After a long time watching the rest of the world benefit from Nissan‘s innovative e-Power hybrid system, which aims to combine the benefits of both all-electric and gas powertrains in a single setup, America will finally get access with the 2027 Rogue crossover. And if recent comments made at a media event outside Detroit are anything to go by, Nissan isn’t stopping there. According to Carscoops, Nissan officials indicated that more e-Power models will come to the U.S. before long, and it’s pretty easy to guess what they’re hinting at.
U.S.-Spec Nissan Kicks Likely to Gain e-Power Hybrid
Nissan
Down in Mexico, Nissan already offers the Kicks Play e-Power and has done since 2022, using a 1.2-liter engine as a generator for the tiny 2.1kWh lithium-ion battery pack. These supply an electric motor producing 134 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque, allowing the diminutive crossover to drive like an all-electric vehicle while still being as convenient to run as a gas car. Thus, it appears that Nissan USA is preparing to introduce a Kicks with a third-generation e-Power setup, which has already been introduced in Europe’s similar Qashqai. In that vehicle, the 2.1kWh battery and an electric motor are paired with a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine for a total output of 202 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque, considerably more than we currently get with the 2026 Kicks, which makes 141 hp and 140 lb-ft from its 2.0-liter four-pot.
For the U.S., Nissan told us last year that the e-Power system will be tuned to better suit the kind of highway driving Americans do, while Euro-spec vehicles are “set up for dense traffic conditions.”
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While increased performance will make the Kicks more sprightly, the main reason it’s worth getting excited about will be seen when it undergoes EPA testing, as the current Kicks scores 28/35/31 mpg on the U.S. city/highway/combined cycles. While those figures are reasonably good, Nissan’s rivals at Toyota have eked out figures of 46/39/42 mpg on the same EPA tests with the Corolla Cross.
Nissan e-Power Could Be a Game-Changer
Nissan
When we tested the e-Power system in a Nissan Qashqai (which is basically the European equivalent of what we were offered in the Rogue Sport) in Tennessee late last year, we found that despite low horsepower figures, the crossover was surprisingly eager, proving more responsive and torquier than the gas-powered Rogue. We also felt that there was none of the lag often associated with conventional mild-hybrids and plug-in hybrids, nor was there much noise, despite the gas engine running most of the time, making the driving experience smooth and comfortable. Hopefully, these attributes will help Nissan get back on track in North America. It’s just a matter of waiting for the e-Power’s attributes to be confirmed on a U.S.-spec Kicks.
