In hybrid e-Power form, Nissan’s flagship X-Trail family SUV promises efficiency, amenity and an electric drive experience. Can it actually deliver all three?
2023 Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power
Thought there was only one way to do ‘hybrid’? You thought wrong.
While we’ve all grown accustomed to Toyota’s hybrid system – which uses petrol and electric power in tandem – the good folks over at Nissan decided to do things a little differently.
The Japanese carmaker’s patented e-Power hybrid system has appeared on the new-generation Nissan X-Trail. It promises to lower fuel economy and provide the “high-performance driving experience of an all-electric car”.
To do this, the X-Trail’s 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbo petrol engine acts purely as an electricity generator.
Rather than powering the car’s wheels directly, this petrol engine sends power to the car’s battery or inverter, which in turn run two electric motors – one driving the front axle and the second driving the rear.
Theoretically, this system should minimise the peaks and troughs of engine demand that you’d experience in the daily driving of a petrol car, thereby creating steadier conditions for peak efficiency.
Basically, if you’re a leadfoot whose inconsistent driving style often results in inefficient fuel consumption, this could be your solution.
But can it actually achieve what it promises? And does this system further enhance the X-Trail’s already enticing package or hinder it?
Here’s what you need to know.
How much does the Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power cost in Australia?
The Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power is the most expensive X-Trail money can buy, starting at $57,190 before on-road costs. That’s $4200 more than if you purchased the same grade with a pure-petrol powertrain.
The similarly sized Toyota RAV4 offers a top-spec hybrid variant for $55,150 plus on-road costs, while the GWM Haval H6 Hybrid costs $45,990 plus on-road costs but doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
Finally, the flagship Subaru Forester hybrid is priced from $49,340 plus on-road costs.
That means not only is the Nissan X-Trail hybrid the newest hybrid medium SUV available in its segment, but it’s also the most expensive.
Only two hybrid X-Trail grades are available, offering five seats (seven-seat hybrids are offered in overseas markets), all-wheel drive and a single-speed automatic transmission.
The slightly more affordable Ti e-Power grade starts at $54,190 plus on-road costs.
Of course, given it’s the flagship, my X-Trail Ti-L is fully loaded with all of Nissan’s safety, convenience and comfort features.
This fit-out includes Nappa leather seats with heating front and rear, a 10-speaker Bose sound system, tri-zone climate control, 20-inch alloy wheels, a heated steering wheel, a panoramic sunroof and a power tailgate.
My test car was also wearing a very stylish two-tone colour scheme consisting of champagne-hued metallic paint with a gloss black roof and accents. I loved the look of it, but it does add $1200 to the purchase price.
In total, my X-Trail Ti-L e-Power test car came to $63,031 drive-away for a Melbourne delivery.
Much like its Toyota RAV4 rival, the Nissan X-Trail doesn’t need to be plugged in to a power source to recharge.
Although the variable compression 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine has measurable outputs of 106kW and 250Nm, those don’t actually drive the car. Rather, the engine generates electricity for the 2.1kWh battery which sends power to the front and rear electric motors.
In some high-load situations, the generator can bypass the battery and power the electric motors via the inverter, but the engine has no direct connection to the wheels or driveline.
As a result, the X-Trail’s system output is a combined 157kW from the front and rear electric motors, and has a generous peak torque of 525Nm.
| Key details | 2023 Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power |
| Price | $57,190 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Champagne Silver with a black roof |
| Options | Two-tone metallic paint – $1200 |
| Price as tested | $58,390 plus on-road costs |
| Drive-away price | $63,031 (Melbourne 3000) |
| Rivals | Toyota RAV4 hybrid | Haval H6 hybrid | Subaru Forester hybrid |
How much space does the Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power have inside?
In the front seat of the top-spec Nissan X-Trail, life is comfortable and even a little bit fancy.
The dashboard boasts a dubious colour combination of brown and black leather, but faux wood grain elevates its appearance, adding a premium element.
The Nappa leather seats are lovely and supple without sacrificing on support. They offer electric adjustment with memory settings for both the driver and passenger and heating for the front and rear.
