It was time for the Qashqai to make the switch to electrified engineering and, sure enough, that's what we've got. Rather bravely, given that a huge proportion of previous Qashqai customers have tended to fuel from the black pump, diesel has been ditched entirely and instead, customers are being offered the choice of either a mild hybrid four cylinder turbo unit or the brand's latest e-POWER hybrid system. Almost all sales, to begin with anyway, will be of mild hybrid models, all of which use basically the same 1.3-litre DIG-T engine that was offered before (co-developed with Renault and Mercedes), though usefully embellished here with 12V mild hybrid tech. As usual with set-ups of this sort, a small lithium-ion battery gives a fraction more mid-range punch and takes care of engine stop/start duties.
As usual with a Qashqai, there's a choice of 6-speed manual or CVT Xtronic automatic transmission. And the 1.3-litre engine comes in 140hp or 158hp forms, the latter available with a much improved 4WD system. The AWD set-up is said to be more intuitive and intelligent, features five driving modes (Standard, ECO, Sport, Snow and Off-Road) and shifts power to the rear wheels five times quicker than the previous system. Handling across the range should be improved by a stiffer CMF-C platform. We should say a little about the e-POWER hybrid engine too, a 1.5-litre unit mated to a l40kW electric motor and offering a total power output of 190hp.
