The fourth generation of the X-Trail finally arrives in Europe. It is offered with the e-Power system, where the petrol unit acts as a generator.
The new X-Trail was unveiled in mid-2020 in the United States (under the name Rogue). Here it is finally ready to arrive in Europe! Advantage to this long wait: with us, this fourth generation initially offers the ePower hybrid engine, more relevant in a category where non-electrified vehicles are now weighed down by the penalty.
As for the little brother Qashqai, we therefore have in the bowels a hybridization thought out by Nissan, very different from that designed by Renault for the Austral. The originality here is that the front-mounted electric motor is the only source of power for the wheels. It is therefore rather an electric with a range extender, which takes the form of a 1.5 turbo petrol engine with variable compression ratio. The thermal block thus operates in the optimum speed range, for better efficiency.
2 or 4 wheel drive
The X-Trail is a little more muscular than the Qashqai, since the power goes from 204 hp, for the traction version. Because unlike its little brother, the X-Trail offers a four-wheel drive version, still in e-Power. An additional electrical block is mounted on the rear axle. The maximum cumulative power here is 213 hp. We find the e-Pedal system, which allows driving with only the accelerator pedal, the braking being activated when it is released.
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On the design side, no surprise, since “our” X-Trail is identical to the Rogue, unveiled two years ago. The model goes fashionable looking on two floors, with a main headlight unit lowered in the shield, on each side of a large V-shaped grille. This is the most original part of the design, which for the rest is quite sober. We feel that the vehicle is first thought for North America.
7 places
It’s also fairly classic inside, where some of the furniture is shared with the Qashqai. The X-Trail, however, has the right to a larger central touch screen (12.3 inches). The real difference with the Qashqai is of course in the number of passengers on board. With a third row of seats, the X-Trail can carry 7 people. Nissan recognizes, however, that these additional places are to be reserved for people measuring up to 1.60 meters. Once these folding seats are folded down, the trunk volume is 585 litres. Access to the central bench seat is facilitated by doors that open almost 90°.
Among the driving aids, we note ProPilot Assist with Navi-Link: it is assisted driving on the motorway, which manages steering, acceleration and braking (capable of restarting the car after a short stop), and uses navigation (for example, it will adapt the speed when approaching a bend).
Good point: Nissan is not going to make customers wait any longer, the X-Trail is available to order now. The range starts from €42,700 for a 204hp Acenta e-Power version.
