Honda Civic vs Nissan Qashqai

What's the difference?

I’m just going to cut to the chase here. This Honda Civic hybrid is a good car. A great one, even.

But for some reason, nobody is really buying it. And it’s not just because it’s not an SUV – it has been outsold in its segment this year by the the BMW 1 Series, the Mercedes A-Class, the MG4 EV, and the VW Golf. Premium and non-premium alike, they’ve all got the little Honda licked.

So, what’s going on? A CarsGuide investigation is required. Stick around and we’ll try to figure this out together.

If you think you know Nissan and haven’t driven one of its impressive e-Power models, you might be in for a surprise.

Be it the latest-generation X-Trail from Japan or the related smaller Qashqai out of the UK, this plugless petrol-electric hybrid powertrain is one of the best crossovers at any price point.

Now, barely a year after the facelift appeared in Australia, the Qashqai scores another round of changes.

We take a close look at the up-spec Ti-L to see if they make one of the best small SUVs even better (or worse).