Video | A weekend living with the New Nissan Qashqai e-POWER

Electric driving feel without the need to plug in

Nissan’s intelligent e-POWER technology uses a powerful 140kW electric motor to drive the front wheels directly, giving you electric driving characteristics, such as 330Nm of instant all-electric torque, smooth acceleration, and the added bonus of e-Pedal Step one-pedal driving – all without the need to charge.

The motor is powered by an efficient 1.97kW lithium-ion battery and 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine featuring variable compression technology to help maximise its efficiency. Outputting as little as 119g/km of CO2 and achieving up to a combined 53.3mpg (WLTP)**. The battery is charged through a mixture of the engine and regenerative braking, making the Nissan Qashqai e-POWER a truly unique proposition.

“We’ve really appreciated the New Nissan Qashqai’s e-POWER system. It’s got the instant power and torque of an electric car, which is obviously an advantage over a plug-in hybrid, and makes it really easy to drive,” says Sam. “But the on-board engine means we haven’t had to worry about charging – it’s truly press and play.”

“It makes for a really smooth, quiet and enjoyable driving experience”, says Lucy. “It’s the perfect car for people who can’t charge at home, but want some of the benefits of an all-electric car with great efficiency”. In fact, over the course of the weekend, the Baker’s achieved roughly 50mpg, with a range read-out of over 600 miles on a single tank of fuel.

e-Pedal Step one-pedal driving was another powertrain highlight for Sam: “The e-Pedal Step has been really enjoyable to use. It takes a while to get used to, but the instant deceleration when you lift-off gives you great control and makes driving around town super easy.”

Plenty of family space

Inside, the New Nissan Qashqai e-POWER boasts five comfortable seats and large windows – along with an optional panoramic sunroof – that gives the interior a light, spacious atmosphere that will keep adults relaxed and children entertained.

“The sunroof is a massive plus with little kids,” says Lucy. “It really chills them both out, they love being able to look up and see the sky. It’s been a definite hit, I’d say.”

In the back, the rear passenger doors can open up to 85 degrees, making access to the rear super easy, while 504 litres of luggage space, two clever under-floor storage compartments, an optional hands-free tailgate and 16 different boot configurations means a wealth of different family weekend activities can be handled with ease.

“The boot is enormous,” says Lucy. “We’ve managed to fit a double-buggy along with changes of clothes, toys, four bags of shopping and two kids in the back! It’s got more than enough room for us. It’s perfect for an active family who need a lot of space, or even people who just need space for dogs, golf clubs or anything else, really.”

Sam adds: “The false floor in the boot opens up additional capacity, which is really useful. I also noticed that the door pockets are huge. I have a 1.0-litre water bottle I take to work and the cubbies just swallowed it up. I found that quite impressive.”

The New Nissan Qashqai e-POWER comes with easy-access ISOFIX points, too: “The wide-opening rear doors make getting the kids in and out of the back so easy, and the Isofix points mean you can just clip-in and go.”

Cosetting comfort and clever technology

It’s not just the innovative powertrain and family practicality where the New Nissan Qashqai e-POWER impresses. It’s also packed with a wealth of clever technology and plush materials to make every journey easy and relaxing.

On the dashboard, the responsive, high-definition 12.3in NissanConnect touchscreen works with the 12.3in digital driver’s display as your portal to NissanConnected Services, providing easy navigation, as well as easy access to all your favourite music and podcasts through your smartphone thanks to Wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™***.

“The whole infotainment system is really intuitive to use. With the sat-nav, you simply open up that screen, type your destination and away you go. The instructions are really clear and easy to follow,” says Sam.

Lucy adds: “The wireless Apple CarPlay is a great feature. Connecting our phones was really easy, it’s just like using your phone through the car’s touchscreen. Really convenient.”

Intuitive Google Assistant™ and Alexa® compatibility, as well as clever voice recognition technology, also mean you can make calls, set destinations and bring up your favourite entertainment – all without lifting a finger – while comfortable synthetic-leather seats and features like heated seats, heated steering wheel, premium ten-speaker BOSE sound system and dual-zone climate control make every journey as comfortable as it is enjoyable.

“I’m a bit of a stickler when it comes to car seats,” says Lucy. “Whenever we test new cars, I have a ‘back test’ where we can only buy the car if the next morning my back is fine – the Qashqai e-POWER passed with flying colours. It’s really comfortable.”

“We’ve been really impressed with the interior quality and technology of the Qashqai e-POWER,” says Sam. “I think that’s where Nissan has really upped its game over the previous model. It just feels really premium – all the materials are soft-touch and everything just feels high-quality. Really impressive inside.

“The wireless charging pad is a great little feature to help keep your phone topped-up, and the BOSE sound system is superb quality. We’re a bit of a sucker for a good sound system, it’s really important to us and we haven’t been disappointed.”

Comprehensive safety technology

When it comes to safety, the Nissan Qashqai e-POWER has you covered, too. Nissan’s latest ProPILOT Assist with Navi-Link**** driver assistance features help make both local urban journeys and cross-country treks easy and safer than ever before.

Intelligent Cruise Control**** helps keep you a safe distance from the car in front, while Intelligent Forward Brake and Intelligent Rear Brake will automatically stop the car if the system detects a collision is imminent. Emergency Lane Keep Assist helps keep you between the white lines, while Adaptive Driving Beam Technology will automatically dip the Nissan Qashqai e-POWER’s illuminating LED headlights when it senses another car coming – all without compromising your visibility.

“Nissan’s ProPILOT Assist safety tech is really comprehensive and we’ve really appreciated having that,” says Sam. “Safety is number one importance for us as a family, and being able to see it working through the digital driver’s display is really reassuring from our perspective.”

“I love the high driving position,” adds Lucy. “It gives you great visibility. I also love features like lane assist and cross traffic alert – although you don’t always need them, it’s comforting to know they’re there. The blind spot indicators came in handy a few times this weekend as well – I really appreciate them when driving because you can’t always see everything, especially if you’ve got kids’ car seats or blinds in the back.”

Up front, a 10.8in digital Head-Up display with Traffic Sign Recognition means you can keep your eyes on the road for longer: “I don’t have head-up display on my car,” says Sam. “So having it on the Qashqai was an enjoyable experience. Soon, it becomes so natural to always look at it.”

And when it’s time to park, the New Nissan Qashqai e-POWER’s high-resolution Around View Monitor offers a 360-degree view of your car through four high-quality cameras, with selectable focus on the front, rear and kerbside views.