Nissan Qashqai vs McLaren 750S

What's the difference?

The facelifted Nissan Qashqai N-Design e-Power is a well-rounded package. It offers comfort, style and decent efficiency. The on-road experience will be the winning factor as it’s sure-footed and easy going to drive. You’ll have the best of both worlds in the city with the hybrid powertrain and small SUV size, which makes this a winner in my books.

Not just a love letter to the intoxicating delights of the mighty V8 engine, the McLaren 750S is a genuine joy across the board.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The Qashqai is sharply styled with crisp pleating across the body panels and the N-Design comes with unique 20-inch alloy wheels, sequential turn signals and extra black accents across its body which adds to its sporty road-side presence. Our test model’s Fuji Sunset Red paintwork also adds a bit of spice to the kerb appeal.

The cabin immediately feels high end with the mix of synthetic leather and suede that is scattered liberally across the seats, dashboard and doors. The black headliner makes the cabin feel cosy but it becomes bright and airy when you open it to reveal the panoramic sunroof.

The dashboard features both traditional and modern elements with its buttons and dials and the dual 12.3-inch displays, which will satisfy fans of both.

The design looks great, it's plush and well-built inside. The only drawback is how the synthetic leather on the seat feels as it’s a bit too plasticky for my liking but otherwise, the Qashqai has a lovely cabin that should appeal to a lot of people.

McLaren concedes the cosmetic updates for the 750S are “relatively subtle”, but there have been some key changes.

The front bumper and splitter are new, as is the rear bumper, while the rear wing is now bigger, with 20 per cent more surface area.

Also at the back, a new (and lighter, of course) stainless steel exhaust is now centre-exit, rather than off to either side.

Like the 720S before it, the 750S looks more like a statement of intent than a designer’s dream, with aerodynamic function over form the order of the day.

In the cabin, you’re looking at two sports seat, a grippy Alcantara steering wheel, and two relatively small screens by today’s sizeable standards.

You can have your cabin trim in full Nappa leather, or the leather mixed with Alcantara, and the audio is taken care of by Bowers & Wilkins.

Still, the 750S delivers everything you need and nothing you don’t in a car in this category.

While the cabin of the Qashqai isn't huge, there's room enough for four adults to be relatively comfortable on a longer trip, providing the adults in the rear seat aren't pushing too far above the six-foot mark.

Access is good for both rows because of the 175mm ground clearance and wide door apertures. There will be absolutely no grunts or groans getting in and out of this model.

Both rows offer comfortable seating with deep seat beds and thick padding. The front passenger seat isn't powered but still offers decent adjustment, including lumbar support, for even a choosy passenger to feel at ease. I particularly like the two-seat memory position on the drivers' side if you regularly share your vehicle with your other half.

Individual storage is about what you'd expect of a small SUV with the front row getting the best of it. The glove box holds more than a manual, the middle console features a separate shelf for smaller items and you get a dedicated phone cradle which also doubles as the wireless charging pad.

There are a total of eight drink holders (four in the front, four in the rear) in the car, a couple of map pockets in the rear and a boot capacity that's as large as it's non-hybrid siblings at 404 litres.

The boot space is practical with a wide and squarish shape, level loading space and powered tailgate. There is a raised cover over some hybrid stuff that sometimes gets in the way and a dicky-looking cargo cover but otherwise the boot is sufficient for the everyday stuff.

Great to see Nissan including a temporary spare wheel in the hybrid Qashqai, rather than the tyre repair kit that's found in many hybrids and electric cars.

Technology is on the simple side as it lacks the ability to customise much in both the multimedia system or digital instrument cluster but everything still feels logical and easy to use. Also the graphics are clear, so there are no complaints from this party.

The built-in satellite navigation pulls through directions to the coloured head-up display and the wireless Apple CarPlay was easy to connect to and maintained a strong connection this week. There is also wireless Android Auto for those users.

Charging options are solid with each row getting two USB-C ports, while the front also gets a wireless charging pad and 12-volt socket. Another 12-volt socket is found in the boot space.

