Jaguar F-Pace vs Nissan Qashqai

What's the difference?

The F-Pace has been gifted new styling, new engines and more practicality making it an even better SUV than it already was. You could seriously pick any of the grades and be happy with your purchase. Then there’s the question of the engine…

Jaguar says there’s a few more years left in the combustion engine yet, but we know exactly how many years – four, because the company has gone on the record announcing it will go fully electric by 2025. The question for you is – how will you ring out the end of an era – with a four-cylinder petrol, a six-cylinder turbo diesel, an inline turbo six petrol or a cracking V8? 

The sweetspot in the range is the R-Dynamic SE 400, with just enough luxury and more than enough grunt.

Now e-Power-only, the 2026 Qashqai Ti-L range walks a fine line between mainstream value-for-money and premium European class, providing an attractive, enjoyable and comfortable small SUV experience that also doubles up as a capable and practical family car.

We’d probably ditch this grade for either the Ti below and save a bit of money in the process, or stretch a little more for the flagship N-Design, as both provide the peace of mind of a spare wheel.

Otherwise, for its economy, agility, luxury and smarts, the latest Qashqai Ti-L e-Power is a wildly underrated Nissan that deserves more love.

The very first F-Pace arrived in Australia in 2016 and even after all these years and the arrival of more rivals I still think it’s the most beautiful SUV in its class. The new one seems to look a lot like the old one, but the styling updates have kept it cool.

If you want to see instantly how the design of the F-Pace has evolved from the original to the new one, be sure to watch my video above.

Short story is, this new F-Pace has been given a pretty major styling overhaul inside and out.

Gone is the old F-Pace’s plastic beak. That sounds weird but the previous F-Pace’s bonnet stopped short of the grille and a nose cone had been fitted to cover the rest of the distance. Now the new bonnet meets a larger, wider grille and its flow from the windscreen down isn’t disturbed by a large join line.

Also more pleasing to the eyes is the badge on the grille. The snarling jaguar head is now larger and no longer mounted on a terrible looking large plastic plate. The plate was for the adaptive cruise control radar sensor, but by making the Jaguar badge bigger, the plate was able to be house in the badge itself.

The headlights are slimmer, and the tail-lights have a new design which looks futuristic, but I miss the styling of the previous ones and the way they dipped into the tailgate.

Inside, the cabin has been made over with a giant landscape screen, new chunky climate control dials, a new steering wheel and the rotary shifter has been replaced by a regular upright one which is still small and compact, with cricket ball stitching. Again, take a look at the video I’ve made to see the transformation for yourself.

While all F-Paces have a similar look, the SVR is the high-performance member of the family and stands out with its giant 22-inch wheels, a tough body kit, quad tailpipes, a fixed SVR rear wing, and bonnet and fender vents.

For this update the SVR has been given a new front bumper and larger cooling vents flanking the grille. But it’s more than just tough looks, the aerodynamics have been revised to decrease lift by 35 per cent, too.

What hasn’t changed are the dimensions. The F-Pace is a mid-sized SUV measuring 4747mm end to end, standing 1664mm tall and with the mirrors out is 2175mm wide. That’s not huge, but make sure it’ll fit in your garage.

The third Qashqai since the original took Europe by storm as the Pulsar hatch replacement in late 2006, the British-designed, engineered and built crossover uses a global Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance transverse architecture.

As a result, achieving best-possible efficiency was a priority, with weight-saving, body-beefing aluminium deployed in the doors, bonnet and front guards.

Though an ageing design (launching in Europe back in 2021), a deft facelift in 2024 has kept the nicely proportioned and detailed design relatively fresh inside and out.

Size wise we’re in big small SUV territory, with the Qashqai measuring 4425mm, 1835mm, 1625mm and 2665mm in length, width, height and wheelbase respectively. This makes it quite a roomy little SUV inside.

In Australia, the expense of British sourcing places the Nissan in premium territory, so the series now kicks off from the mid-spec ST-L grade, bringing softer-touch materials, larger screens and more equipment as standard, raising the ambience somewhat.

The F-Pace was always practical with a big 509-litre boot and great rear leg and head room for even me at 191cm tall, but the cabin re-design has added better storage and usability.

The door pockets are larger, there’s a covered area under the floating centre console and in a victory for common sense and practicality the window switches have been relocated from the window sills to the armrests.

This is along with a deep centre console storage area, and two cupholders in the front and another two in the rear fold-down armrest.

Parents will be happy to know that all F-Paces come with directional air vents in the second row as well. And there are ISOFIX outboard child-seat anchors and three top-tether restraints, too.

