Nissan has taken the Qashqai e-Power on another long-distance fuel-efficiency run, this time sending the hybrid SUV around Tasmania on a single tank.
The drive is the second part of Nissan’s real-world efficiency campaign for its e-Power system. The first was in the UK, where a Qashqai e-Power completed the Land’s End to John O’Groats route without refuelling.
In that UK run, Nissan said the Qashqai covered 1,347km on one tank, returned 3.76 litres per 100km and still had 160km of indicated range left at the end.
Tasmania brought a different test. Instead of long British highway stretches, the route included hills, coastal roads, rural sections and mixed highway driving.
Nissan said the Qashqai still managed more than 1,300km on a tank, completing the full lap with real-world fuel use of 4.5 litres per 100km.
That 4.5 litres per 100km figure is also Nissan’s quoted WLTP fuel-efficiency figure for the Qashqai e-Power, so the Tasmania result gives the claim some useful showroom value.
The Qashqai e-Power is not a plug-in hybrid. It uses a petrol engine to generate electricity, but the wheels are driven only by an electric motor. There is no direct mechanical drive from the engine to the wheels.
This means the car does not need charging, but its driving feel is closer to an EV than a normal hybrid, with smoother low-speed response and no conventional gear changes.
Nissan said the latest system uses its 5-in-1 integrated modular powertrain with a redesigned 1.5-litre turbocharged engine. The aim is to reduce fuel use while keeping the easy long-distance range that many drivers still want from a petrol-powered car.
