The popular Nissan X-Trail was always a rather capable and versatile SUV, but once the going gets tough, well… It’s hardly a Land Cruiser or a Land Rover. In other words, it’s not really meant for harsh off-roading, nor is it really an extreme adventure-ready vehicle. At least, until now, as Nissan has not only unveiled an updated X-Trail but there’s a new model to go with it, the N-Trek. However, is it really worth the extra over a regular X-Trail?
What Is The Nissan X-Trail N-Trek e-4ORCE About?
Compared to the new and updated Qashqai that I drove recently, the Nissan X-Trail is its bigger, chunkier, and more off-road-y sibling in Nissan’s line-up. In so doing, it does have that muscular and boxier SUV silhouette, in addition to a lot more volume proportionally. For UK roads then, this new and updated X-Trail is really as big as we’d probably want it to be, without Americanising its sizing and dimensions. The latest-generation X-Trail is a rather handsome car, too. In particular, when you’re seeing it here, in its two-tone paintwork, with that subtle champagne colour and black contrast roof, alongside the gunmetal grey lower fascia.
If you look more closely, you’ll begin to notice a few of the distinct elements that set apart this new N-Trek trim compared to a regular X-Trail. One notable example is the 18-inch, N-Trek-specific diamond-cut alloy wheels, with their rugged and robust look. These wheels are a tad smaller than what you’d get in some X-Trail models, but for an off-roader, I’m grateful for these petite sizes. In turn, it helps to provide a lot more protection and a bit of sidewall for off-roading and preventing kerb rash. The same can also be said of the N-Trek-specific set of protective front and rear lower bumpers, which ought to help when you’re off-roading.
How Does It Drive?
While the Nissan X-Trail in N-Trek form, is a hybrid SUV, it’s no ordinary hybrid set-up, mind you. As with the Qashqai and many other Nissans that I drove recently, it utilises the brand’s e-POWER hybrid powertrain. In layman’s terms, e-POWER feels like an EV to drive, with its effortless and smooth motors, in addition to the feeling of instantaneous torque, given that your wheels are being directly driven by electric motors. Meanwhile, all that electricity is supplied by a relatively petite 1.97kWh lithium-ion battery. As you can imagine, that’s not going to get you far, so it’s being charged up by a 1.5-litre inline-3 engine under the bonnet, acting as a generator.
This unique layout is meant to be the best of both worlds, which combines that distinct feel of driving an EV, without having to succumb to range anxiety or worrying whether or not you’ll run out of battery charge. On top of that, compared to a regular ICE-only set-up, Nissan’s e-POWER is superbly fuel-efficient, where you can easily and comfortably get the mid to high-40s. These are fairly good figures for a mid-size family SUV, though it’s not that much of an improvement over the petrol-only variants of the X-Trail, in my experience. In the real world, as odd and peculiar as Nissan’s e-POWER concept might sound on paper, it does work rather neatly.
Behind the wheel, the X-Trail N-Trek is easy enough to manage and drive, that you almost forget all that’s going on underneath! For the most part, it feels just like any other normal car to drive, from putting it in gear to driving it day-to-day. With this in mind, e-POWER is a really fantastic way to gently introduce and transition you into electrification, even for those of you who might’ve been a tad pessimistic about electric cars. Moreover, the new X-Trail N-Trek now lets you experience the perks of e-POWER, but with 4-wheel drive, thanks to its e-4ORCE powertrain. Compared to the 2WD models, this one here has two electric motors, one on each axle.
What Is It Like Inside?
Once you step inside, you will notice right away that even compared to most Nissans, this new X-Trail N-Trek is even more utilitarian than before. On the surface, it’s clearly made for more adventurous drivers, who won’t be afraid of getting it dirty. For instance, the floormats are tray-like plastic-rubber mats, making them super-easy to remove and clean, even with a lot of mud and dirt on them. Plus, you won’t have to worry about damp, wet carpets, either! Similarly, the X-Trail N-Trek comes with a reversible boot liner, allowing you to swap them between soft fabric and that hard plastic rubber trim. The latter is equally easy to clean when it gets dirty.
Elsewhere, the rest of the cabin is typically Nissan, with lots of hard-wearing and durable rubber and plastic trim. Furthermore, some of the upholstery, such as the seats, is also water-resistant, complementing the outdoorsy personality of the N-Trek model rather well. One other interesting bit of design that I noticed with the X-Trail is just how wide apart the rear doors open. As it’s able to be opened at nearly 90 degrees, it allows for a lot more space for your rear passengers to ingress or egress. It’s a small bit of attention to detail, but for loading up your kids in the back, for the elderly, or for folks with limited mobility, it’s a godsend to make things easier.