Now Nissan’s smallest model in Australia if you discount the delightful Z sports car, the Qashqai feels like an SUV from the next-class up in terms of front-seat comfort and space, with true room to move.

Now while it may be getting on a bit now, lacking the dominating, screen-heavy displays of newer rivals (especially those from China and Germany), the current model’s interior design and layout remains a masterclass in style, functionality, refinement and quality. This is also quieter than before.

In fact, the Qashqai is very difficult to fault from the (supportively cushy) driver’s seat.

All controls are within easy reach, revealing the crossover’s excellent ergonomics, backed up by good vision all round, and ably aided by the helpful new surround-view camera set-up.

The multi-configurable crystal-clear instrumentation and the joy of actual switchgear and buttons are further bonuses.

This isn’t to say that that the touchscreen doesn’t play a major role here, as most of the vehicle and all multimedia functions are accessed quickly via the electronic displays. It’s just that the balance between analogue and digital is considered and balanced.

Plenty of thought has also gone into storage, with wide door bins, a deep centre console and big glove box, along with the presence of a smartphone charging shelf, nearby USB ports and handy cupholders. And the same applies for the natty little gear selector – once the driver masters it.

The only real bugbears are that the air conditioning seemed faulty in our test car, refusing to cool the vehicle down unless the coldest setting was selected. This has also inflicted the brand’s other recent SUVs. Is there an electrical issue going on, Nissan?

Plus, over-the-shoulder vision is pretty poor – a corollary of the sloping roofline and small back windows.

Moving to the rear seat area, both the non-reclinable backrests and non-slidable cushions are adequately supportive as well as spacious enough for most people, though taller folk will notice the limited knee room.

The expected array of amenities is present too, including air vents, USB-C ports, overhead grab handles, reading lights and a centre armrest with cupholders. Note the panoramic roof’s ability to flood the rear with light should not be underestimated, especially as it also comes with a blockout blind.

Moving into the boot area, the price to pay for all that e-Power efficiency is a shallower floor compared to the old turbo-petrol version. The Ti-L offers between 452 litres and 1376L of VDA capacity depending on whether the 60/40 backrest is up or not.

But, and this can be a deal breaker for some buyers, there is no spare wheel, just a tyre-repair kit, which is totally inadequate, shockingly costly to replenish and will completely destroy your expensive tyre.

Our advice is to consider the N-Design that comes with one, or get your friendly Nissan dealer to stump up for an aftermarket space-saver spare and jack combination kit.

How can a new model be both cheaper and more expensive than before?

When you add a $6725 less-expensive e-Power grade to make going hybrid cheaper, but then drop the old 1.3-litre turbo-petrol option across the range, that’s how.

Nissan says dropping the turbo was to help it dodge the Federal Government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) carbon pollution fines.

With the deletion of the old base ST petrol from $34,665 (all prices are before on-road costs), it’s now an $11,000 jump into Qashqai ST-L e-Power from $45,640. Which is new for 2026.

Other changes include a comprehensively improved hybrid powertrain offering more performance, less consumption and fewer emissions, a quieter interior, a better camera, extra advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) functionality and extended service intervals. More on those later on.

The ST-L includes dual-zone climate control, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 360-degree camera with under-bonnet view and better forward vision, a wireless charger, proximity key and a three-year connected app subscription, offering remote functionality, security alerts, location services and more.

On top of the $4000-extra Ti’s larger electronic instrumentation, powered driver’s seat, heated front seats, PVC/leather upholstery, ambient lighting, roof rails and 19-inch alloys, the more-luxurious Ti-L from $53,640 as tested gains quilted leather trim, massaging front seats, a head-up display, glass roof with sunshade, Bose audio upgrade and an inch-larger set of wheels. Another $500 adds the N-Design sports kit and blacked-out treatments, which really do look the part.

The Qashqai Ti-L delivers a lot of kit for the cash.

Small SUV alternatives swarm all over the Nissan, as it goes head-to-head with the Toyota C-HR, Subaru Crosstrek and Honda ZR-V hybrids, considered to be direct competitors.

There are also a litany of less-expensive rivals, including the Chery Tiggo 4, GWM Haval Jolion, Hyundai Kona, MG ZS and Toyota Corolla Cross hybrids.

It’s a good thing then that the Nissan has one or two unique traits that help make it stand out.

Jaguar’s engine names sound like forms you have to fill in when you apply for a home loan.

The P250 is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine making 184kW and 365Nm; the D300 is a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo diesel producing 221kW and 650Nm; while the P400 is a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo petrol with outputs of 294kW and 550Nm.