Next question, please. This is a stripped-back, lightweight, two-seat supercar designed to get you to, and then around, a corner in the least amount of time possible. So, no, you can’t fit much in the way of grocery shopping in the back.

You can, however fit a total 150 litres (front) and 210 litres (rear) in the 750S, and it gets bonus points for having deep cut-outs in the roof that make slipping in under those scissor doors far easier than you might expect.

The McLaren 750S can be yours in hardtop ($585,800) or drop-top Spider ($654,600) guises, both of which have travelled north from the pricing applied to the 720S, which was $489,900 at launch, and its Spider equivalent, which was $556,000.

What you’re getting, though, is more — and less— of everything. More power, more performance, more downforce and more stiffness, combined with less weight, with McLaren having taken a forensic approach to stripping kilos from the 750S.

What you're not getting, though, is much in the way of niceties, with the McLaren 750S offering less interior tech and comforts than a mid-range hatchback (“it now has Apple CarPlay,” they exclaimed excitedly).

But for mine, that only enhances the drive experience, with the 750S offering a genuinely pure-feeling drive — a steering wheel free of buttons, a cabin largely free of distractions, no safety chimes bonging, and a nuclear reactor attached to your right foot. These are all good things.

Elsewhere, the McLaren 750S rides on ultra-lightweight forged alloy wheels (19-inch front / 20-inch rear) wrapped in Pirelli P Zero rubber as standard, and there are thinly cushioned carbon-fibre-shelled racing seats that hold you snuggly in place, and are every bit as comfortable on bumpier roads as cuddling a cactus.

In the cabin, McLaren has worked to up the tech, though its best to remember this is pared-back over plush.

A steering column-mounted driver display is new, and delivers all your key driving info, and it’s framed by all your go-to switches, like your 'Drive Mode' options. 

In the centre, an 8.0-inch portrait-style screen now has Apple CarPlay as standard (but not Android Auto), and there are USB-C and USB-A connections for your devices, too.

The flagship N-Design is a hybrid and pairs a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and a single electric motor. Together they produce up to 140kW of power and 330Nm of torque but how they interact is the fun part.

Usually hybrids use both components to drive the wheels but this uses the petrol engine to charge its battery so the electric motor can drive the front wheels. What does this mean? Think of engine as a generator. It translates to a driving experience that leans more towards the EV than internal combustion (ICE), especially around town.

The N-Design e-Power has a single-speed reduction-gear transmission, or an ‘e-CVT’ and it’s a very smooth example.

Ah, now we’re talking. In the huge-displacement world of supercars, a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 might sound a little on the small side when put up against V10s and V12s out of Italy. 

But this mid-mounted, twin-turbo powertrain perfectly compliments the overall balance of the 750S, and when its 552kW and 800Nm (fed through a seven-speed automatic) meets the lightweight McLaren, the results are staggering.

The zero to 100km/h dash is dispatched in 2.8 seconds, while 200km/h flashes by in 7.2 seconds. Want to push to 300km/h? You’ll need just 19.8 seconds.

The N-Design e-Power has a claimed combined fuel cycle usage figure of 4.8L/100km, which is slightly higher than its rivals but it does have a larger fuel tank of 55L which means you should get a theoretical driving range of up to 1145km.

After doing a mix of open-road and city driving this week, my real world fuel use has popped out at 6.2L/100km and that’s based on my kilometres travelled and litres filled at the bowser. I’m happy with that result overall because I’ve certainly not been shy with pushing and testing this model out.

Nissan recommends a minimum of 95 RON unleaded petrol to be used but 91 RON is also acceptable.

McLaren says you can expect 12.2L/100km on the combined cycle, with emissions pegged at 276g/km. But you can also expect to win the lottery. It doesn’t make it likely.

It’s hard to imagine how softly you’d have to treat the 750S to get anywhere near those numbers, but I know you almost certainly won’t. The temptation is simply too great.

