It gains the option of e-Power hybrid engine tech, becoming the only seven-seat electrified SUV in its segment. It’s a real USP.
Positioned above the best-selling Nissan Qashqai five-seat small SUV, the new Nissan X-Trail also offers the clever combination of four-wheel drive with hybrid efficiency, helping it to stand out in the sector. It faces seven-seat alternatives such as the Peugeot 5008, SEAT Tarraco and Skoda Kodiaq.
Prices for the new Nissan X-Trail start from £32,030. This is for the entry-level Visia grade, with five seats. Going for seven seats costs £1,000 more. The basic engine is a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged mild hybrid, although Nissan expects the new e-Power version to sell best. It costs an extra £2,435, meaning Nissan X-Trail e-Power prices start from £34,465.
Model grades open with Visia, moving up to Acenta Premium, N-Connecta, Tekna and Tekna+. All feature alloy wheels at least 18 inches in diameter – with a smart diamond-cut finish as standard – along with front and rear LED lights, rear parking sensors, intelligent cruise control and intelligent front emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist and junction assist.
The top-spec Tekna+, with e-Power, e-4orce and seven seats, will cost £48, 155, to give you an idea of the range of new Nissan X-Trail on sale.
Nissan is now taking orders for the new X-Trail, and says UK deliveries will commence in October 2022.
The Nissan designers have intentionally harked back to the original X-Trail, launched to much acclaim back in 2001, with the exterior styling of the new car. It has a squared-off appearance, which “takes it back to its SUV roots,” said Nissan global product marketing director, Nicolas Tschann. The rear is particularly boxy, which is meant to underline its practicality (and open up as much space as possible within).
It is notably different to the sportier, more crossover-style Qashqai, and Nissan offers it in a range of 10 body colours, plus five two-tone combinations with a contrasting roof colour. Nissan stresses the new X-Trail is aerodynamically efficient, though, with air curtains at the front and a smooth, F1-style underbody to boost fuel economy.
Inside, Nissan has bought the infotainment technology right up-to-date. But despite there being a total of 35 inches of infotainment screen-space, it hasn’t gone down the route of using ultra-large and hard-to-navigate displays. Instead, there is a 12.3-inch digital driver display (standard on N-Connecta and above), a central 12.3-inch touchscreen (with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality – wireless on all but the base Visia grade), and the option of a 10.8-inch head-up display. “It’s visually ergonomic and unintimidating – and we’ve purposefully kept physical air-con buttons, too.”
It has a higher-quality finish, more stowage space and consistent white ambient lighting, instead of the jarring orange of the old model. Details such as the ‘butterfly-opening’ central stowage box are smart – meaning those in the rear can access the box as easily as those in the front. Integrated rear door sunblinds are a premium touch rarely found in a car at this price-point.
Although it will only take less than one in 10 sales, the entry-level engine, a 163PS 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol, is very high-tech. It uses ingenious variable compression technology, virtually unique in the industry. This helps it average up to 39.9mpg, which is reasonable for such a large car. All Nissan X-Trail are automatics; this one has a CVT gearbox.
The e-Power will easily be the most popular engine, however. It uses the same 1.5-litre engine, but in combination with an electric motor, making it even more efficient. Nissan would prefer we didn’t call it hybrid, but that’s essentially what it is – and as it doesn’t need to be plugged in, we could expand this to ‘self-charging hybrid’.
The e-Power’s front wheels are driven by an electric motor, which means it doesn’t actually have a gearbox. The engine instead powers a generator, which creates the electricity and gives the Nissa X-Trail a linear, pure electric driving feel. Total output of 204PS means 0-62mph in 8.0 seconds. It can also average almost 49mpg and emits from 132g/km of CO2. If you currently drive a diesel-engined X-Trail, this is the engine you’ll want to trade into.
Standard equipment includes what Nissan calls ‘e-Pedal Step’. This uses regenerative braking to allow drivers to speed up and slow down using only the accelerator pedal (and each time they slow down, they charge up the battery). A button on the dashboard activates it, and the braking effect is powerful enough for Nissan to legally have to illuminate the brake lights. It takes a little practice, but many drivers really like it.
The third option is an all-wheel-drive version of the e-Power, which Nissan calls ‘e-Power e-4orce’ (yes, we think it’s confusing as well). The addition of a rear electric motor raises power to 213PS, and significantly boosts torque from 330Nm to a combined 500Nm. The 0-62mph acceleration time is cut further, to a hot hatchback-like 7.0 seconds, yet it can return almost 45mpg. Nissan bosses can barely conceal their excitement for this version.
The option of seven seats is a key Nissan X-Trail selling-point over the Qashqai, but there’s more to it than simply a third row of chairs. Because the rearmost seats are optimised for people up to 1.6 metres (5ft 2in) tall, there’s more boot space when they’re folded flat into the floor – 585 litres is an increase of 20 litres over the previous X-Trail. The floor length and space between the wheelarches is best-in-class.
Nissan offers a powered hands-free tailgate, for those who have perfected the technique of waving their foot beneath the rear bumper to open it. Meanwhile, in five-seat versions, the Nissan Flexible Luggage Board System remains, with wipe-clean plastic on one side and more durable carpet on the other. The two luggage boards offer a total of 16 different layouts.
A feature that delighted early customers who have seen the new X-Trail are rear doors that open to almost 90 degrees. They make it really easy to buckle up children in their seats, or lock an ISOFIX baby seat into place. The sliding middle-row seat, which is also split 60:40, further bolsters convenience – and makes it easier to access the third row of seats. Third-row passengers will find enough space to put their feet under the second row of seats as well, something that’s not always the case with seven-seaters.
Impressively, the Nissan X-Trail hasn’t grown much on the outside. It’s actually 10mm shorter than the old one, and has gained 20mm in width and 15mm in height. This means it measures just under 4.7 metres long, 1.85 metres wide and around 1.72 metres tall.
With the arrival of the new Nissan X-Trail from autumn 2022, why not take a look at the old model as a way to save money? Introduced in 2013 (and facelifted in 2017), the previous X-Trail still looks smart, with a distinctive grille, and it again offered the option of seven seats. Nissan also offered a diesel engine, alongside a turbo petrol, so it might still be a great choice for those who aren’t ready to switch to electrified cars just yet.
A post-facelift 2018 1.6 dCi version, in a good mid-range spec, is yours for around £17,500. Nissan reliability should mean plenty more years of faithful service as well.
We have the latest 2022 new car news on upcoming models such as the new-generation BMW iX1, Ford Ranger and Honda CR-V.
As with previous generations, the new Nissan X-Trail is available with seven seats. The seven-seat version is £1,000 more expensive than the five-seater. Seven seats are available with the e-Power e-4orce and the entry-level 1.5-litre variants.
The new Nissan X-Trail will be offered with a four-wheel-drive system called e-4orce. It has five settings for different driving conditions such as mud and snow, accessed via a rotary drive mode selector.
While every Nissan X-Trail – even the basic mild hybrid version – is electrified, there is not a pure electric version. Nissan says family-focused buyers in this sector aren’t ready for it (and aren’t yet ready to pay for it). And for those that are, the firm now offers the electric Ariya SUV.