Nissan Qashqai engines, driving and performance

There’s a theme emerging here. Just like the styling, the interior tech and the boot space, the Nissan Qashqai offers an extremely competent, if not quite class-leading, driving experience. It’s not fun or exciting, but you won’t find anything to hate while driving it either. The 1.3-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine is quiet most of the time and is about as economical as petrol versions of the Ford Kuga and SEAT Ateca.

On the road, the Qashqai rewards smooth driving. The controls are light and the front end is feels agile and accurate in corners. That said, sudden direction see the body rocking about slightly as the suspension's initial softness – which we're glad for in everyday driving – can't react quickly enough to catch the car. But, as long as you're not trying to rally your Qashqai, it's easy to cruise about in.

For an even more refined experience, there's the 190hp E-Power, which we'll go into more detail in the Engine section below. On the road, this delivers smooth, seamless acceleration thanks to its punchy electric motor. Floor the throttle and you'll find the silence interrupted by a roar from the on-board petrol generator as it sends extra power to the motor.

The Qashqai does a good job of filtering out most bumps and imperfections in the road surface, although it can get unsettled by very big jolts. While the suspension errs on the softer side, the car still feels tied-down at higher speeds, with none of the wayward body motions you might find in some more off-road focused SUVs – including the Qashqai's sibling, the Nissan X-Trail.

Top-spec Tekna+ cars sit on large 20-inch alloy wheels that look great and fill out the wheelarches. We did notice that, despite this trim's upgraded multi-link suspension, those massive dubs sent a few more vibrations into the cabin than smaller-wheeled trim levels. So, while lower trims miss out on the Tekna+'s top-spec luxuries, they're a fraction smoother over poor surfaces.

For now, the 1.3-litre petrol engine is a much more common sight on the used market, so you’ve got a much wider choice of Qashqais at your fingertips if you choose this engine. Both versions of the petrol engine come with either a manual or an automatic gearbox, while the higher-powered 158hp engine can also come with four-wheel drive. This engine is responsive enough to be a faithful companion in urban traffic, but neither version has much outright grunt when you floor it.

The slightly pricier E-Power feels much stronger on the road. There's a muscular 190hp electric motor giving you seamless EV-like acceleration, paired with a 2.1kWh battery pack. That's only about the size of full-hybrid battery packs like the one used by the Toyota C-HR, so the Qashqai E-Power's electric-only range is pretty small. Thankfully, there's a 1.5-litre petrol engine connected to a generator that can send electricity directly to the motor or recharge the on-board battery as needed. That all sounds a bit complex but, in practice, it's effortless to drive like an EV but all you have to do to keep it going is refuel it like a regular car, with no faffing around with charge cables.

The 1.3-litre petrol engine comes with either 138hp or 158hp, and there’s only around half a second’s difference between their respective 0-62mph times. The more powerful engine slips under 10 seconds to cover the sprint, but neither engine will feel slow in daily traffic.

With 190hp and its power coming all at once from the electric motor, the Qashqai E-Power hits 0-62mph in under eight seconds and feels much stronger in day-to-day driving. It pulls all the way to motorway speeds, too, and has enough power for faster overtakes, although big bootfuls of throttle will see the engine rev hard to supply the motor with enough electricity.