Nissan Qashqai E-POWER N-DESIGN, road test, how it goes

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Driving the Nissan Qashqai with the 2024 facelift and engine E-Power you immediately discover that you are on board a very quiet and pleasant car to drive, simply because you travel practically in electric mode, assisted by very advanced technology and with ADAS at the highest levels.
Accelerations are guaranteed by the electric motor, while the thermal engine has the sole task of recharging the battery and/or providing a surplus of energy when greater power is required from the electric motor.

The battery acts as a buffer, providing energy to the electric motor when acceleration is required. The thermal one with power generator function turns on and increases speed (barely making itself felt) when greater acceleration is required. By fully depressing the accelerator pedal, the combustion engine reaches maximum rpm, but it is not even that noisy. The moment you release the accelerator, the combustion engine immediately turns off and, by reaccelerating more gently, you sail in electric mode.

On board, comfort is excellent despite the 20-inch tires and a very low shoulder (/45), also thanks to perfect chassis calibration and correct tire pressure (2.4 at the front, 2.1 at the rear ). Usually, much higher pressures cause jolts when driving on uneven surfaces, leading to unfair criticism of the set-up, blaming the shock absorbers or the suspension compartment. I had confirmation of the excellent functioning of the structure by passing over the bollards in the inhabited centers I passed through without deliberately slowing down.
You feel great on board, the seats offer maximum driving comfort, the Google assistant is fantastic and the Head-up Display is also very helpful.

With calm and foresighted driving, you can make extensive use of electric regenerative braking without ever using traditional brakes. The brake pedal behaves, as in all electric and hybrid cars, with a less sincere promptness than in an old-fashioned combustion car, since it mainly uses regenerative braking in the initial phase and then mechanical braking for more intense braking.

By accelerating the pace between bends, the car responds promptly to steering and direction changes. The Handling is excellent despite the fact that it is a crossover, a car that is a cross between a sedan and an SUV. Thanks to the weight of the 2 kWh battery, located under the rear passenger seats, the center of gravity is slightly lowered and this significantly improves driveability. Consumption is reduced especially on urban and extra-urban routes where you can easily travel 20 km on one liter of petrol.

What changes inside and outside

With the new 2024 restyling, on the Nissan Qashqai we objectively find a nice change on an aesthetic level, especially on the front and in the interior. The measurements don’t change, it’s long 4.43 meters, wide 1.85 meters is high 1.62 meters with a step of 2.67 meters and trunk from 504 litres. We are on board the new N-Design setup, where the front bumper is completely new. The grille has undergone a major restyling, with the Nissan logo repositioned on a black band that borders the bonnet and connects with the grille. The latter is composed of three-dimensional elements that recall the armor of Samurai fighters.

The headlights are now equipped with full LED Matrix technology, with direction indicators in the upper part and position lights also repeated with five elements in the lower part. The rear lights are also new. The lines are almost identical to those of the previous version, the third generation, but the internal part changes, where there is a large use of LEDs with a much more evident red color.

Taking a walk around the car you can notice the cameras positioned at the front, laterally on the rear-view mirrors and at the rear, for a total of four cameras that allow this new Nissan Qashqai to have a 360° view on the multimedia system screen, thanks to the function Around View Monitor (AVM)enhanced with a 3D function, which allows you to individually select one of the 8 views: this facilitates the identification of obstacles not visible from the driving seat.

The design of the alloy wheels is also new: here on the N-Design setup we have a 20-inch wheel with 235/45 R20 tyre.

On board you can perceive a significantly improved quality, with extensive use of Alcantara on the dashboard, where there is a white break line. The materials are of excellent quality. The big news of this Qashqai 2024 restyling is the integration of the Google platform into the car’s infotainment. There is no longer any need to connect your phone to have Android Auto or Apple CarPlay: the Android system is already integrated into the car itself.

The instrumentation is very clear and easily readable, with the power indicator moving from the blue regeneration zone, active during braking or downhill, to the upper zone from 0 to 100%, which indicates the power level of the electric motor. There is no shortage of clear and obvious information such as the fuel gauge, range and speed indicator.

There is the possibility to select the driving mode from the D-MODE button, which can be “sport”, “standard” or “eco”. EV mode can be forced with the appropriate button, available when the battery has a residual autonomy of more than 20-30%. Furthermore, it is possible to select the e-Pedal mode, which allows strong regenerative braking when the accelerator pedal is released.

The screen changes color according to riding mode: red for mode Sportgreen for Echo and light gray for standard mode. The intensity of regenerative braking can be managed in two ways: via the e-Pedal or with the B-Mode function selectable from the Drive lever. In B-Mode, braking when releasing the accelerator is less intense than in e-Pedal mode. Honestly, in e-Pedal mode, braking can be a little too sharp in certain situations, but it is ideal in the city, in heavy traffic or on steep descents.

You don’t need the key to start the car: there is a start and stop button. On the central console we find a 12 volt socket, wireless charging for the mobile phone and extensive use of very nice Alcantara upholstery. Another big new feature is the 360° camera function, which allows you to have a complete view around the car with the possibility of visually checking the four tires.

The rear trunk is very spacious, with over 500 liters of space and double shelves to have a level floor without a step. If you want to increase the load capacity, you can use the entire subfloor. There are hooks to secure cargo, a 12-volt outlet and lights.

Conclusions and reflections

Having completed the test, on the roads of Portugal, of the new Nissan Qashqai restyling 2024, we are pleased to have climbed aboard a very successful Nissan model, the one that created the crossover segment in 2007 with the first edition, renewed in 2014 with the second generation and still updated in 2021 with the third generation. The following year in 2022 the e-Power engine was introduced for the first time. We are talking about a car that has sold 4 million units worldwide, of which 3 million in Europe and 400,000 in Italy, where 16,000 vehicles with e-Power engines circulate.

I was pleasantly impressed by this engine and its technology which manages to guarantee maximum efficiency and low consumption thanks to the combination of the combustion engine and the electric one: an advanced system that allows the car to be driven like an electric car, but without forced stops for recharging, with the advantage of being able to refill it at the petrol pump within a few minutes.

Driving is very smooth and pleasant, both on the motorway, where it is comfortable and silent, and between the curves of mountain roads, where we tested the variation of regenerative braking with the e-Pedal engaged/disengaged and B-Mode activated/deactivated.

More photos Nissan Qashqai 2024

Read also:

→ How Nissan’s e-POWER engine works
→ Technical characteristics, Adas and other info on the 2024 restyling