Nissan NZ’s shortest day, long drive economy test

Jun 22

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AutoMuse’s Liz Dobson drove the Nissan Navara ST-X. Photos: Supplied

To coincide with the shortest day of the year, Nissan New Zealand commissioned a real-world efficiency challenge across its new-vehicle range – from the e-Power hybrid Qashqai and X-Trail through to the Navara and the V8 Patrol.

The results are in, and perhaps unsurprisingly, it was the brand’s e-Power hybrid X-Trail that stole the efficiency spotlight, proving that an electric-like drive is possible without ever plugging in.

Enlisting a group of motoring journalists, including AutoMuse Liz Dobson, each vehicle tackled a ‘real world’ route under different driving conditions around the country, with e-Power showcasing how an electric-like drive – petrol-generated, never plugged in – delivers impressive efficiency.

Cameron Officer was in the Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power.

The challenge was to drive efficiently over the course, measure fuel consumption and compare it against the official sticker figure, with the greatest percentage improvement being deemed the winner.

The project saw Patrol, Navara, two X-Trails and a Qashqai driven for 100km, with fuel efficiency numbers recorded before and after the exercise.

“This experience was a chance to show what’s possible when going for a long drive, on the shortest day of the year,” said Sri Padmanabhan, Country Head of Nissan New Zealand.

“The results of the unscientific but highly interesting challenge are in, and almost all vehicles were able to better their official fuel consumption ratings. This demonstrates that it is possible to drive efficiently and achieve improvements over the official consumption figures, regardless of the model.

“The Patrol posted a very impressive 35% improvement over its official combined fuel-consumption figure on the day – a great result for a V8 capable of towing up to 3.5 tonnes. However, the standout efficiency story belonged to the X-Trail e-Power ST-L, which achieved a remarkable 39% improvement compared with its official combined fuel-consumption figure,” said Padmanabhan.

Nissan e-Power is a hybrid system where the petrol engine acts solely as a generator, while an electric motor drives the wheels, delivering an electric-like driving experience without the need to plug in.

Matthew Hansen was in the Nissan Qashqai Ti-L e-Power.

“The drivers in e-Power vehicles would have experienced instant torque and smooth acceleration, similar to a fully electric vehicle,” said Padmanabhan.

The battery in e-Power is smaller than in typical hybrids, focusing on efficiency rather than extended electric-only range. The petrol engine is decoupled from the wheels and can operate at RPMs that are closer to its most efficient operating range than a conventional vehicle. The engine speed varies according to power demand, battery state of charge, vehicle speed, and operating conditions.

The fuel consumption results of the Nissan ‘Shortest Day/ Long Drive’ are as follows: