2023 Nissan X-Trail e-Power review

Arriving in Australia early next year, the new-generation X-Trail catches the baton from the outgoing T32-generation model, which has long been a family favourite among Aussie households.

But besides giving an overdue renewal to a core nameplate, Nissan’s decision to add an electrified variant to the X-Trail range finally gives its humble SUV a key USP: a hybrid powertrain claimed to be more akin to an EV in terms of its driving experience than most other petrol-electrics.

We travelled to Japan to examine the merits and deficits of Nissan’s innovative e-Power hybrid technology ahead of the X-Trail’s local debut.

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JUMP AHEAD

• How much is it, and what do you get?
• How do rivals compare on value?
• Interior comfort, space and storage
• What is it like to drive?
• How is it on fuel?
• How safe is it?
• Ownership costs
• VERDICT
• Specs

How much is it, and what do you get?

In Australia, the electrified X-Trail range will open with the $54,190 X-Trail Ti e-Power with e-4orce (to use its unwieldy official name) and top off at $57,190 for the slightly better-equipped Ti-L e-Power with e-4orce - both representing a $4200 premium over their conventionally-powered equivalents. Both prices are before on-road costs.

That’s a lot of coin for a mainstream mid-sizer, but both Ti and Ti-L grades come generously equipped to compensate.

Features like an ultra-wide 12.3-inch infotainment display, full digital dash, head-up display, panoramic sunroof, power-operated tailgate, tri-zone climate control, wireless phone charging pad, electronic rear-vision mirror and 19-inch alloys are standard on both, with the Ti-L adding some extra luxe in form of Nappa leather upholstery, a Bose audio system, integrated rear window blinds, heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel.

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2023 Nissan X-Trail e-Power Australian pricing

Prices exclude on-road costs. (What are on-road costs?)

Equipment highlights

How do rivals compare on value?

The X-Trail Ti-L e-Power with e-4orce’s chief rival is one it shares a fair bit of DNA with – Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV. The plug-in Outlander ES starts at $54,490 before on-road costs, just $300 more than the electric X-Trail, but allows drivers to make use of cheap household energy instead of petrol for up to 84km.

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On the other hand, that car is a base grade thing, so you’d need to look at the $65,990 and $68,490 (before on-road costs) Exceed and Exceed Tourer grades to find spec analogues to the X-Trail Ti and Ti-L in e-4orce config.

But then there’s also the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, the most expensive version of which (Edge eFour) retails for $52,700 before on-road costs and consumes a claimed average of 4.8L/100km – 1.3L/100km more frugal than Nissan claims for its electrified X-Trail.

Can the X-Trail’s fresher offering and innovative powertrain give it an advantage outside of the showroom?

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Interior comfort, space and storage

Moving inside, the new X-Trail makes a strong first impression.

A soft double-stitched trim panel sits beneath a chocolate brown upper and a convincing faux wood lower trim piece, which wraps around to the door cards and extends along the centre console. Especially in this Nappa-leather-clad high-grade variant, the new X-Trail’s cabin proclaims premium ambitions.

But Nissan hasn’t forgotten about utility. The centre console is clean and uncluttered, the low-profile drive selector keeping the airspace around the phone charging pad and centre stack clear and the twin front cup holders being deeply recessed into the console.

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A fairly deep console box hides under a spring-loaded split lid, but the more useful storage cubby is beneath the console itself – a useful floor-level shelf for smaller handbags, wallets, road trip snacks and other stuff.

Door bins are ample, there’s plenty of device charging options (12-volt, one USB-A and one USB-C up front plus one USB-A and one USB-C in the back) and the sliding rear bench provides huge legroom when positioned all the way back.

The X-Trail’s seat cushions are generally quite firm (and lacking in under-thigh and lateral support in the back seat), but driver comfort was good even after five hours at the wheel.

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2023 X-Trail e-Force boot space

Cargo capacity for the 2023 X-Trail e-Force is 575L with the second row in place, however, a backwards step is the absence of anything like the previous model’s reconfigurable boot floor – let alone simple features like shopping bag hooks. An oversight for a family vehicle.