The P550 is a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 producing a colossal 405kW and 700Nm.

The SE grade gives you the choice of the P250, D300 and P400, while the S only comes with the P250 and the SVR of course is powered only by the P550.

The D300 and D400 are new engines, both are straight sixes and replace the V6 engines in the old F-Pace. Superb engines, they are also found in the Defender and Range Rover.

Jaguar calls the D300 and P400 mild hybrids, but don’t be misled by the terminology. These engines are not hybrids in the sense that an electric motor is working to drive the wheels along with a combustion engine. Instead, a mild hybrid uses a 48-volt electrical system to help take the load off the engine by helping it start and running the electronics such as climate control. And yes, it does help save fuel, but not stacks.

There’s plenty of grunt from all these engines no matter which you choose, they all have eight-speed automatics and all-wheel drive.

You are also very likely looking at the last combustion engines to go into an F-Pace. See Jaguar has announced that it will only sell electric vehicles beyond 2025.

Four years and that’s it. Choose wisely.

The biggest news for the 2026 Qashqai lays under the bonnet.

Being an e-Power, it still combines a 116kW/250Nm 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol-turbo engine.

Its job is to solely charge a 2.1kWh lithium-ion battery, with a 140kW/311Nm electric motor that alone drives the front wheels via a single-speed reduction-drive transmission.

But this plugless powertrain now features a 'five-in-one' hybrid set-up that integrates the electric motor, generator, inverter, increaser and reducer into a single and compact unit, helping to save weight and boost efficiency between components. There’s also a revised combustion set-up, ditching the old variable compression tech.

Up to a 0.7 litre per 100km average fuel-consumption drop, along with a 10 per cent power boost in Sport mode, are the headline improvements.

Combined outputs are rated at 140kW of power from 4900rpm to 5900rpm, or 151kW in Sport, while torque tops out at 311Nm from 0-3600rpm.

The numbers are much the same as before, but Nissan says this is a redesigned, third-generation e-Power system, and it debuts for Australia in the 2026-model Qashqai first.

Braked towing capacity remains at just 750kg.

It doesn’t make sense that Jaguar has announced that it will be going all electric by 2025 yet doesn’t offer a plug-in hybrid in its Australian line-up, especially when there is one available overseas.

Jaguar says it doesn’t make sense either, but by that they mean business sense, in bringing one to Australia.  

So, for fuel economy I’m marking the F-Pace down. Yes, the D300 and P400 use clever mild-hybrid tech, but it doesn’t go far enough to reducing fuel use.

So the fuel consumptions, then. The official fuel consumption for the petrol P250 is 7.8L/100km, the diesel D300 will use 7.0L/100km, the P400 is stated to sip 8.7L/100km and the P550 V8 petrol will drink 11.7L/100km. Those figures are "combined cycle" numbers, after a combination of open and urban driving.

Nissan claims the e-Power averages just 4.1L/100km, down from 4.8L/100km, for a carbon-dioxide emissions rating of 98 grams/km.

Around town that drops to 3.8L/100km and rises to 4.3L/100km out on the highway run.

Helping out economy is the one-pedal driving function, that acts as a dynamo to slow the car down (not to a full stop, mind) while providing some additional battery recharge via a press of a button.

Brimming the 55L fuel tank with the required 95 RON premium unleaded petrol, expect a range of up to 1340km (up from 1140km) between refills.

In practice, driving in heavy city traffic and on fast motorway roads alike, we averaged 6.7L/100km, though this did include some fast driving on challenging, rural roads. The trip meter indicated 5.0L/100km.

My two test cars at the Australian launch of the new F-Pace were the R-Dynamic SE P400 and the R-Dynamic S P250. Both were fitted with the road noise cancellation system which comes with the optional $1560 Meridian stereo and reduces the level of road noise coming into the cabin.

Which would I rather? Look, I’d be fibbing if I didn’t say the SE P400 with its smooth inline six that has seemingly endless shove, but it’s $20K more than the S P250 and neither engine is low on grunt and both handle and ride almost identically.

That ride has been improved in this new F-Pace with the rear suspension being retuned so that it’s not so firm.

Steering is still on the sharp side, but body control feels better and more composed in this updated F-Pace.

On the twisty and quick country roads I tested the S P250 and SE 400, both performed superbly, with responsive engines, great handling, and serene cabins (thanks to the help of the noise cancelling tech).

The second part of the test was driving both in city traffic for the best part of an hour each which isn’t pleasant in any car. The now wider F-Pace seats were comfortable and supportive, however, the transmission seamlessly swapped gears and even rolling on 22-inch wheels in the SE and 20-inch alloys in the S the ride was excellent.  

