An EV experience without compromise? We drive the Nissan X-Trail ePower

Thursday, 16 February 2023

Stuff gets behind the wheel of Nissan's unique electrified X-Trail ePower.

NISSAN X-TRAIL EPOWER E-4ORCE
Price range: $62,990 to $66,990
Powertrain: ePower 3-cylinder turbocharged 1.5L engine, 2kWh battery and twin electric motors, 157kW combined power, 330Nm from the front and 195Nm from the rear, AWD, 6.1L/100km, 143g/km CO2.
Body style: SUV.
On sale: Now.

The new-look X-Trail is more mature looking and larger than its predecessor.

One of the big chin-strokers the motoring world currently faces is whether fully electric powertrains are the one true answer to emissions reduction. A question perhaps less asked is whether traditional hybrids are the best bridging technology to get us there.

Toyota's pioneering, all conquering hybrid technology has owned the ‘electrified’ space for more than a decade, with few rivals putting their hands up with an alternative. You can see where I’m going with this, yes?

In the background, Nissan has been working on its own alternative to hybrid technology; ePower. And it’s poised to debut in New Zealand shortly with the launch of the all-new X-Trail ePower e-4orce. We travelled to sunny Brisbane to get a taste of what’s to come.

The cabin represents a massive step up over the last-gen X-Trail.

Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?

We’ve covered the new X-Trail’s lineage extensively – it shares plenty of hardware under the skin (including a CMF-C platform) with the immensely popular Mitsubishi Outlander. Inevitably it competes in the same segment, slugging it out with the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Kia Sportage, and many, many, many others.

Nissan’s ePower tech is undeniably clever. But how well does it work?

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The X-Trail’s powertrain can send almost all of its 157kW to its front or rear wheels. Drift Mode, anyone?

In being hands-on with the X-Trail, we found comfort in both rows to be more than commendable. The ePower’s boot is hefty, too, offering a wide opening and 575L of space – just 10L less than the dedicated ICE X-Trail.

The ePower system’s economy performance is something that’s up for debate.

Things are especially rosy up front, where pilot and co-pilot get to interact with one of the crispest infotainment screens in the segment, and a dashboard that is surprisingly premium.

This ePower stuff is pretty new though. That is, it’s pretty new unless you’ve driven a grey import Nissan featuring an ePower badge. Thousands of Japanese import Nissan Notes have been sold in New Zealand over the years as economically friendly motoring for those wanting an alternative to an equivalent Toyota Aqua or Prius.

Nissan says the gap between ePower’s introduction in Japan and its wider introduction in global models like the X-Trail is because while the company was impressed with the tech, it felt it lacked polish – particularly when it came to its CVT-like feel and operation.

How’s the legroom? The boot is solid, too, losing just 10L relative to the ICE X-Trail equivalent.

In essence, ePower is hybrid technology in reverse, where instead of a battery and electric motor playing running back for an internal combustion engine, the combustion engine is there to propel the electric motor.

A 1.5-litre variable compression turbo three-cylinder acts as a generator of sorts for dual electric motors at each end of the car. The 1.5-litre and front motor produce 150kW/330Nm, and the rear motor 100kW/195Nm.

The Ti-L flagship grade that we drove for the duration of the launch.

The petrol motor does not power any of the wheels directly, regardless of how much motivation you give it through the right pedal. The result of this is a car that convincingly feels like an EV to drive. Its power and torque delivery is near instantaneous, and most of the time it hums along in perfect silence. And, despite all of this, like a normal hybrid the ePower system never needs to be plugged in.

Nissan’s e-4orce all-wheel drive is tuned specifically to pair perfectly with its ePower tech. Along with being a fairly handy thing to have for those wanting all-paw practicality, e-4orce also encompasses a brake-based torque vectoring system.

Its nucleus can decide which corner of the car to send power to in just one ten thousandth of a second, weighing up not only whether to send it to the front or rear, but also whether to send it left or right.

The catch? Hold your horses, we’ll get there soon.

Where did you drive it?

Crossing the ditch to Brisvegas, we embarked on a burley round trip from the CBD to the Sunshine Coast, up to Gympie, and back via a series of highways, curly cambered back roads, and a few gravel trails. We’ve driven the X-Trail ePower previously in Slovenia, but these roads are much closer to the ones we have at home.

For the vast bulk of the drive, the Nissan’s ePower and e-4orce duo were very impressive. They largely do exactly what they say on the tin, providing a drive experience that feels most of the way towards an EV. Nissan says that this makes its ePower offerings a perfect mid-point for those wanting to dip their toes in electrification without committing to the plug life.

It’s not quite ‘silent’, of course. The 1.5-litre can sometimes be heard doing its thing in the background, particularly when you’re tackling most inclines. But, thanks in part to Nissan’s noise cancellation tech, it is very muffled with none of that unsightly CVT whine.

The X-Trail might now be the sweetest thing in its class to drive, thanks to e-4orce. During our brief run on gravel it didn’t put a foot wrong, and it truly shone on tarmac.

You can hurl the X-Trail into fairly steep radius corners at surprising speeds. Do it hard or often enough, and you can feel the torque vectoring working underneath you. Its 157kW combined output can swing seamlessly from front wheels to rear, and theoretically it’s possible to get all 500Nm to be unleashed in the right circumstance.

It was only when we checked out our fuel economy that the ePower revealed its catch. Over the course of our (at times aggressive) drive, we were averaging 7.3L/100km in fuel economy. Having previously matched Toyota’s 4.8L/100km economy claims in its RAV4 Hybrid, it’s a little bit of a surprise that after all the brain power that went into refining the technology, ePower isn’t more frugal.

Nissan says that the fuel economy deficit is counteracted by how nice it is to drive compared to a hybrid. Credit where it’s due, it is very nice. But I’d be keen to get behind the wheel for a longer drive to flesh out the economy trade off further.

What’s the pick of the range?

As we’ve reported previously, there are two X-Trail ePowers destined for local showrooms; the $62,990 ST-L and the $66,990 Ti-L.

Both are exclusively paired with e4orce all-wheel drive, and both are specced to the rafters. Nissan says that a more affordable front-wheel drive X-Trail isn’t off the menu entirely, but requires strong consumer feedback to become a reality.

Having driven the Ti-L at launch, we found it felt every bit like 60-something-grand of SUV. A panoramic sunroof, Bose audio, Nappa leather upholstery, an excellent 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay (Android Auto remains wired), and an enormous 10.8-inch head-up display are amongst the Ti-L exclusives. It’s the one we’d go with.

Why would I buy it?

The X-Trail has taken a huge leap between generations. This new rig features cabin quality, refinement, and tech that is more than a match for anything else from Japan or Korea. And, by and large, Nissan’s promise that its tickled and refined ePower system is “a true bridge” between ICE and EV motoring.

Why wouldn’t I buy it?

The ePower tech is clever and genuinely makes the X-Trail feel more like an EV. But those cross-shopping this against a hybrid RAV4 or a plug-in hybrid Outlander on the basis of fuel economy might need more convincing.