POWER TO THE PEOPLE (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_nissanqashqaiepower_2023

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 53

Nissan's Qashqai e-Power offers a rather different stepping stone from combustion power to EV motoring. It's an interesting confection, always an EV, yet also always petrol-powered. Who needs a hybrid? Let's take a look at the original pre-facelift version of this J12-era Qashqai e-POWER model, which sold between 2022-2024. A decent used buy?

Modelsword count: 5

5dr SUV (1.5 e-POWER petrol)

Historyword count: 139

Nissan calls the Qashqai e-POWER 'an electric car that you can fill up with petrol'. That sounds like a contradiction in terms doesn't it, but this powertrain really is difficult to classify. It can't be plugged in, but unlike a full-Hybrid, the engine never directly drives the wheels, its role instead being to power a front-mounted motor. The brand describes this powertrain as 'a bridging technology' that'll help transition customers to the full-EVs they'll have to live with in the future. But is it worth paying extra to get this Qashqai fitted out with it? This e-POWER engine was introduced a year after the mild hybrid versions of the J12-era MK3 Qashqai arrived in 2021. That J12 Qashqai range received a thorough update in mid-2024. It's the pre-facelift 2022-2024-era versions of this Qashqai e-POWER design we look at here.

What You Getword count: 253

There's not much to differentiate this e-POWER Qashqai variant from its lesser stablemates. The eagle-eyed will notice the bespoke badgework. And perhaps the black trimming strip on top of the front grille. Plus even with base trim on a Qashqai e-POWER, you get smart 18-inch diamond Cut alloy wheels; mid-spec models have 19-inch rims and there are 20-inch alloys at the very top of the range. Up front inside, there are no real changes for this e-POWER variant. Just an oddly-shaped squarical gear selector and the 'i-Pedal' and 'EV' buttons next to it. Otherwise, the cabin's just as in any other third generation Qashqai. Which means it's really quite appealing if you've been able to stretch to a plusher trim level. Everything feels quite smart and you'd quickly feel a sense of familiarity here if you regularly used this car day-in, day-out, thanks to the logical layout and a seating position that's half way between SUV and family hatch. Avoid base trim and both the 'Combimeter' instrument screen (which has two display options) and the central 'NissanConnect' infotainment monitor will be 12.3-inches in size. Back seat passengers should be reasonably happy, thanks to the increases in legroom that came with this third generation 'J12'-series design. Headroom will be slightly restricted on model's fitted with the vast panoramic glass roof, but six-footers should still just about fit. As for the boot, well impressively, the e-POWER system's battery pack hasn't compromised boot space, so you get the same 504-litre capacity as in any other Qashqai.

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