Nissan X-Trail 2023 review: e-Power

The X-Trail is offered in four grades, and the hybrid powertrain is now available on the top two, the Ti at $54,190, before on-road costs, and the Ti-L at $57,190. That's a $4200 premium over their combustion-only equivalents.

Once you've crossed the $50K threshold you should rightfully expect a decent basket of standard fruit, and aside from the safety and performance tech covered later in this review, the Ti comes to the party with 19-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, auto rain-sensing wipers, three-zone climate control, six-speaker audio (with digital radio), leather-accented trim, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and a powered tailgate.

The X-Trail is offered in four grades, and the hybrid powertrain is now available on the top two. (Ti-L variant pictured)

There's also auto LED headlights, LED tail-lights, daytime running lights and fog lights, 10-way power-adjustable (and heated) front seats, a 10.8-inch head-up display and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, as well as 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen, with (wired) Android Auto and (wireless) Apple CarPlay support, built-in sat nav, and a wireless smartphone charger.

Opt for the Ti-L and the steering wheel will be heated, the rims step up to 20-inch, audio is a 10-speaker Bose system, the power tailgate is hands-free, there's quilted Nappa leather trim on the seats, memories settings on the front seats, plus there are rear sunshades, heated (outer) rear seats and remote engine start.

Impressive in this part of the market.

Opt for the Ti-L and the rims step up to 20-inch. (Ti-L variant pictured)

At just under 4.7m long, a bit over 1.8m wide, and around 1.7m tall, the fourth-generation X-Trail's footprint sits squarely in mid-size SUV territory, and space efficiency is impressive.

There's plenty of breathing room for the driver and front seat passenger with heaps of family-friendly storage provided.

Specifically, bins in the doors, with enough space for large bottles, a deep lidded box between the seats (which doubles as an centre armrest), a decent glove box, two cupholders in the centre console, a lower storage tray underneath the console, as well as USB-A and USB-C outlets, plus a 12-volt socket and a wireless phone charging bay.

Only snag is the location of the USB plugs ahead of the gearshift means Android users will have to deal with a cable trailing on the console (Apple CarPlay is wireless).

Move to the back and the first thing you notice is the rear door opening to 85 degrees, which makes it that little bit easier to get in and out.

Once inside (at 183cm) I had plenty of headroom and more than enough legroom with the driver's seat set for my position. Shoulder room will be tight for three full-size adults, although up to mid-teenage kids will be fine. And you might just squeeze in three child seats, if they're a slimmer type.

It comes with a wireless smartphone charger. (Ti-L variant pictured)

Worth noting the back seats (split 40/20/40) can slide forward for more boot space, or back for maximum passenger room.

There are pockets in the doors with room for bottles, two cupholders and a slot for a phone in the fold-down centre armrest, map pockets on the front seat backs, as well as another pair of USB outlets (again Type-A and C) plus individual ventilation and temperature adjustment as part of the three-zone climate control system.

Boot space with all seats upright is 575 litres, which is class competitive and a modest 10 litres less than the combustion-only X-Trail. Lower the rear seat and that volume increases to around 2000 litres.

Boot space with all seats upright is 575 litres, which is class competitive and a modest 10 litres less than the combustion-only X-Trail. (Ti-L variant pictured)

There are tie-down anchors to help secure loose items, the loading lip is nice and low, there's a 12V socket in there and the power tailgate is welcome. Extra welcome in the case of the Ti-L, where it's hands-free.

Don't bother looking for a spare tyre of any description, a repair/inflator kit is your only option. But towing capacity for a braked trailer is a useful 1650kg.

This is where the X-Trail e-Power and its arch nemesis RAV4 Hybrid head down distinctly different paths.

Toyota uses a series parallel set-up which means the electric motor will power the wheels only in certain situations, typically at lower speeds, with the petrol engine doing the work most of the time.

Nissan's e-Power system has twin electric motors powering the wheels at all times.

The engine’s peak outputs are 160kW/250Nm and tricky variable compression ratio tech also helps balance power and efficiency. (Ti-L variant pictured)

And its 1.5-litre turbo-petrol, three-cylinder engine is only ever used as a generator, sending DC charge to the 2.1kWh lithium-ion battery and/or AC charge direct to the inverter, which in turn powers two electric motors, one on each axle, hence 'e-4orce' all-wheel drive.

Combined output is 157kW/525Nm, although Nissan is at pains to point out the latter is only available with the accelerator pinned from a standing start.

The engine's peak outputs are 160kW/250Nm and tricky variable compression ratio tech also helps balance power and efficiency.

Drive is delivered by single-ratio reduction gear transmissions on each axle.

Nissan's official fuel consumption figure for the X-Trail e-Power on the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 6.1 litres per 100km, the 1.5-litre petrol generator emitting 139g/km of CO2 in the process.

Toyota's RAV4, even with a larger 2.5-litre petrol engine, is more frugal at a claimed 4.8L/100km.

Over around 270km on the launch drive, which covered urban areas, twisting B-roads and some highway running, we averaged 6.8L/100km.

Minimum fuel requirement is 95 RON premium unleaded and you'll need 55 litres of it to fill the tank.

Nissan’s official fuel consumption figure for the X-Trail e-Power on the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 6.1 litres per 100km. (Ti-L variant pictured)

Using the official figure that translates to a range of around 900km, which drops to just over 800km using our real world number.

Nissan says it chose this hybrid configuration because the car drives more like an EV, that is smoothly and quietly, rather than a predominantly petrol car with a CVT.

It's an interesting point-of-difference and your priorities will determine if the extra consumption (relative to the RAV4 Hybrid) is a deal-breaker, or not.

Nissan Australia covers the X-Trail with a market-standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, with roadside assistance included for the duration.

Service is required every 12 months/10,000km, the latter is way shorter than the more common 20,000km.

Nissan Australia covers the X-Trail with a market-standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. (Ti-L variant pictured)

Capped-price servicing is available over three-, four-, and five-year periods, with the dollars more or less matching equivalent pure combustion models. That is, an annual average of $457 over three years, $485 over four years, and $470 over five years.

Pay as you go and you're looking at an average of $508 per year for the first six years. Which isn't particularly cheap, especially when you consider a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is $260 per year for the first five years.