How efficient is Nissan’s range? NZ real-world test produced an unexpected winner

Nissan New Zealand has put several of its models through a real-world fuel-efficiency challenge to see how closely drivers could match – or even better – the vehicles’ official fuel-consumption figures.

Timed to coincide with the shortest day of the year, the exercise saw a group of motoring journalists, including CarExpert NZ editor Matthew Hansen, drive five Nissan vehicles over a 100km route under varying conditions around New Zealand.

The lineup included the Nissan Qashqai Ti-L e-POWER, X-Trail ST-L e-POWER, X-Trail Ti-L e-POWER, Navara ST-X, and Patrol, with fuel consumption measured before and after the drive.

Rather than focusing on the lowest absolute fuel-consumption figure, Nissan ranked the results by how much each vehicle improved on its official combined-cycle rating.

The standout performer was the X-Trail ST-L e-POWER, which recorded fuel consumption of 4.2 litres per 100km – 37 per cent better than its official combined-cycle figure of 6.1L/100km.

The other X-trail Ti-L e-POWER and Navara ST-X also bettered their official fuel economy by 12 and one per cent respectively, while the Qashqai Ti-L achieved 4.3L/100km, 5 per cent more than the claimed 4.1L/100km consumption figure.

Perhaps more surprising was the result achieved by the Patrol. Nissan’s long-serving V8-powered SUV posted an average of 11.4L/100km, a 35 per cent improvement on its official 16.2L/100km combined-cycle claim.

Nissan New Zealand Country Head Sri Padmanabhan said the challenge highlighted how efficient driving can deliver results beyond laboratory-tested consumption figures.

“The results of the unscientific but highly interesting challenge are in, and almost all vehicles were able to better their official fuel consumption ratings,” said Mr Padmanabhan.

“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 per cent 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 37 per cent improvement compared with its official combined fuel-consumption figure.”

The highlighted the performance of Nissan’s e-POWER drivetrain, which differs from conventional hybrid systems seen in other Japanese carmakers like Toyota, Hyundai and Suzuki.

In e-POWER-equipped models, the petrol engine never directly drives the wheels. Instead, it acts solely as a generator, supplying electricity to a small battery and electric motor. The electric motor alone powers the wheels, giving the vehicle a driving feel Nissan says is closer to a battery-electric vehicle than a traditional hybrid.

According to Nissan, this setup allows the petrol engine to operate closer to its most efficient range while regenerative braking helps recover energy that would otherwise be lost.

While the results demonstrate what can be achieved with careful driving, it's worth noting official fuel-consumption figures are generated under standardised testing procedures designed to provide a comparison between vehicles rather than guarantee real-world outcomes.

Nissan shortest-day fuel economy challenge results