European-suited new Nissan X-Trail finally revealed

Unveiled as far back as 2020 in the United States where it carries the Rogue nomenclature, the European version of the all-new Nissan X-Trail has officially been unveiled.

Additionally previewed by the Chinese-spec model in April last year, the long overdue replacement for the current third generation X-Trail, which debuted nine years ago, rides on the same CMF-C platform as its siblings and the Mitsubishi Outlander, with the main difference being the power unit up front.

Appearing almost identical on the outside, and indeed inside where seating will be provided for five or seven, Nissan has discontinued all of the previous petrol and diesel engines for a single unit under its e-Power designation.

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Essentially the same setup as in the new Qashqai, it uses the three-cylinder 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine to drive the battery for the electric motor instead of being the main source of propulsion.

Said to offer an “EV-drive feeling without the need to recharge”, the configuration delivers a total system output of 150kW/330Nm to the front wheels through a CVT, though in the case of all-wheel-drive models, a secondary electric motor on the rear axle up the former to 157 kW.

Called e-4ORCE, the all-paw system is said to “provide [an] unparalleled ride comfort” and according to Nissan, a “near perfect weight balance” as a result of the “constant torque redistribution” between the front and rear axles.

Standard on the e-Power is Nissan’s e-Pedal, which, once engaged via a switch on the centre console, applies the brakes upon the driver’s release of the accelerator to cut speed without any excessive human inputs, thus resulting in an effective one-pedal driving experience.

According to Nissan, “This ensures low-speed parking manoeuvres are as smooth as possible. Drivers will quickly adapt their accelerator pedal inputs to maintain smooth travel, ensuring urban driving is more intuitive and less demanding”.

Offsetting the e-Power though is the mild-hybrid, which combines the mentioned internal combustion engine with a 12-volt mild-hybrid system for a combined output of 120kW/300Nm.

While also mated to a CVT, the mild-hybrid’s punch goes to the front wheels only, with the subsequent regenerative braking feeding otherwise lost energy back into battery for an overboot function that releases an addition six Newton Meters under heavy acceleration.

Aside from its new engines, Nissan has extensively redesigned the X-Trail’s chassis by upgrading the steering and fitting a MacPherson strut suspension at the front and multi-link at the rear.

In addition, the tailgate is now made-out of composite materials and the doors, bonnet and front wings out of aluminium in order to reduce weight further. An exact amount relative to old X-Trail’s kerb mass wasn’t revealed.

Inside, and depending on the trim level, the X-Trail’s feature and tech list comprises a new 10.8-inch Heads-Up Display, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless smartphone charger and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Offering 585-litres of boot space in five-seat guise, an improvement of 20-litres, the X-Trail’s safety sheet has also been overhauled to include Autonomous Emergency Braking, Auto High Beam Assist Matrix LED headlights and an upgraded ProPILOT semi-autonomous system.

Now available in Europe with pricing from £32 030 (R639 235) in the United Kingdom, the X-Trail has been confirmed for South Africa, but only in the first quarter of next year.