Nissan X-Trail 2023 E-POWER E-4ORCE Review: Electrified SUV Without The Hassle?

Sustainability Nissan X-Trail 2023 E-POWER E-4ORCE Review: Electrified SUV Without The Hassle? James Morris Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I write about the rapidly growing world of electric vehicles Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Oct 22, 2022, 05:00am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The global market for EVs is continuing to explode, despite the chip shortage.

But not everyone is comfortable with the idea of charging instead of refueling from a pump just yet. Few countries have an adequate charger infrastructure, and there are some markets that have barely started building one. That’s why Nissan has taken a different approach with the latest generation of its X-Trail.

I had a chance to drive it at the European launch in the alpine terrain of Slovenia. The Nissan X-Trail now comes with the e-POWER drivetrain, meaning the wheels are driven by electric . .

. [+] motors. Nissan The X-Trail is available with three powertrains, all of which are electrified to some extent.

The entry point is a mild hybrid, using a 1. 5-liter variable compression ratio petrol / gasoline engine with 12V mild hybrid assistance. This provides 120kW (161hp) and 300Nm of power, enough to hit 62mph in 9.

6 seconds, which is just about acceptable for a reasonably sized SUV but hardly brusque. The other two variants use Nissan’s e-POWER system, which first arrived in the European market in the Qashqai e-POWER , although the company has provided it in its Note in Japan since 2016. This is a “serial hybrid” technology, so there is still a 1.

5-liter internal combustion engine, but it doesn’t connect to the wheels directly. Instead, it acts as an electrical generator, alongside a small battery operating as a buffer, both of which drive the wheels via electric motors. The Nissan X-Trail is most definitely an SUV, not a crossover.

Nissan The basic front-wheel-drive e-POWER version offers 150kW (201hp) with 330Nm of torque, which can propel the car to 62mph in 8 seconds. More interesting is the e-4ORCE variant, which adds a second electric motor on the rear with 100kW and 195Nm of torque. The combined power is only slightly higher at 157kW (210hp), but the 62mph sprint drops to 7 seconds for the five-seater and 7.

2 seconds for the seven-seater. This is the first time Nissan has combined e-POWER with its e-4ORCE all-wheel-drive electric motor system. MORE FOR YOU Livestream Shopping Stays Hot As Whatnot Valuation More Than Doubles To $3.

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Export — But Are They Really? Nissan X-Trail 2023 e-POWER e-4ORCE: Seven-Seat Interior The new X-Trail is also one of the few electrified SUVs to offer seven seats, particularly in Europe, where the Tesla Model Y is not currently available in this configuration. The Mercedes EQB and Tesla Model X are other options (although you can’t order the X right now), plus one or two plug-in hybrids such as the Volvo XC90. The X-Trail’s seven-seat system adds an extra rear row behind the first one for two additional passengers of 160cm height or less.

You must slide the first row of rear seats forward to enable this and provide the necessary leg space. There’s a 7-seat version of the Nissan X-Trail, although the second rear row is only comfortable for . .

. [+] kids. ©2022 Nissan Rear cargo capacity is impressive at 575 liters, but the seven-seat configuration does reduce this.

Drop the rear seats forward and you get a huge amount of luggage space. The batteries are in the floor of the vehicle, so unlike some PHEVs you don’t lose any cargo capacity due to electrification. There’s a 40/20/40 split on the rear seats, so you can carry a long item while still having two rear passengers.

This is a spacious car for human occupants too. The front seats offer plenty of room, and the rear will even accommodate people well over six feet in comfort, although only in the two outer seats. A panoramic sunroof option further adds to the sense of space, and this can open to the air as well as providing a window on the sky.

Nissan X-Trail 2023 e-POWER e-4ORCE: Trim Levels and Technology Five trim levels are available – Visia, Acenta Premium, N-Connecta, Tekna and Tekna+. Visia includes plenty of standard safety, such as emergency braking, collision warning, lane departure and blind spot warning, plus cruise control. Acenta Premium adds mostly EV-related features, as well as keyless entry.

N-Connecta improves the infotainment with 12. 3in panels. Tekna is where the sunroof becomes standard equipment, as well as a Head-up Display, ProPILOT, three-zone air conditioning and the 40/20/40 rear seat split.

The range-topping Tekna+ adds a premium BOSE sound system and quilted leather front seats. Interior space is generous front and back. ©2022 Nissan The dashboard instrumentation is clear and the head-up-display available from the Tekna trim upwards is one of the best examples I’ve seen.

It’s both bright and visible in very sunny conditions, and non-intrusive when driving at night. The information provided, including current speed, speed limit, navigation, and safety warnings, is clear. The Infotainment screen is functional and includes Amazon Alexa support as well as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which operate wirelessly so you don’t need to plug your phone in, just rest it on the wireless charging mat.

Air conditioning has a full set of discrete controls. ©2022 Nissan However, while I always like to see a full set of manual controls for air-conditioning, this area is a mixed bag for the X-Trail. The buttons and knobs are clearly marked and easy to use, and there is no need to enter a menu on the media screen.