Jumping from the previous Qashqai e-Power to the latest version is telling, as the MY26 upgrades do seem to have altered the Nissan’s character a little.

Keeping in mind we are in the big-wheeled Ti-L at nearly $60K drive-away, we approached this test with higher expectations, as this is firmly into premium small SUV territory.

Yet, from the moment we pressed the start button, the Qashqai impressed us with its quietness and refinement.

Off-the-line acceleration is pure EV, meaning immediate response thanks to a wave of instant torque, at least initially, and followed by a silent yet lively performer, with plenty in store should the need arise for a speedy overtaking manoeuvre.

The e-Power is particularly rapid if you need to plug shrinking gaps in traffic.

After a while, the petrol-engine generator kicks in. At first, it’s noticeable, because the electric drivetrain is so hushed and the peace is thus breached, but you soon become used to it. And, yes, in the Ti-L at least, it’s much quieter than before.

Using the throttle when the e-Power is in hybrid mode doesn’t seem as disconnected as before, with the battery recharging at a fairly steady rev rate while the electric motor continues to do the driving. The whole transition between pure EV and range-extender EV is fairly seamless.

The e-Power offers three driving modes – Eco, Normal and Sport. Initially, the Qashqai’s performance did not feel as eager as before, but a solid prod of the throttle does prove otherwise, with plenty of power coursing through the front wheels in either of the first two settings.

Choosing Sport does liven things up noticeably, with clearly quicker speed as a result of that 10 per cent kilowatt hike.

While we would prefer a set of paddle shifters to do the job, the E-Pedal regenerative-braking system that helps provide some off-throttle slowing down works well enough around town, though a full stop in a timely manner isn’t possible.

Meanwhile, brandishing a MacPherson-style strut front and multi-link rear suspension set-up, the Qashqai’s steering is beautifully weighted and nicely balanced, meaning that it’s light enough for easy round-town manoeuvrability yet agile and planted for fun fast cornering handling. It isn’t a lightweight machine at 1705kg, but the chassis is fluid enough to entertain the keen driver. There’s definitely a European flair to this Japanese-branded British car’s dynamic attitude.

Even the ADAS tech works away quietly, nicely tuned for local conditions and barely bothering the Nissan’s occupants, though there is some intrusive lane-keep alert interference at times.

We’ve driven many Qashqais since 2022, and the 20-inch wheeled Ti-L (and N-Design) is probably the least comfortable of the available size options, lacking the suppleness of the smaller alternatives. It manages to smother the higher-frequency bumps, but feels a tad too firm over larger humps. Not bad, but for this reason alone we’d probably go Ti only and forsake some of the little luxuries.

Still, the Qashqai is a satisfying, well-resolved small SUV to drive, with the e-Power adding a veneer of smooth, slick sophistication that helps elevate the experience.

Though the pre-MY26 Nissan Qashqai achieved a five-star ANCAP rating, more stringent crash-test protocols have seen a drop to four stars for the latest version.

Scoring a high 91 per cent rating for Child Occupant Protection, it slipped to 78 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 68 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection and just 62 per cent for Safety Assist.

The Qashqai Ti-L e-Power is fitted with autonomous emergency braking (AEB) offering pedestrian, cyclist and back-over detection, as well as lane support systems including lane-keep alert/assist, blind-spot monitoring, a driver fatigue monitor, auto high beams, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, parking sensors, seven airbags including full outboard side/head protection and a front-centre item, and a vehicle approach sound for pedestrians and cyclists.

The car-to-car AEB operates from 5-130km/h, pedestrian and cyclist AEB from 10-80km/h, and the lane support systems between 60-250km/h.

Finally, the Qashqai features ISOFIX child-seat latches fitted to the outboard rear seat positions, while a trio of top tethers for straps are included across the rear bench.

At the launch of the new F-Pace Jaguar announced that all of its vehicles would be covered by a five-year unlimited/kilometre warranty, a step up from the three-year coverage it used to offer.  

Service intervals? What are they? The F-Pace will tell you when it needs maintenance. But you should sign up for a five-year service plan which costs $1950 for the P250 engine, $2650 for the D300, $2250 for the P400 and $3750 for the P550.

The Qashqai comes with a regular five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with roadside assistance, but that can increase up to 10 years (and 300,000km) if the vehicle is serviced annually and on time at an authorised Nissan dealer.

Furthermore, the first five years cost $399 per service as part of Nissan’s capped-price servicing regime.

Service intervals are at every 15,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first.

Finally, there are about 180 dealers dotted around Australia.