The entry-level manual mild-hybrid cars get 44.8mpg on the official WLTP combined cycle, but this drops slightly as you ascend the trim level range, pile on the equipment, and access the larger (18-, 19- and 20-inch) alloy wheel sizes. The automatic gearbox trumps the manual with a 45.6mpg showing in the base car, and if you go for the e-Power, it’s 54mpg. These are respectable rather than stellar numbers when you consider that the Peugeot 3008 hybrid returns 50mpg and Toyota’s CH-R hybrid tips over the 60mpg barrier. On our drive on a mixed, hilly route in Portugal, we averaged around 39mpg in the Qashqai e-Power.
The e-Power system is certainly an unorthodox one. In some respects, it’s like driving an electric car because it’s purely the electric motor that’s turning the wheels. The power delivery is linear and smooth, with none of the hesitancy that can afflict conventional hybrid cars as they switch between petrol and electric drive. It doesn’t have the instant acceleration of an electric car, though.
The 0-62mph sprint takes a respectable 7.9 seconds, but unless you’re willing to keep the throttle pinned and wait for the power to arrive – the 187bhp maximum is served between 4,500 and 7,500rpm – it can feel more weedy than those numbers, and the 330Nm torque output, might suggest.
The ride is generally very comfortable. The Portuguese roads were much smoother than the UK equivalents, but nothing on our test route exposed any real harshness in the suspension of our test car. Like all N-Design and Tekna+ models, it was rolling around on 20-inch wheels but also had independent rear suspension instead of the less sophisticated beam setup on other Qashqais. On these big rims, the Qashqai can get unsettled by rough patches and bumps, especially mid-corner, but it remains one of the more cosseting mid-size SUVs in everyday driving.
