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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?
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History
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.
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What you get
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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What to look for
We've not come across any specific e-POWER drivetrain issues. As with a mild hybrid J12-era MK3 Qashqai, there are various things a used buyer has to look out for. We've heard of a system and engine warning message at start up which in some cases led to a power reduction - solved only be restarting the car. And navigation updating issues can occur with the centre screen. The auto gearbox can be jerky when pulling off. The mileage clock can reset on its own. The audio system can exhibit very poor DAB reception. And the media set-up can be unresponsive. Check all of these things on your test drive. Otherwise, just check for the usual side panel and alloy wheels scrapes - and signs of child damage or luggage scrapes inside.
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Replacement parts
(approx based on a 2022 Qashqai e-POWER - Ex Vat autodoc.co.uk) An oil filter is in the £4-£13 bracket. An air filter is in the £14-£61 bracket. Front brake discs cost in the £94-£114 bracket. Rear brake discs cost in the £22-£73 bracket. A wiper blade's in the £4-£10 bracket. A pollen filter's in the £7-£28 bracket.
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On the road
It's a fascinating electrified combustion drivetrain this. For a start, at 1.9kWh in size, the battery is about twice the size it would be in a conventional full-Hybrid. And it's topped up by a little three cylinder Variable Compression 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine that never directly powers the wheels. Forward motion is instead taken care of by single front axle-mounted motor which puts out 187hp and 310Nm of torque. Which is enough to propel the Qashqai e-Power to 62mph from rest in 7.9s. That's the quickest stat recorded by any engine in the Qashqai line-up; and, as if to underline the intended EV remit, the maximum speed figure - 105mph - is the slowest.
Inevitably, it only works with auto transmission, but does so more smoothly than with the CVT autos used in some full-Hybrids thanks to a feature called 'linear tune' which ties engine speed to road speed. Nissan has also engineered in its 'i-Pedal' tech, which increases energy regeneration when you come off the throttle. This doesn't slow the car is much as it would with the company's LEAF and Ariya full-EVs, but it will mean that in normal motoring, you'll be using the brake pedal a lot less. An 'EV' button sits alongside the 'i-Pedal' switch, supposedly for full-EV driving, but it only deigns to activate if you're driving like Miss Marple at speeds which would barely allow you to overtake a bicycle. Best to leave the e-POWER system to its own devices, which see it delivering a useful frugality advantage over a conventional mild hybrid Qashqai - 52.3mpg on the combined cycle and 119g/km of CO2.
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Overall
If you take the view that a Hybrid isn't quite 'EV' enough but you're put off by the range, price and charging issues that currently afflict Electric Vehicles, then you might well be interested in Nissan's e-POWER technology. And should you be seeking a lower mid-sized family SUV, you'll find it works quite effectively fitted beneath the bonnet of this pricier J12-era Qashqai model. Not effectively enough though, to offer any appreciable efficiency advantages over the various conventionally-engineered self-charging full-Hybrid Crossover models already populating this class.
That's disappointing - and it probably explains why this Japanese maker's Alliance partner Renault didn't adopt e-POWER technology. They clearly believe, as we do, that it ought to have delivered more efficiency benefits than it actually does. Still, like the conventional full-Hybrid self-charging drivetrains in the class, this Qashqai's very cost-effective to run, a sensible choice if you can justify its up-front price premium over the ordinary variant. It's always an EV; yet always gives you engine range flexibility. There's a price for that, but we can understand why you might see it as one well worth paying.
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