Nissan reveals more details about Qashqai hybrid

Tuesday, 8 March 2022

Nissan's edgier, techier and greener Qashqai is here.

Nissan has detailed its new hybrid Qashqai, gaining an e-Power powertrain that combines a high-output battery and electric motor with a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine.

The e-Power system is basically a range-extender system (think the BMW i3 REX), with the petrol engine acting as a generator for the battery. That means the electric motor is the only source of drive for the front axle, with the ICE engine never directly driving the wheels, which means the Qashqai should drive somewhat like an EV, with instant response. The engine can also send power straight to the electric motor through an inverter when needed, but never directly to the wheels.

Nissan says the powertrain has been upgraded significantly compared to the e-Power Note, with total output now at the 140kW/330Nm mark. The 1.5-litre triple can adjust its compression ratio on the fly, tech taken from Infiniti, which Nissan says reduces CO2 and fuel consumption. Claimed figures are 119g/km of CO2 and 5.3L/100km, both subject to homologation.

The Qashqai SUV is getting hybrid power courtesy of Nissan’s e-Power system.

The compression can adjust between 8:1 and 14:1, achieved by the movement of an actuator which changes the length of the piston stroke according to the demand for power.

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Nissan says its new Linear Tune system eliminates the ‘disconnect’ between the sound of the engine and the actual speed of a range-extender vehicle.

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Another new piece of tech in the e-Power Qashqai is something called ‘Linear Tune’. This was developed to ensure the driving experience gave a “connected” sensation, and is meant to keep the engine’s rotation speed in line with the vehicle’s speed, even though it is the electric motor providing the power.

Previously range-extenders, like the aforementioned BMW and the Holden Volt, would have the ICE engine firing up whenever the motor or batteries demanded power, which would lead to the comical and unpleasant effect of the engine screaming away at full revs while the car might be idling along, or even at a complete halt

The Linear Tune feature governs the petrol engine and progressively increases its speed to meet the motor’s energy demands as the car accelerates, ensuring there is no “disconnect” between what the occupants experience in terms of performance and sound.

According to Nissan (and, quite honestly, anyone who has experienced it) the disparity between engine speed and road speed is “a phenomenon that drivers and passengers find unsettling.” For example, a sudden rise in engine revs without a commensurate increase in speed is perceived as frustrating and “disconnected” by occupants. Linear Tune, it claims, will fix that.

Other non-hybrid Qashqai models will source power from a new turbocharged 1.3-litre four-cylinder, making 110kW/250Nm.

That’s an increase in output over the old 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine, which made 106kW/200Nm, while also decreasing consumption and emissions to 6.1L/100km (down from 6.9L/100km) and 138g/km of CO2.

Nissan New Zealand has confirmed we will get the e-Power Qashqai as well as the petrol-only version. The mild-hybrid variants won’t be coming here. Pricing and final specifications are due sometime in the second half of 2022, ahead of the local launch.