But the design is not that aesthetically pleasing. The Ariya has shown what Nissan can do with design in this area, but the company is clearly reserving its slickest configurations for the all-electric flagship. Nissan X-Trail 2023 e-POWER e-4ORCE: Smooth Driving on All Terrains At the Slovenian launch, the version I got to try was the seven-seat e-POWER e-4ORCE in top Tekna+ trim.

Driving the X-Trail is neither like a regular hybrid nor a full EV. It’s somewhere in between. The power delivery is smooth because there are no gears, and you can harvest energy when slowing down through regenerative braking.

There’s also a full e-Pedal mode where you can avoid using the brakes directly almost all the time once you get the hang of it. All this is very similar to a full EV, and the instant torque (which Nissan claims arrives in 1/10,000 th of a second) makes for rapid movement when the traffic lights go green, and predictable launches onto busy roundabouts. The Nissan X-Trail will probably spend most of its life driving around town.

Nissan What isn’t like an EV is when you push this car hard. In theory the X-Trail e-POWER e-4ORCE is quite fast for an SUV this size. But in Sport mode under hard acceleration the internal combustion motor screams like an angry banshee.

Some people might still want the noise of pistons whirring, but probably not the soundtrack from a 1. 5-litre generator revving its heart out. However, this car is aimed much more at the utility (U) in SUV than the sports (S).

It’s meant for carting a couple of hounds around for walkies or taking the family for an outbound adventure. Your passengers probably won’t want to be thrown about like a track day hot lap on every trip to see the grandparents or when heading to the supermarket. Nevertheless, Nissan wanted to underline the fact that this is a proper 4×4 and provided a chance to try the car on a prepared offroad track, including extreme bumps that meant individual wheels left the ground, steep curves to show the car’s ability to stay upright, traction tests, and even a very sharp incline.

There is an offroad mode (as well as snow) and on top of that hill descent, which works extremely well. With cameras front and back, you can also use the frontal cameras when going up and over a ridge where the car is pointing upwards so steeply you can’t see the other side. If you do venture off the beaten track, though, the Nissan X-Trail will cope extremely well.

Nissan In other words, the X-Trail has serious wilderness capability, even if its most frequent calling will be taking kids on the school run. The ride quality is excellent too. Some of the roads I tested the car on in Slovenia were not very well paved, and although you could feel the surface it wasn’t unpleasant at all.

Since UK city road surfaces are at least as bad as this if not worse – particularly in London – this is a commendably useful result for an all-purpose, all-terrain vehicle. It was impressive how this car handled the steep alpine roads in Slovenia, too. The internal combustion motor did whine quite a bit at times – and is also used to aid braking in descents – but power deliver is smooth and dependable.

Without gears or any danger of stalling, you can glide up and down windy mountain routes easily, with just the cornering to worry about. Nissan X-Trail 2023 e-POWER e-4ORCE: Cost, Economy and Conclusion However, the X-Trail is not a cheap alternative to a full BEV. The starting price for the bottom Visia trim with the mild hybrid drivetrain is £32,030 ($35,500), but you can’t get that with e-POWER.

This can only be had with the £33,705 ($37,500) Acenta Premium, for an additional £2,435 ($2,700). If you want e-4FORCE you will need to add £2,200 ($2,400) on top of that, making the starting price for the all-wheel-drive electrically driven version £38,340 ($42,500). That price is starting to push into the territory of premium fully battery powered EVs.

On a more frugal note, the seven-seat option is just an additional £1,000 ($1,100). The Nissan X-Trail is a family car that can go (almost) anywhere and do (almost) anything. Nissan If you’ve already made the transition to a full EV, you may well want to sneer at the new Nissan X-Trail.

Those who have the facility for home charging and sufficient money for a BEV should consider that option first. But there’s no denying that during this transitional phase a serial hybrid such as e-POWER has some merit. The basic front-wheel-drive version can manage 48.

6mpg (40. 5 miles per US gallon) and emits 132g of CO2 per km, compared to 39. 9mpg (33.

2 miles per US gallon) and 161g for the mild hybrid – a 22% improvement in fuel consumption and 18% in emissions. Even the e-4ORCE seven-seater manages 43. 8mpg (36.

5 miles per US gallon) and 146g. So you are getting a considerable economy benefit from e-POWER, and this will be particularly pronounced if you do a lot of urban start-stop driving. The Nissan X-Trail e-POWER e-4ORCE isn’t going to save the planet like a full BEV.

But it is a very competent vehicle for those who aren’t quite ready to go all-electric. It drives very well (unless pushed hard), has great offroad ability, there’s loads of useful space for passengers and cargo, and it’s economical to run. If you absolutely must stick with an internal combustion engine, this could be the last one you need to buy, and it might just convince you to all-electric next time.

Perhaps even Nissan’s own Ariya . Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn . Check out my website .

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