Just like some of the other Nissans that I drove over the past year or so, as with the updated Qashqai, this new X-Trail’s layout is quite familiar. One noteworthy upside to having that e-POWER hybrid set-up is that you don’t need a vast central transmission tunnel. Instead, there’s a large storage cubby – one of the many that you could find in the cabin – underneath the centre console. Oh, and speaking of packaging, Nissan has made good use of space with the X-Trail N-Trek’s interior. Unlike its tinier sibling, the Qashqai, the X-Trail offers you a lot more headroom, knee-room, and legroom, front and rear, and it’s a smidge wider than the Qashqai.
As far as tech is concerned, this new X-Trail N-Trek has a pair of familiar screens… There’s a 12.3-inch screen in the middle for your infotainment or multimedia stuff, which also has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Besides that, there’s a 12.3-inch display for your gauge cluster; legible, easy to read, and easy to use. There’s a tonne of other techy goodies here too, such as the inclusion of a wireless charging pad, a couple of USB Type-C charging ports, tri-zone climate control, as well as heated front and rear seats. I do find that Nissan, as they’ve shown with this new X-Trail N-Trek, has found a pretty nice balance between touch and analogue controls.
The Experience
It’s worth bearing in mind, though, that the new Nissan X-Trail N-Trek, even with e-4ORCE, is not a hardcore off-roader. It’s definitely no G-Wagen or INEOS Grenadier in its off-road capability. Nonetheless, while it won’t trek past many hard or challenging obstacles, you can still do some mild off-roading with it. That alone goes a long way compared to the regular X-Trail models. So, if you’re only using it for the occasional drive down a stretch of unpaved, muddy farmland during the rainy season, it ought to handle this more than adequately. Still, using the drive mode dial on the centre console, you could better optimise the 4-wheel drive system for different terrains.
When you’re driving this new Nissan X-Trail N-Trek regularly, and particularly with the e-4ORCE hybrid in tow, it can be as quiet as a proper EV at times. Nevertheless, since it’s a hybrid, with an engine in the front, you can still occasionally hear and feel the rumble of the engine. This is especially so under acceleration, and any time you’re using more power and you’re hammering the throttle, the motors and battery do require more electricity. When you’re using your X-Trail for basic commuting and instances where you’re pootling around leisurely, on the other hand, the 2WD e-POWER and 4WD e-4ORCE powertrains do feel comparatively smooth and gentle.
Yet, the X-Trail N-Trek – and to be specific, the e-4ORCE version that I’ve been testing out here – could move very speedily and it’s surprisingly fast if you need to get going quickly, especially for its size. With its power output of 213PS between both motors, alongside 330Nm and 195Nm of torque for the front and rear motors, respectively, it’s decently fast. Otherwise, I also appreciate the fact that Nissan is tossing in a fully-featured ADAS suite with the X-Trail N-Trek, too! There’s your usual suite of driver aids, like blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, and rear-cross traffic alert, as well as Nissan’s handy Traffic Jam Pilot and their ProPILOT package (this one’s optional).
Nissan X-Trail N-Trek E-4ORCE Cost
If you’re spec’ing this new Nissan X-Trail N-Trek, do note that there are several different versions for you to pick and choose from. Powertrain-wise, there’s a 2WD variant, starting from £43,500. This should be ideal for those of you who may not necessarily need 4-wheel-drive and you can even save a bit of money. Meanwhile, if you want to make great use of that e-4ORCE powertrain and want to go off-roading often, there’s the 4WD model, which starts from £45,700. Aside from that, if you have a larger family to ferry about with you, the e-4ORCE with 4WD model even has a 7-seater option (for an extra £1,000), instead of the regular 5-seater configuration.
Verdict
All in all, the brand-new Nissan X-Trail N-Trek (specifically, the e-4ORCE model here) is a pretty interesting value proposition. It is quite a bit more expensive than your run-of-the-mill X-Trail trim levels, so the N-Trek might not make any sense if you just need a supremely practical, versatile, and do-everything family SUV. If so, the regular X-Trails are more than great enough. However, if you live in areas where having an off-roader could get you out from between a rock and a hard place, the X-Trail N-Trek is a fantastic option for the money. And, with Nissan’s e-POWER hybrid set-up and all the unique benefits that come with it, it might just be worth checking out.
Specification
Nissan X-Trail N-Trek e-4ORCE Specs
- Price: £46,700
- Engine: 1.5-litre inline-3 with e-4ORCE
- Power: 213PS
- Torque: 330Nm+195Nm
- 0-62mph: 7.2 seconds
- Top speed: 111mph
- Weight: 1,833-1,886kg
- Economy combined: 42.2-44.1mpg
- CO2: 146-148g/km