Sunday, October 28, 2007
How far could you imagine driving your Nissan Qashqai on one tank of fuel? Well, believe it or not, you can cover the entire length of the UK and more if you drive economically.
Seven test drivers from the Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE) in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, proved this recently when they took turns piloting a 1.5dCI Qashqai from Land’s End on the southwest coast of England to John O’Groats on the northern tip of Scotland without once stopping to refuel.
The drivers, who set off at 6 am averaged 67.35 mpg (4.2 l/100 km) on the 867 mile (1,387 km) run which is a common route for UK endurance and economy tests. To their delight ,there was still another seven litres of fuel left in the tank when they crossed the finish line at 17:30 the next day, enough to cover a further 110 miles.
The 67.35 mpg achieved on the trip is equivalent to a 29% saving over the quoted brochure figure of 52.3 mpg (combined urban and extra urban driving average). If a customer travels 10,000 miles (16,000 km) per year, the saving would equate to £193 (278 euros) per year, based on current UK fuel prices.
To make sure that the average customer would be able to replicate NTCE’s economy run, the team used a standard Qashqai production model. Speed limits were adhered to on minor roads and a cruising speed of approximately 60 mph (96 kph) was used on motorways. Just like during normal customer usage, the test-drivers used cruise control, headlights and air-conditioning when required.
During the run, Qashqai averaged 111 g/km of CO2, compared with the quoted brochure figure of 145 g/km. To offset the CO2 emitted, NTCE plans to contribute to a carbon neutral tree planting scheme.
The Europe designed and built Qashqai went on sale in early 2007 in Europe and has since sold more than 70,000 units. The car is also available in Japan where it is sold as Dualis.