Nissan Australia says it has a seven-seater and single-motor version X-Trail e-Power A hybrid SUV is available for it should local buyers demand such an option.
Although the brand will launch with two high-spec, five-seat, all-wheel-drive grades only, Nissan’s manager for the X-Trail range, Aleksandar Pecanac, said more variants could be made available if customer feedback suggests there are gaps in the range.
“Bringing [the X-Trail e-Power] in the Ti and Ti-L grades, that’s where we really see the majority of ICE demand in pre-orders,” said Mr. Pecanac. Car Expert.
“We really want to combine the new e-Power with the e-4orce technology [with the high-spec models] to really put your best foot forward. We have seen strong customer demand on their behalf.”
“It’s more of a premium offering, so I think it’s a bit of a test case for now,” he added.
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X-Trail e-Power
When asked how the brand will gauge customer feedback regarding expanding the range’s offerings, Mr. Pecanac said shopper surveys will play a big role in shaping the business case for any future additions to the lineup.
“We will get it [feedback] through the syndicated survey they do, and if we feel there’s a business case for a low-grade or two-wheel-drive e-Power, then we’ll present it to the global team and say ‘this is the car we need because customers are asking for it.”
Mr Pecanac again explained that both the single-motor front-wheel drive and seven-seat versions of the X-Trail e-Power are available for Australia from the Japanese factory.
The seven-seat option will make the X-Trail e-Power one of the few seven-seat hybrid SUVs on sale in Australia, and offer a key point of difference to the market-leading Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.
In the mainstream mid-size SUV segment, the only rival offering a three-row electric option is the related Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV; although seven seats are limited to the expensive top-spec Exceed variant.
Meanwhile, the single-motor e-Power drive range will offer a more affordable entry point into the electrified X-Trail range, and according to global specifications could see gains in fuel economy.
Australian delivered X-Trail e-Power with e-4orce model quote 6.1L/100km combined cycle efficiency, which is a liter or more per 100km and up on something like the RAV4 Hybrid.
Nissan UK quotes WLTP fuel figures of 45.6mpg (6.19L per 100km) compared to 42.8mpg (6.6L per 100km) for the X-Trail e-Power 2WD and e-Power e-4orce respectively in equivalent deck-out trim us , Ti-L five seats.
Step down the range, and the most basic X-Trail e-Power 2WD quotes 48.2mpg (5.8L/100km) on the stricter WLTP regime. For reference, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid quotes 47.9-50.4mpg (5.89-5.6L/100km) in the UK depending on variant and 4.7-4.8L/100km according to local ADR tests.
Given that the local X-Trail e-Power with e-4orce claims a combined efficiency of 6.1L/100km on both Ti and Ti-L grades, you can expect the single-motor 2WD version to reach the mid-fives in local tests.
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Overseas models are shown -
The Nissan X-Trail e-Power with e-4orce is now on sale in Australia, available in high-spec Ti and Ti-L grades only at launch.
Prices start from $54,190 plus on-road costs for Ti, and $57,190 for the Ti-L prime. Both e-Power and e-4orce variants cost $4200 more than the equivalent 2.5L 4WD petrol version.
The top-spec Toyota RAV4 Edge AWD Hybrid splits the two X-Trail e-Power variants, starting at $56,650 following the latest update.
Meanwhile, the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV – based on the same Alliance CMF platform as the X-Trail – starts at $55,490 plus on-roads for the entry-level ES, with the mid-spec Aspire listing at $61,990.
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