Driving the flagship grade feels the same as sliding a hot knife through butter - smooth and effortless. The steering has been direct for everything I’ve thrown at it - a winding coast road, quick city lane changes and navigating small car parks.

The N-Design handles happily on the open road and the city. Around town it stays primarily in EV mode with small interjections from the engine when you accelerate quickly. The switch between the two can deliver a loud burring sound but it’s otherwise quiet.

The only time it gets a little loud inside is at higher speeds and you’ll notice some tyre noise but it’s not enough to warrant raising your voice to chat. Ride comfort is up there with the best and despite a firm-feeling suspension, it doesn’t translate to a stiff ride.

The visibility is good from my driving position and power is delivered promptly, making this feel sure footed and capable. There is a tendency to over-rev at higher speeds but it doesn’t feel underpowered.

Parking the Qashqai is a simple affair because of the clear quality 360-degree camera system, as well as the front and rear parking sensors. You can fit it anywhere and it has a tight 11.1m turning circle, which makes it a friend in the city.

Usually we wouldn’t be dedicating much space to the kilogram’s shaved here and there off the total weight of a vehicle, but it’s important in this case.

In the 750S, that starts with a bespoke carbon-fibre monocoque platform, which is not only light, but also so inherently stiff that even chopping the roof off for the Spider version required no extra bracing or supports, and only marginally impacts the performance figures.

Then, there are the lightest alloys ever fitted to a series McLaren, which reduce unsprung weight by up to 14 kilos.

That rear wing isn’t just bigger, but also lighter, saving another 1.6 kilos, the carbon-fibre-backed seats save a whopping 17.5kg, the new suspension springs shave another two-or-so kilograms. The list goes on and on.

All up, they've found 30 kilos between 720S and 750S, which is now 1389kg total.

The result is a vehicle that feels endlessly athletic — light, lithe and perfectly balanced — but also one that, when you’re feeding on that endless power, feels as though it might suddenly take flight.

Flat-footed acceleration is laugh-out-loud fun, the tyres scrabbling for grip with each donkey-kick gear shift, even past 100km/h, with the rear end shifting around slightly as the Pirelli rubber deals with the physics of what’s happening. It’s loud, visceral and intoxicating, and you absolutely never tire of it.

But the magic in this McLaren is that it's more than just brutally fast in a straight line, it's also one of the most engaging vehicles I've ever driven, and one that provides a near-telepathic connection to the car, its tyres, and the tarmac below.

The more time you spend behind the wheel, the more tameable it feels, and even at warp speeds (somewhere above 270km/h), you feel connected and in control, owing mostly the open lines of communication between the tyres, the steering and the driver.

Also ferocious is the McLaren's braking force, combining carbon ceramic discs with a rear wing that doubles as a jet-style air brake, and stamping on the brake pedal produces vision-blurring force that leaves you feeling like you're not just stopping, but hurtling backwards through time.

So, race track, tick. But away from it, the McLaren – with its 'Proactive Chassis Control' hydraulic suspension – is surprisingly compliant when you want it to be, with its 'Comfort' drive mode delivering exactly that, softening the important bits so you don’t rattle yourself to death on the freeway.

If the 720S was a benchmark, then this 750S is something else entirely, shifting the needle in every important way to create a vehicle that sparks pure, unadulterated joy from behind the wheel.

Safety systems hardly abound here, and nor is McLaren or ANCAP likely to pony up for the 750S for crash testing.

You do get front and front-side airbags, front and rear parking sensors and a reversion camera, as well as a handy nose-lift function which should stop you scraping over steep speed bumps and the like.

The Qashqai is covered by Nissans new 10-year/300,000km warranty which is class leading but you have to service on time and with a Nissan service centre, otherwise it’s the standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. On those same terms, you also get auto-renewal on every service for roadside assistance.

There is a five-year capped-price servicing program which costs a flat $1995 and is competitive for the class, while servicing intervals are every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first.

The 750S is covered by a standard three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is fully transferable.

Owners can also spring for an extended warranty, which can cover the McLaren for up to 15 years.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km.