efficiency – Engine Icon https://engineicon.com Latest car news and advice blog Tue, 14 Jul 2026 02:07:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://engineicon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/cropped-ME_favicon-1-32x32.png efficiency – Engine Icon https://engineicon.com 32 32 Nissan Qashqai e-Power shows efficiency in Tassie https://engineicon.com/nissan-qashqai-e-power-shows-efficiency-in-tassie/ Tue, 12 May 2026 06:54:46 +0000 https://engineicon.com/nissan-qashqai-e-power-shows-efficiency-in-tassie/

NISSAN has again proved the real-world efficiency credentials of its hybridised Qashqai e-Power SUV, this time a lot closer to home.

 

Last August, the Nissan team drove from one end of the UK to the other to demonstrate the efficiency of the Qashqai e-Power on the open road.

 

Now, Nissan Australia has replicated the performance on local soil, covering a 1303km lap of the island state with an average fuel consumption figure of just 4.5 litres per 100km.

 

The journey began in Geelong, Victoria, where Nissan Australia team members topped up the Qashqai e-Power’s 55-litre fuel tank before boarding the Spirit of Tasmania ferry service.

 

Upon arrival in Devonport, Tasmania, the crew charted a clockwise route of the Apple Isle, circumnavigating the state with the goal of not visiting a Tasmanian petrol station.

 

The lap was completed at the posted speed limits, across varied terrain including freeways, urban roads, and several challenging hill climbs.

 

Travelling through Launceston, Freycinet, the Bay of Fires, Hobart, the Huon Valley and Tasmania’s rugged west coast, the vehicle’s trip meter showed 1209.2km upon returning to the ferry, ultimately recording 1303km when the fuel flap was reopened.

 

“This trip isn’t laboratory testing, this is the real world and real conditions, completing a dream lap of Tasmania that so many Australians have either done, or would love to do,” said Nissan Oceania managing director Steve Milette.

 

“Now more than ever, Australian drivers are looking for fuel efficiency that doesn’t compromise driving enjoyment, and this 1300km real-world journey shows that the Nissan Qashqai e-Power delivers.”

 

The recently updated 2026 Nissan Qashqai e-Power introduces an revised hybrid powertrain with a reduced combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 4.1 litres per 100km and CO2 emissions of 92 grams per kilometre.

 

Central to the update is a new ‘5-in-1’ powertrain architecture integrating the electric motor, generator, inverter, increaser, and reducer into in a single unit, further reducing, Nissan says, both weight and complexity while improving energy transfer.

 

The revised system is paired with a redesigned turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine featuring Nissan’s proprietary STARC combustion technology, helping deliver thermal efficiency of up to 42 per cent by converting more fuel energy into usable power and reducing energy losses through heat.

 

To read GoAuto’s review of the latest 2026 Nissan Qashqai e-Power click here. For more information on the pricing and equipment details of the model, click here.

 

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BFG’s New Trail-Terrain T/A+ Promises Better Efficiency and Wet Handling for Light Off-Roaders https://engineicon.com/bfgs-new-trail-terrain-t-a-promises-better-efficiency-and-wet-handling-for-light-off-roaders/ Wed, 29 Apr 2026 09:28:28 +0000 https://engineicon.com/bfgs-new-trail-terrain-t-a-promises-better-efficiency-and-wet-handling-for-light-off-roaders/

If you’re the type who daily drives their off-road rig, you’re probably already familiar with BFGoodrich’s Trail-Terrain T/A. Slotting beneath the KO2/KO3, it’s a bit of a ‘tweener, offering respectable off-road performance blended with the milder manners of a highway-spec, all-weather tire. While it may not appeal to die-hard enthusiasts who only spend time on-pavement to get to the next trail, its three-peak snow rating and tighter, more pavement-friendly tread will appeal to those who tend to accumulate most of their mileage on improved roads. And now, there’s a new one.

To make its lineage clear, BFG kept the old tire’s nomenclature. It’s now simply the BFGoodrich’s Trail-Terrain T/A+. BFG says it has improved three key characteristics of the old T/A with the overhaul: all-weather traction, longevity, and fuel efficiency.

On the all-weather front, BFG was specifically interested in improving the Trail-Terrain’s wet-weather traction. Since it’s an all-terrain (some refer to this segment as “on-road all-terrain”), it lacks the well-defined circumferential grooves that help street tires effectively shed water between contact patches. They still fully encircle the tire; they just zig-zag more than what you’d see on a highway-oriented all-season. This makes them better off-road, helping them bite into dirt and grab onto rocks, at the expense of some wet-weather performance.

Rather than giving up the off-road advantages, BFG focused instead on the Trail-Terrain T/A+’s compound. By adding more silica, BFG’s engineers made the tire’s contact patch itself grippier. The result is a 10% improvement in wet grip, per BFG’s marketing literature.

As it turns out, all of the Trail-Terrain T/A+’s improvements over its predecessor stem from that new formulation. Not only is it better in the wet, but it’s more durable. BFG says the new compound will last longer than the previous Trail-Terrain, offering up to 25% better wear performance. This is on a tire with a 660 treadwear rating, mind you. BFG also says the new compound reduces rolling resistance by 5%, which should improve fuel economy.

Just to put a little bow on it, the + appears as though it will retail for the same price as the outgoing Trail-Terrain T/A. A few listings have already appeared on some retail channels alongside the existing Trail-Terrain; prices appear to range from approximately $200 for smaller sizes up to upwards of $300 for larger fitments. It will be offered in sizes from 16″ up to 22″ when it officially hits shelves in June. Additional sizes (including a 15″ option) will enter the market starting in August.

BFG offered us a set of the new Trail-Terrain T/A+ to test on your author’s 2011 Jeep Wrangler; those are the tires in the photos here. We’re arranging installation as we speak, so stay tuned for some first impressions once we get that sorted!

Have questions about the BFG Goodrich Trail-Terrain T/A+? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to contact the author directly at byron@thedrive.com!

Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories.


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