Guess the 200hp 4WD 5dr hatchback, 65mpg, £18k brand new

[samoht]

£18k is for the top of the range model with leather interior, lane following etc etc.

Any guesses? No?

The answer is the JDM Nissan Note Aura, specifically, the G FOUR leather edition.

Uniquely, it's a (non plug-in) series hybrid with a 1.2L 82hp triple acting purely as a generator. Drive comes from a 136 PS electric motor up front, backed up by a 68 PS unit at the rear. A small battery provides the 'surge' demand for accelerating away from the lights or overtaking. Without a big EV-size battery, weight is 1370kg, so not excessive for a 4WD family hatch.

The downside of this layout is that while acceleration times will be determined by the 200hp electrical output, sustained top speed will be governed by the 82hp petrol engine. In Japan all cars are governed to 112 mph, which it could likely pretty much sustain on the flat anyway. But if ungoverned, it wouldn't have the sustained top speed you'd expect of a 200hp car. However this is arguably of marginal relevance to most buyers.

What I continue to be surprised by is that this powertrain remains limited to JDM Nissans only. Given the high power, great economy and low cost, I would have thought it would appeal in Europe too, especially in the context of dieselphobia and environmental awareness, the cost and range limitations of EVs, and fleetwide CO2 limits. I appreciate that the generally low speeds of Japanese roads probably flatter it, and new cars are cheap there, yet I can't see many people needing an average of more than 82hp on most journeys, taking into account cruising and braking time.

Thoughts welcome on why Nissan UK will only offer you a 92hp Micra for your £18k, and no-one else has followed this apparently rather appealing route.

Link https://www3.nissan.co.jp/vehicles/new/aura.html

Edited by samoht on Monday 25th April 06:19

[samoht]

Radec said:

Is there a Nismo version?

There is.. but only with the basic FF setup, so 135hp instead of the full 200. I actually think it's in the (distant) background in my third pic.
https://www3.nissan.co.jp/vehicles/new/aura/specif...

resolve10 said:

The strangely ribbed seats bear the sheen of 100,000 miles of minicab use, and the door trims appear to be made from recycled gentlemans slippers. The fact that the matt effect wood trim (which belongs in the 90's) is the nicest part of the interior tells you everything.

It seemed comfortable enough with a quick sit, and the ribs presumably give some ventilation. Haven't driven it anywhere though. The Leather package is optional anyway, a more conventional interior is a slightly cheaper option. Fundamentally it's a fairly affordable car though, it's no Infiniti.

P700DEE said:

Real life mpg?? I bet it's much less. Non plug in Hybrids are worse than ICE in my opinion, you can't create energy!

You're right that all the energy comes from burning petrol, and you can't create energy. What you can do however is stop wasting half of it, for example
- use regen braking rather than friction brakes
- keep the engine at the most efficient rpm for the required power at all times
- use a small engine backed up with a small battery for peak power, rather than a larger engine with associated heat, friction and pumping losses, or a turbo that has to run rich on boost
- leave the engine shut off when queueing in traffic or parking

all these efficiencies add up to a significantly more efficient drive, certainly compared to say a 1.6T four-pot with the same acceleration. This model isn't in the rental fleets yet, but I rented the previous-gen ePower Note a few years back and was impressed by how economical it was, so I think it does work out decently well on the road.

Hoofy said:

Reminds me of the i3 Rex (except you can't plug it in?). Dunno why it's not offered here. Sounds like a great idea. Apart from not being able to plug it in!

For plugging it in to be useful, you need a charger available, and a battery big enough for the charged energy to cover a meaningful proportion of usage. At which point the question arises, why not go the whole hog with a full size battery and no ICE.

This concept is a car that can be used just like a petrol car, including by owners without home charging, but with a much better combination of power and economy, and the smoothness of motion of an EV. It's also cheaper and lighter, due to the small battery, than range-extended EVs.

I don't think this is a long-term answer, but it strikes me as a really good fit as a bridging tech for the next 5-10 years until EVs and EV charging are fit for every motorist.

Jimbo. said:

I believe this powertrain - or something very similar to it - will be coming to Europe in the Qashqai soo, under the e-Power label.

Qashqai ePower is coming 'in 2022' according to https://www.nissan.co.uk/vehicles/new-vehicles/qas...
Unsure why it's taking them so long, as it's been over five years since its JDM debut, but better late than never IMHO.

[samoht]

Dynion Araf Uchaf said:

... continued meddlesome Renault bks...

thanks, super interesting. As you say, nonsense that they chain themselves to the uncompetitive Micra and hold off the genuinely interesting and relevant Note ePower.

I recently enjoyed David Twohig's book, Inside the Machine, which was an interesting account of how the Qashqai came to be - sounds like it really hit the spot commercially, combined with the super-efficient Gateshead plant.