Nissan is carving itself a wonderful niche in the electrified SUV world, with both its popular Qashqai and the all new X-Trail.

It offers a bold technological solution for these two popular models by decoupling the engine entirely from the proper drivetrain, letting it act solely as a generator to one (and in this case two) electric motors.

The idea behind it is obvious: it offers the pulling power and mechanical refinement of the electric motor and at the same time it avoids the inefficiency of the combustion engine when it operates under low charge  situations combined with relatively high revs, like in urban stop start traffic.

It lets the engine do its charging work under ideal thermal working conditions and loads, and uses a small(er) battery to deliver the extra electric energy when needed in specific driving situations, like starting off from standstill or engaging in fierce acceleration. Ideal? Let’s find out…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Smooth…

The driving impressions are indeed very convincing: progress is silky smooth, and indeed the X-Trail is delightful to drive in town and slow traffic.

The ample torque of both electric motors inspires confidence, and lets you master every driving situation. The combustion engine, a 1,5 litre three cylinder, is well insulated and hardly audible. Its recharging task depends of course on how much e-power you want it to deliver, and therefore the more relaxed your driving style, the less you hear it. Whether it will rev higher depends also on the driven speed, soo clever! The Nissan engineers did a very good job here, as this gives a very “natural” impression to driver and passengers.

Total power of our top op the range e-Power e-4orce X-Trail is not less than 213 HP, and the torque is even more important with 330 Nm at the front and 220 Nm at the rear. Smooth performance is the result: the 1,9 tonne 7 seater will sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 7 seconds and the top speed is an impressive 180 km/h. Indeed, this X-Trail will never feel underpowered.

Geared for comfort…

Does the X-Trail awaken the sporting driver in you? Well, rather not. Its utter smoothness puts you rather in a “Zen” mood, and the comfortable suspension does the rest. The car is well balanced and stable in all circumstances, and this adds to the overall relaxing character of the car.

Well being is also found in the cabin. Of course, the top Tekna+ equipment version spoils your senses. The interior is also well laid out, stylish and the designers did keep wisely an array of knobs so you quickly find your way intuitively to all the functions of this X-Trail. We also liked the look of the digital instruments and screen display.

The X-trail e-4ORCE AWD is with its dual motors and 4WD very well at home off- road too…

… but also for economy?

The Nissan engineers had first and foremost the mechanical smoothness of e-propulsion in mind, and combined this with range comfort. Consumption seemed not to be an absolute priority. Nissan opted for a smaller  battery, not least because it would cost room, make the car heavier and pricier. This means that the engine has nowhere to dump its generating power when the battery is full. Of course, the drivetrain software will shut the IC engine down as soon as possible, or let it turnover purely on e-power. Having said this, if you adopt a relaxed driving style, it is quite possible to achieve a consumption between 7,5 and 8 litres, which is quite efficient for a car weighing close to two tonnes. Official figures indicate an average consumption of 6,4 litres/100 km, and 146 g/km of CO2 emissions.

A seven seater…

Indeed, this X-Trail will transport two youngsters on the third row seat, but this is not meant to be for super long trips. But a short run to the supermarket or football club is always in the cards, and this can be quite practical on more occasions than you would expect.

Conclusion

This Nissan X-Trail e-4ORCE is a very well balanced, refined car which offers you all the sophisticated “Zen” pleasures of electric driving combined with the range and long distance cruising panache of IC engined cars. It is very well finished, is lavishly equipped and offers more than adequate space.

We were so seduced by all its good qualities that we decided to join a Nissan e-Power e-4ORCE to our stable of cars, so soon we will inform  you regularly about how it behaves in long term use…

Hans Knol ten Bensel