissan Qashqai, and the model fared very well in our Drive Car of the Year category, but the introduction of this new hybrid powertrain has taken the model from strength to strength.

The driving experience is really like an EV, and the user experience inside the cabin — the space, technology, and features — is all equally awesome.

However, the hybrid technology doesn’t result in fuel consumption as low as some of its rivals. Consider that you also pay more money for a Qashqai e-Power compared to its rivals too.

We’d like to spend more time with the Qashqai e-Power throughout the year to see whether that comes down with time.

Though Nissan only offers the e-Power option under the bonnet of Qashqai Ti variants, we hope the brand will make the technology more accessible and affordable in the future.

Nissan states that around the country, some Qashqai e-Power stock is already available for delivery in the coming weeks.

Wait times will vary depending on a customer's location and colour preference. The car maker encourages customers to ask their nearest dealers for an up-to-date estimate.

The next step on the purchase journey is to check the Nissan website for details on your preferred Qashqai variant. You can also find Nissans for sale at Drive Cars For Sale.

We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ. Find your nearest Nissan dealer via this link. We’d also recommend test-driving the Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos Hybrid FWD because it is popular with consumers and is a strong benchmark.

If you want to stay updated with everything that's happened to this car since our review, you'll find all the latest news here.