There are no remote releases to fold down the seats from the boot either, though there is at least a 12V socket and 1500W household power outlet as well as a tailgate aperture that is exceptionally wide and low enough to reduce the amount of heaving when loading heavy luggage.

Oh, and thankfully that foot-operated parking brake of the previous-gen X-Trail has been banished, consigned to the history books where it belongs.

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What is it like to drive?

The basics

With the combustion engine lacking a mechanical link to the driven wheels – power is delivered to the road purely electrically; Nissan sells the X-Trail e-4orce’s dual-electric motor configuration as providing “instant, linear response to the accelerator” like that of a fully-electric vehicle.

But that’s not entirely true.

While it certainly is smooth, progressive and vibration-free when accelerating modestly from a standstill, flexing the accelerator too much sees the electrical demand from the twin motors (150kW up front and 100kW at the rear) outstrip the 1.8kWh battery’s ability to supply them by itself, meaning the variable compression ratio, three-cylinder 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine needs to make up for whatever extra energy demand there is.

And as that engine spools up, it can result in a slower-than-expected ramp-up to full torque. While it’s got a handy amount of oomph, it can’t deliver all of it in one big drag-launch whack and doesn’t indent the back of your skull like a Tesla would. Which, to be fair, is probably a good thing for a family hack.

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If you’ve got a healthy charge in the battery you can pop it into EV Mode, but that only ups the petrol switchover threshold from a 20 per cent power demand to 30 per cent; any more than that and the X-Trail starts burning hydrocarbons whether you like it or not. Is that efficient? We’ll get to that in the next section.

But what is clear is that this is an exceptionally refined powertrain. When working on battery power alone, the X-Trail’s cabin is churchlike and peaceful.

Even when the petrol engine inevitably kicks over it’s barely audible unless you’re asking for the car’s full 157kW/330Nm output.

It’s a pretty serene thing in which to just glide around the suburbs and in that setting, EV mode represents the X-Trail at its best.

Handling isn’t too shabby either. Though weighing in at 1880kg empty, the X-Trail e-4orce has well-judged steering and a willingness to take corners at speed, though its ride can be brittle over sharp, low-amplitude road imperfections and corrugations.

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How is it on fuel?

Nissan claims an average of 6.1L/10km, which honestly isn’t a hugely impressive number considering the technology onboard.

However, while driving without huge regard for fuel economy in one of Japan’s most mountainous regions, we managed to achieve bang on 6.1L/100km.

Though big hills mean big regen on the descent, our route saw prolonged downhill stints that fully charged the battery long before the road levelled out, resulting in a large chunk of hard-won kinetic energy simply being wasted.

Drive it more sedately on flatter terrain and the X-Trail should overachieve on its seemingly conservative fuel claim.

Before you ask: no, you can’t charge it from a wall socket. Nissan’s e-Power hardware is indeed complex, but it’s not a plug-in hybrid.

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How safe is it?

The new-generation X-Trail has yet to be rated by ANCAP but features an extensive safety fitout that includes a full suite of frontal, side and head airbags, autonomous emergency braking in forward and reverse, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, adaptive high-beam and a 360-degree parking camera at Ti level.

2023 X-Trail e-Power safety features

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Ownership features and costs

All new Nissans are covered by a five-year/unlimited-km vehicle warranty, with complimentary five years of roadside assist, all fully-transferable to a second owner at no extra cost. Capped-price servicing is available – although Australian pricing for that is still to be released – and service intervals are listed at 12 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first.

VERDICT

The electrically-augmented X-Trail presents well as a tech flagship for Nissan’s mainstay SUV.

Forget what you know about the X-Trail: its all-new electrified replacement kicks big goals as far as refinement, quality, equipment, space and efficiency are concerned.

Downsides are limited to two main things: it doesn’t feel as profoundly ‘electric’ as the marketing material would have you believe, and its cost is hard to stomach given it lacks a plug-in capability and its battery size is so small.

Applying the e-4orce formula to lesser X-Trail grades would remedy that, but as it is, the electrically-augmented X-Trail presents well as a tech flagship for Nissan’s mainstay SUV.

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2023 Nissan X-Trail e-Power e-4orce specifications