Not a revolution, but a super evolution, because “something that works so well cannot and must not be changed. But it can be improved “. 14 years after its debut on the market, Nissan presents the new generation of Qashqai, the third, renewed not only in design but also in engines.
The new Qashqai, in fact, says goodbye to diesel to embrace a 1.3 turbofan engine with mild hybrid technology, which will be followed by the real novelty: the E-Power engine, already successfully installed in Japan on Note and Serena and also arriving in Europe.
Considered by Nissan to be its flagship, E-Power is basically based on an electric motor powered by a smaller gasoline engine that acts as a generator, and which powers the electric in order to “eliminate the anxiety of refill ”, as pointed out by Nissa.
The third generation of the Nissan crossover was unveiled on the outskirts of Rome, a static presentation waiting to see it debut in a mild hybrid version in June: “This is our most representative car – said Marco Toto, CEO and president of Nissan – none cars like Qashqai have changed the world of cars, and from 2007 to today it has always been at the top of the sales charts, it reached its peak in its fourth year of life thanks to the lack of competition and in 13 years 338,866 units have been sold ” .
For Nissan, the “super evolution” of Qashqai rests on three pillars: inheritance, because the new generation recalls the original one in all respects, with some improvements in aesthetics and engines; technology, thanks to the third additional screen, increased connectivity (in addition to wireless charging of the mobile phone, the car signals where it is parked with a horn and light, it is possible to open the tailgate remotely and also set the km and the maximum speed that the car can travel by receiving a notification in case of overrun), and the safety and comfort of autonomous driving thanks to Propilot.
The third pillar is electrification: “We wanted to invest in 100% electrified engines – confirmed Toro – The mild hybrid is already offered, the main novelty is an engine that only we at Nissan have, the E-Power engine, electric without plug, to which we add in Europe the E-Pedal which is already mounted on Nissan. By lifting your foot off the pedal, the car brakes and recharges the battery ”.
New Nissan Qashqai, as it is
The new crossover, like the first two generations, was born in central London at NIssan Design Europe, where the Juke was also born. And it is “unmistakably Qashqai”, in terms of lines and proportions, with very little external dimensions changed but interior and trunk spaces increased.
The substantial innovations are the clearer V motion on the front that reaches up to the pillar, the boomerang LED headlights with six LED matrices on each side that draw the front of the car and that turn off if you cross other cars, more muscular air intakes , 20-inch wheels and a more imposing and muscular wheel arch, and then the mirrors mounted on the door and no longer on the pillar to increase the view and reduce the blind spot.
The roof gives the coupé look, while the rear is reminiscent of the sedan, an effect accentuated by the two-tone bodywork. The rear doors open 90 degrees to facilitate access to the seats, and continuing to the rear the new LED headlights and the new electronically opening tailgate return, made of a composite material that reduces the weight of the car.
On the color front, the new Qashqai was presented in “Fuji Red” in homage to Japan, but there are 16 body variants available with metallic and pearl colors, 11 in one color and 5 in two colors.
New Nissan Qashqai, the engines
The new Qashqai is developed on the CMF-C platform shared with the Alliance, and is the first Nissan built on this platform designed to optimize performance: lighter and stiffer, it is tailor-made for electrified engines and has an automatic gearbox. and all-wheel drive with five driving modes or Xtronic gearbox.
As mentioned, the new Qashqai is available in two engines with two different levels of electrification: initially the mild hybrid 1.3 version will be available in the two power variants 140 and 158 HP, the latter also available with Xtronic gearbox and intelligent all-wheel drive and the choice to opt for a 12 Volt because, combined with the weight reduction, “it gives a Co2 efficiency equal to other 48 V competitor solutions”.
The mild hybrid version will be followed in the summer of 2022 by E-Power technology, a single 190 HP electric motor to manage the vehicle’s traction and a thermal unit that acts as a generator: “In Japan today this technology is available for Serena and Note – underlined Toro – and at 70% today it is sold with E-power. It is a technology designed for Japan, readjusted for the European version with 1.5 ”engine.
Nissan Qashqai, equipment and prices
The new Qashqai is available in five versions, from Vista (entry level) to Tekna Plus. The price list has not yet been released except for an exclusive intermediate version, the Premiere Edition, launched on February 18th. 140 HP mild hybrid engine with manual gearbox or 158 with Xtronic gearbox, 18-inch wheels, 4 monochrome or three bicolor shades and a large standard technology package (with Propilot), is available from 33,870 euros.
“It can already be ordered – they explain from Nissan – and in a few days we have already received 153 orders and over 400 estimates”. The goal has come to equal the sales recorded with traditional engines, about 30,000 units a year, and to do so Nissan has already clarified that “the price will still be competitive, even that of E-Power, which will arrive at the beginning. next year. We are still in the homologation phase, but we are counting on a certain competitiveness to return to the volumes of traditional engines “.
