Nissan is one of the leading manufacturers in terms of autonomous technology, as displayed by the Leaf all-electric hatchback’s ProPilot semi-autonomous mode.
The ProPilot system takes control of the vehicle’s braking, acceleration and steering on single-lane roads – although the driver still needs to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
The tech can be very useful in stop/start traffic and can help reduce driver fatigue over longer distances, and to help make one of the country’s most popular models even more appealing, Nissan has fitted the Qashqai crossover with the semi-autonomous system.
We take this latest version of the SUV for a spin to see how the ProPilot system fares in the real world.
The ProPilot technology is currently fitted to all of the dCi 130 XTronic Qashqai models, with the rest of the range receiving the ProPilot system in the near future. We took control of the Pilot One Edition, which was an exclusive model built to celebrate the introduction of the semi-autonomous tech and it is based on the Tekna+ specification.
Although the equipment can be fitted to manual models, to get the most out of the ProPilot system you need to use the automatic version, which can take full control of the steering, braking and acceleration in single-lane traffic.
The kit you get includes intelligent lane intervention, intelligent cruise control and lane keep assist, with the ProPilot system including Traffic Jam Pilot that controls acceleration and braking in stop/start traffic.
Enquire Now on a new Nissan QashqaiTo access the system’s features, you press the activation button on the steering wheel, and when you reach speeds over 37mph the technology will take over the steering and throttle control – but only if it detects that you have a hand on the steering wheel.
Unlike other semi-autonomous systems currently on the road, you only need to have one hand on the wheel when ProPilot is activated, but if the car senses you don’t have a hand on the wheel, it will alert you to the fact and can even stop the car altogether.
What is pleasantly surprising is how smooth the system is, as when cruising on the motorway the inputs it makes are effective yet barely noticeable in terms of feel. Although the overtaking can lag slightly – which is engaged when you indicate right – it performs superbly, but is more at home in single-lane traffic where it follows with little to no fuss and keeps pace with the vehicles ahead.
It makes driving on trunk roads an awful lot easier, and even though it isn’t complete autonomy yet, it is an impressive step by Nissan to making it a more viable and widespread system that can take the hassle out of driving on longer journeys.