Nissan Qashqai e-Power 2022 first drive

Probably the easiest way to describe the new Nissan Qashqai e-Power – if not the most accurate – is as an electric car that you fill up with petrol. 

As a series hybrid, the new e-Power system differs from a full-, mild- or plug-in hybrid set-up in that the combustion motor’s role in the process of propulsion is limited to acting as a generator for the front-mounted, 188bhp electric motor - which then drives the front axle directly. It’s the only such system currently on the market but in principle it works a bit like the old BMW i3 range-extender, or LEVC’s London taxi, giving an all-electric driving experience while alleviating any concerns about range anxiety (although today’s fuel prices mean no car is really exempt from that…). 

Nissan refers to it as a “bridging technology” and says it will help facilitate an all-out shift to electrification by familiarising customers with the EV driving experience without asking them to adjust their driving habits. “We’re trying to get as close as possible to your next car, which will be an EV,” a company spokesman said. Notably, the Qashqai e-Power arrives alongside the firm’s second bespoke electric car – the Nissan Ariya – as part of a multi-pronged approach to achieving a 50% electrification sales mix globally by 2030. 

Were it not for a faint thrum emanating from the front end under load, the e-Power drivetrain would do a very good impression of a pure-electric system much of the time. Take-up of power is smooth and brisk, acceleration pleasingly linear and – should you turn the e-Pedal mode on – the brake regeneration extremely (almost too) strong.

There’s no gearbox here, so there’s no hesitation on kickdown nor any lurching between ratios. All in, it’s a really nicely rounded set-up and one that starts to make more sense the longer you spend at the wheel; and particularly so in the urban environments that the modern crossover vehicle was imagined for.

The engine only really makes its presence known under greater extremes of load, when it often spins a little vociferously into life and faster animation, and can rev a bit disconcertingly when in no particular relation to the demands made by your right foot. While Nissan claims to have tuned the variable-compression petrol lump to better match vehicle speed – a response to criticism of the jarring ‘rubber band’ effect of a CVT gearbox – it still produces a fairly monotonous and uninspiring melody. Best be light with the right foot and let it tick away quietly.