- The redesigned Nissan Rogue arrives later this year.
- It will mark the American debut of the e-Power system.
- Powertrain will give Nissan a much needed hybrid option.
The Rogue remains Nissan’s best-selling vehicle in the United States, with the company moving 217,896 units last year. That is a respectable number, but the crossover has been missing one feature that several key rivals already offer: a hybrid powertrain.
The Toyota RAV4 has gone hybrid-only, while the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, and Kia Sportage all offer a hybrid option. While the company is gearing up to launch a Rogue Plug-In Hybrid, it’s little more than a rebadged Mitsubishi Outlander.
Review: The New Nissan Qashqai e-Power Drives Like An EV But Doesn’t Need Charging
However, more substantial changes are on the horizon with a redesigned Rogue. The new model debuts later this year and will become the first Nissan in the United States to feature the company’s e-Power system.
While the powertrain is new to the American market, it’s already in its third-generation and has racked up over 1.5 million sales overseas. We’ll get our first taste with the 2027 Rogue Hybrid e-Power, but we recently previewed its powertrain in a European Qashqai.
What Is E-Power?
Hybrids have been around for decades, but Nissan’s e-Power system is unique as it essentially acts as a range-extended electric vehicle. However, it eschews a plug and a big battery. This reduces prices, improves fuel efficiency, and delivers an EV-like driving experience without the hassles.
The powertrain has an engine that acts exclusively as a generator. It’s paired to a “5-in-1” e-Power unit, which consists of a motor, an invertor, an electric generator, a reducer, and an increaser.
We’ll spare you the engineering TED Talk, but the vehicle is primarily driven by the battery at low- and medium speeds. When the battery is low or there’s an increased power demand, the engine activates to recharge it.
It’s important to note the system is a series hybrid as the wheels are driven exclusively by the electric motor. This stands in contrast to traditional parallel hybrids, which can be powered by either the motor or engine.
This sounds complicated, but the whole process is seamless and an instrument cluster graphic shows you what’s happening. This is a cool touch as it reveals when the engine is recharging the battery, when the battery is powering the electric motor, and when regenerative braking is doing its thing.
An EV-Like Driving Experience
Since this is a powertrain preview in a European-spec model, we won’t focus on numbers too much as the 2027 Rogue Hybrid e-Power won’t be completely identical to the Qashqai. With that disclaimer out of the way, the powertrain is good news for consumers.
Because the crossover operates like a range-extended EV, the Qashqai is quiet while driving on battery power at low speeds. The similarities don’t end with silence as drivers will find a responsive motor and regenerative brakes that feel a little grabby.
When the engine activates, it’s surprisingly smooth. I was expecting something along the lines of an engine start/stop system, but the experience felt more refined than that. At higher speeds with the radio on, you might not even notice the engine at all.
Photos Mike Gauthier / Carscoops
While you do occasionally hear a little bit of noise, the powertrain largely fades into the background. It’s also worth noting the system eschews a traditional transmission and smartly adjusts power flow without fuss. The latter is done freely as there’s no set speed to initiate the activation of the engine.
Overall, the e-Power system provides a number of electric vehicle benefits without the tradeoffs. This should make the powertrain appealing to consumers who want increased efficiency and the convenience of gasoline.
What Are The Benefits?
Photos Mike Gauthier / Carscoops
The third-generation e-Power system has been created with the United States in mind as engineers optimized the system for longer trips and higher driving speeds.
Our UK-spec Qashqai e-Power tester had a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine, a 2.1 kWh battery pack, and a front-mounted motor producing up to 202 hp (151 kW / 205 PS) and 243 lb-ft (330 Nm) of torque. This enables the model to accelerate from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in as little as 7.6 seconds.
More importantly, it returns up to 64.2 mpg UK combined, which equates to roughly 53.4 mpg US. To put that into perspective, the regular Qashqai with a 1.3-liter four-cylinder gets 45.6 mpg UK or 38 mpg US.
Photos Mike Gauthier / Carscoops
While that’s not an apples to apples comparison, you’re looking at a roughly 40% increase in fuel efficiency. Nissan officials also noted the powertrain offers lower emissions as well as more refinement.
The increase in efficiency comes without a huge price hike as the e-Power Qashqai only costs £1,925 ($2,560) more than the traditional automatic variant in Acenta Premium guise. It’s also worth noting the small battery pack limits weight and price gains, which makes for a more enjoyable crossover all around.
We’ll learn more about the 2027 Rogue in the coming months, but Nissan told us the e-Power system will be offered in conjunction with all-wheel drive. This is notable as it’s limited to front-wheel drive models in Europe.
