Nissan Qashqai 2023: Australian specs locked in ahead of late-2022 release date of turbo-petrol and hybrid models

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The third-generation, British-built Nissan Qashqai small SUV that launched globally in February 2021 is finally coming to Australia with four variants and two engines – including a hybrid – during the third quarter of 2022. 

With an available hybrid powertrain, the new Qashqai will compete directly with the popular Toyota C-HR hybrid and Honda’s all-new HR-V hybrid, while the turbo-petrol four-cylinder Qashqai will fight against the Volkswagen T-Roc and Hyundai Kona N-Line. 

Nissan Australia indicated that it would eventually like to see the Qashqai hybrid achieve a similar 60 percent sales split to some rivals, though this won’t happen during its first sales year.

This is due to Australia’s lax CO₂ emission laws that make our market a lower priority for hybrid models, and so the bulk of Qashqais available initially will be petrol-powered. 

Nissan will disclose final pricing closer to the Qashqai’s release date in the second half of this year, though expect the safer, more premium small SUV to climb in price with the range likely to span $30-45,000, depending on the grade.

The new-generation Qashqai rides on a 20mm longer wheelbase, with 35mm of additional body length and 32mm more width than before, while also gaining a 25mm-taller roofline to improve headroom.

Nissan Qashqai hybrid technology

The ‘e-Power’ series hybrid found in the Qashqai differs somewhat from the versions found in Toyota’s C-HR and Honda’s HR-V. It shares much more with range-extender systems seen in the Chevrolet Volt and BMW i3, with the 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine never directly powering the front wheels. 

Instead, the Qashqai’s electric motor takes care of that with maximum outputs of 140kW/330Nm, so it should be quite a nippy small SUV. 

Nissan has not confirmed ADR consumption figures yet, though in combined WLTP testing the e-Power Qashqai is rated at 5.3L/100km.

The other engine on offer is a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder that replaces Nissan’s old 106kW/200Nm 2.0-litre direct-injection petrol and produces a respectable 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque. 

The new Qashqai will feature a revised CVT transmission and all Australian variants will send power to the front wheels exclusively. 

What variants of Qashqai will be offered?

Nissan’s grade structure carries over for the new Qashqai with the ST base model scoring multi-link rear suspension and 17-inch alloy wheels as standard.

Inside the Qashqai ST features cloth-appointed, manually adjustable seats with an 8.0-inch touchscreen featuring wired smartphone mirroring, and a 7.0-inch semi-digitised instrument pack. 

Standard safety features include front AEB with pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection, reverse AEB, rear cross-traffic alert, a centre airbag, blind-spot monitoring with intervention, and traffic sign recognition.

The Qashqai ST+ scores extra tech as standard including a huge 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay (though wired Android Auto), satellite navigation and a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, while outside, larger 18-inch alloy wheels are fitted. 

In ST-L guise, the Qashqai scores 19-inch alloy wheels and Nissan’s ‘Propilot’ adaptive cruise control with lane-tracing, as well as a 15-watt wireless phone charger, leather-accented upholstery and dual-zone climate control. 

The flagship Ti grade brings classy quilted leather upholstery, front seats with massage function and heating, a panoramic glass roof, kick-to-open power tailgate, a 10.8-inch head-up display, unique 19-inch alloy wheels and Matrix LED headlights.

Nissan has not confirmed Australian pricing for any new Qashqai variants as yet, nor whether the new e-Power hybrid will be available on lower-spec versions.