Nissan Qashqai gets upgraded 1.5 litre diesel engine

The Nissan Qashqai gets an upgrade for its 1.5 litre diesel engine adding a bit more power and reducing NOx emissions to comply with WLTP needs.

We recently had the Nissan Qashqai in for a long term review, complete with Nissan’s 1.5 litre diesel engine. And it was very good.

As Nissan’s best-selling car, we wondered if the Qashqai could live up to its reputation, but after three months we had to conclude that the Qashqai really was a very well sorted car, offering all you could need in a compact family SUV.

‘Our’ Qashqai came with Nissan’s 1.5 litre diesel engine with 109bhp which, on paper, doesn’t sound the most thrilling option. And, to be honest, it wasn’t. But it was a very good engine, remarkably quiet smooth and perfectly capable of hauling the Qashqai up the motorway, and with enough torque to not need constant gearbox stirring if baulked or trickling along in traffic.

But Nissan has decided to ‘upgrade’ the 1.5 litre diesel engine in the Qashqai, not because it needed it but because they had to to keep it compliant in the world of WLTP emissions.

Nissan has added Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) using AdBlue to reduce NOx, and modified 90 per cent of the engines components – including oil cooler module, oil filter, dual mass flywheel, vacuum pump and fuel pump.

The result is a much upgraded 1.5 litre diesel with an extra 5bhp and an overboost adding another 5bhp and 18lb/ft of torque for up to 15 seconds. Which, together with the lower NOx emissions, should make the Qashqai even more appealing.

The Nissan Qashqai complete with upgraded 1.5 litre diesel is now on sale in the UK.