Price from £30,000 (est) Reborn large SUV retains seating for up to seven but gains a fresh identity and clever hybrid tech
LATE 2022
YOU COULD BE forgiven for thinking that the designers of the current X-Trail merely put the blueprints of the second-generation Qashqai in a photocopier set to 110%. However, while there was a certain logic to that, given the Qashqai’s popularity, it meant the X-Trail has been completely overshadowed and largely overlooked.
The Russian doll approach has been ditched for the new version, then. Instead, it’s much more distinctive, with a split headlight design and more angular lines that are reminiscent of traditional SUVs.
Don’t go thinking that this means the new X-Trail is traditional under the skin, though. Instead, it uses a version of the clever e-Power range extender system recently introduced to the Qashqai. With this, the wheels are powered by an electric motor, enabling short trips on battery power alone.
However, you don’t have to plug the car in to recharge, because there’s also a 1.5-litre engine that acts as a generator. With this set-up, the Qashqai averages up to 53.3mpg in official tests.The X-Trail is likely to fall a little short of that figure, though, given that it’s a bigger, heavier car.
It seems likely that the Qashqai’s mild hybrid petrol engines will also be offered in cheaper X-Trail models. However, because the X-Trail is based on the same underpinnings as the Qashqai, it seems unlikely that there will be a fully electric version of the car during this generation.
Inside, the new model ticks the same boxes as the old one, offering a choice of five and seven-seat layouts. In the latter form, the X-Trail is a rival for the likes of the Peugeot 5008 and Skoda Kodiaq.
We just hope that Nissan has been able to free up a bit more space for those
