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Photo: Guillem Hernandez / Nissan
The first impression:
An ordinary SUV of the compact class.
Only those who open the hood recognize the car as an oddball - due to the new hybrid technology.
The manufacturer says:
"The ideal intermediate step on the way to electromobility" is the e-power technology of the Qashqai, says Friederike Kienitz, who is responsible for environmental issues at Nissan's European headquarters, about the special variant of the combination drive consisting of a combustion engine and an electric motor.
The electric motor alone drives the wheels, the petrol engine only serves as a generator, which saves fuel.
Sounds complicated, but it's successful, says Kienitz.
In Japan, the technology in the small car Nissan Note has been around for some time.
He drove the long-time hybrid bestseller Toyota Prius from the top of the registration statistics.
However, Nissan's hybrid interpretation is not entirely new.
The technology is most comparable to the so-called range extender in the Opel Ampera, a plug-in hybrid.
The approach looks smart - and could help reduce CO₂ emissions in cars until all-electric cars become established.
But there is a practical problem for Nissan: As a full hybrid that cannot be charged at the socket, the car does not qualify for the German purchase bonus and other subsidies around the world.
This is how the Qashqai e-Power falls behind even before the start.
Many competitors in the segment can be charged via cable.
However, the end of the plug-in hybrid subsidy is foreseeable in many countries.
And so Nissan would like to expand the e-power program quickly, Kienitz also announces the X-Trail model with e-power drive for the end of the year.
That's what we noticed:
What's that buzzing there?
Considering that the Qashqai e-Power always drives electrically, the combustion engine is surprisingly loud when you start it.
Since the previous driver pretty much drained the battery, the petrol engine first recharges, it's a three-cylinder engine of the chattering variety.
The ears perceive a combustion engine, other senses register the Stromer.
Like a purely electric car, the e-power Qashqai starts gently and spontaneously.
If you set off with a full battery, you can cover a distance of around five kilometers at up to 90 km/h with a sensitive foot on the accelerator, without the petrol engine having to produce electricity.
The difference to the usual Qashqai is also noticeable when braking - especially when the so-called e-pedal has been activated by pressing the head.
Instead of coasting when the accelerator pedal is lifted, the electric motor becomes a generator in this case, recovering energy and decelerating so much that the mechanical brake is rarely needed.
That's electric car feeling.
The driver needs neither a strategy nor time to charge: the car is ready for a range of more than 800 kilometers at any filling station within three minutes.
With the new drive, the Qashqai should build on its old strength.
It was once the best-selling car of its type and at times practically alone kept Nissan alive in Europe.
Previously innovative and unconventional, the most unusual thing about the Qashqai today, alongside the e-Power technology, is the name.
The inner life is functional but quite unimaginative.
Digital and conventional elements mix in the cockpit.
And even with a slightly longer wheelbase, the car in the third generation does not become a space giant - especially since there is no sliding rear seat like in many competing models.
You have to know that:
As a pure combustion engine, the Qashqai is available with a 1.3-liter turbo petrol engine (138 or 155 hp) from 27,090 euros.
It has been available for purchase since autumn.
The full hybrid variant e-Power is to follow in the summer.
It should also comfort customers about saying goodbye to diesel in the Qashqai.
Nissan has not yet announced a price for the new variant.
One wants to orientate oneself to the previously usual surcharge for the self-igniter;
the Qashqai e-Power should probably cost around 35,000 euros.
There is then an electric motor with 140 kW on the front axle, a 2.1 kWh battery under the driver's seat as a buffer storage and a 1.5-liter petrol engine with variable compression and 156 hp as a generator.
Depending on the energy requirement, it runs at different but always constant speed levels: 1500 revs at low loads and then, depending on the power demand, in increments of 500, explains an engineer.
Although the technology is not only expensive, but also weighs 200 kilos in the car and the drive also has 30 percent more power, Nissan promises significant consumption benefits.
In city traffic, the e-power hybrid should be 40 percent more economical than the petrol engine and consume around one liter less over the entire standard cycle.
We won't forget that:
The idiosyncratic background noise in the Qashqai e-Power.
Because the battery is so small and the accelerator pedal is so sensitive, the petrol engine usually runs with it.
But with a constant speed - which takes some getting used to, especially when accelerating.
Customers will hardly have time to come to terms with this.
Because Nissan also relies on pure electric drive in the medium term.
And has already presented the better Qashqai with the Ariya.
Thomas Geiger is a freelance author and was supported in his research by Nissan. Reporting is independent of this.