Road tested by Hugh Maguire.
Nissan have refreshed the Qashqai and made an excellent car even better!
I road test some 60 new cars a year from every segment of the market. So you can imagine I am not easily impressed. However occasionally a car comes along that really gets my attention. Something different, something apart from the mundane, something that embraces a new technological solution to reducing our carbon emissions without the hysterical rush to EV’s. The manufacturer that got my attention this time is Nissan with their e-power Nissan Qashqai and X-Trail.
This week I have spent some 660km behind the wheel of the latest Nissan Qashqai SVE e-power and I have come away really very impressed!
First Impressions
It’s not a show stopper in the style department but rather a clever evolution of the previous design. I like the slim new LED head Matrix headlights and the new design to the rear. This new Qashqai won’t stand out from the crowded SUV segment but it does look smart.
What’s it like inside?
Nissan’s designers seem to have been a bit more brave here and as a result the interior of the Qashqai is really very impressive. Two tone quilted leather upholstery, alcantara, judicious use of aluminium trim, ambient lighting, and a cabin that is just about perfect in its design and layout make this a very nice place to be for driver and passengers alike.
An excellent configurable digital dash which allows analogue style round instruments which looks truly classy and a host of high tech driver aid make the new Qashqai at the forefront of this segment. Other manufacturers take note! The central touch screen works well and the graphics are good but great praise must go to Nissan for giving us real buttons to operate the climate control, drive modes, i pedal, auto park and heated seats.
Standard equipment is equally impressive in the SVE version , highlights include a head up display, wireless charging, panoramic glass roof, wireless Apple Car play, Wifi for seven devices, and some other nice touches such as massaging front, heated steering wheel and heated front seats.
Accomadation is good if not generous but it will seat four in comfort and five at a squeeze. The boot accessed via the electric rear tailgate is a decent size too. In short this is simply the very best cabins in this class!
What’s under the bonnet?
This is the the unique feature of the Qashqai. Nissan call it e-power. Basically a 1.5 litre 3 cylinder petrol engine charges a battery (think of it as a generator) which then powers the electric motor that drives the wheels. The engine is not connected to the wheels in any way so the new Qashqai drives similar to an EV with instant torque, but as the engine and regenerative braking constantly charges the battery you never have to plug in…..ever! No range anxiety, no searching the hopeless charging infrastructure for a charge point, yet at low speeds or around town it cruises around in full EV mode. The small engine sips fuel burning just 5.3 litres per 100km on my test giving the new Qashqai a range of about 850km. Road tax is €190 for the year.
In short I think this is a terrific technological solution. EV’s are not the silver bullet they have been portrayed to be and there is a slow realisation about that. e fuels are coming too and legislation has been passed by the EU allowing combustion engines to live on indefinitely if powered by e fuels. Nissan’s answer to lowering emissions is excellent and deserves great praise. I loved it!
What’s it like to drive?
In town its a quiet EV, and the auto park function works superbly well, on the motorway its refined and on a twisty country road it aquits itself very well indeed. This Qashqai really delivers in all areas.
Verdict.
The 2025 Qashqai is in my opinion the most desirable SUV in its class. Its got style, a cracking interior, great levels of standard equipment, drives well and boasts what I believe to be the perfect technological solution. Emission free motoring for most of the time without the need to plug in or worry about range! The new Nissan Qashqai is quite simply the best car in its class bar none! The Qashqai e-power SVE costs €54,400.