Nissan Qashqai e-Power delivers hybrid power without plug

It has a turbocharged three-cylinder engine at its heart, but its only responsibility is to generate electric power for the drive system. This leccie power is then sent via an inverter to either drive the 140 kW drive motor or to top up the 1.8 kW capacity lithium-ion battery, depending on how carefully, or otherwise, you drive the car – so there’s no need to plug it in.

There's a useful deep well under the main boot floor for storing either dirty or valuable items The electric generation is provided by a 190bhp 1.5-litre engine and that’s plenty to give this third-crop Qashqai a real bit of oomph by taking it from 0-63mph in just 7.9 seconds thanks to the powerful electric drive set-up. Yet it delivers 50mpg-plus under ‘normal’ driving conditions, which is pretty good and the 55-litre tank means you can get about 600 miles of motoring per fill – with none of the range anxiety associated with pure electric drives systems.

You can buy a normal Qashqai for just under £29,000, but the top spec’ Tekna+ e-Power version on test would set you back about £44,000 – with the main extra being the Fuji Sunset Red two-tone paint job which added £745. But this range-topper gives you electrically adjustable leather seats, a top notch Bose sound system, head-up display, power tailgate, heated seats and steering wheel, and a panoramic glass roof.

Inside, the car had real knob-like controls for the heating and fan systems, so no need to fiddle with the excellent 12.3-inch infotainment system, the Nissan Connect display. This has all the up-to-date gizmos to help utilise it to the best, including Google Maps, Google Assistant (and she listened well!), plus Amazon’s equally attentive Alexa, so voice control is able to keep your mind on your driving and your hands on the wheel.

And it was a comfortable space to do some long hours of driving in, with the customisable 64-colour ambient lighting system being able to be configured to suit anybody’s mood. But there’s a nice feel to the quality of ingredients used to make the cabin, adding to a stress-free environment without all that hoo-ha.

The Qashqai had a really good 12.3-inch screen, but handy real-knob control of the heating and ventilation system

Space-wise, three normal people could get into the rear seats without too much trouble, but it might be a bit of a squeeze for those of us with a more robust stature to get three-across. In the load area, there’s a neat and useful under-floor storage space that can be used for storing the likes of muddy boots and gear out of sight.

All-in-all, the latest Qashqai is a big improvement on the previous models and gives you a car that delivers on refinement, economy and the drive power of electricity, but without the anxiety of having to find a plug-in point when making long journeys.