The same smooth leather adorns the steering wheel, which is also heated.
If I’m being extremely picky, I would have loved the inclusion of seat ventilation given this is often more of a necessity during Australia’s harsh summers.
Otherwise, front-seat storage is ample, with two cupholders, large bottle holders in the doors, a segmented centre console storage compartment with a butterfly-opening lid and a wireless phone charger.
The centre console is a floating design that allows for a sizable under-console storage space perfect for a small handbag.
The entire area is accommodating and the sense of space is greatly enhanced by a massive glass sunroof that opens up impressively wide and is equipped with an effective automatic cover.
I particularly love how the sunroof and associated cover can both be partially or fully opened, meaning I can enjoy the wind in my hair while keeping the sun out of my tiny back-seat occupant’s eyes.
Thoughtful inclusions carry through to the back seat that features its own climate-control settings, seat heaters, and clever in-built sun shades that will make parents everywhere jump for joy.
On that note, anyone loading and unloading kids into the X-Trail will rejoice for the back doors which open to an almost 90-degree angle and allow wide access.
I also appreciated that the ISOFIX tether points on the rear outboard seats were easily accessible and not buried like in other cars I’ve driven. There are three top-tether points over the back of the rear seat too.
The back seat folds in a 40:20:40 split, still allowing for boot access through the middle of the backrest even with two child seats installed.
The X-Trail hybrid’s boot allows for 575L of cargo space, which is 10L less than full-petrol five-seat models.
It’s still more than sufficient for the average family, with Nissan’s ‘Divide and Hide’ storage system allowing for endless configuration and segmentation.
The boot is equipped with a retractable fabric cargo blind, a 12-volt outlet and four tie-down points.
I did have a few gripes with the boot area, however, including the fact that under-floor storage is compromised by the placement of the hybrid system’s battery, which creates a bump under the floor. As a result, there’s nowhere to store your cargo blind if you need to remove it.
Additionally, the hybrid sacrifices a temporary spare wheel and makes do with a tyre repair kit which could make some owners uneasy.
| 2023 Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power | |
| Seats | Five |
| Boot volume | 575L seats up |
| Length | 4680mm |
| Width | 1840mm |
| Height | 1725mm |
| Wheelbase | 2705mm |
Does the Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
The X-Trail Ti-L e-Power gets Nissan’s full buffet of infotainment, including wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, a 10-speaker Bose sound system, AM/FM/DAB digital radio, satellite navigation and a wireless phone charger.
It’s all managed out of an attractive, well-positioned 12.3-inch touchscreen that’s a vast improvement on the old X-Trail’s unit in every measure.
Functionality is straightforward and there aren’t many menu options, but you’ve got everything you need and the interface is responsive.
I did experience a few glitches when using the wireless Apple CarPlay (Google Maps was a bit slow to update and the screen froze a couple of times), but I think that had more to do with my ageing iPhone than the car’s system.
In addition to the central touchscreen, there’s a 12.3-inch driver display and a 10.8-inch head-up display, both of which supply information on the vehicle’s energy flow, fuel consumption, speed and overall status.
All three screens work well together and supply all the information you could possibly need – plus steering wheel controls mean you can manage everything without taking your eyes off the road.
Is the Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power a safe car?
The entire Nissan X-Trail range received a five-star safety rating from assessor ANCAP when it was tested in 2021.
It scored 91 per cent for adult occupant protection, 90 per cent for child occupant protection, 74 per cent for vulnerable road user protection, and 97 per cent for its safety assist technologies.
Every X-Trail is fitted with seven airbags, including dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags, plus a centre airbag for front-seat occupants.
| 2023 Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power | |
| ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2021) |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP report |
What safety technology does the Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power have?
The Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power is incredibly well served in terms of active safety features.
It boasts the usual suspects like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, a rear-cross traffic alert, rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure monitoring, tyre pressure monitoring, traffic-sign recognition and a driver attention alert.
However, it adds ‘over and above’ features like junction assist on the AEB, front parking sensors in addition to the rear sensors, and active lane-keeping and blind-spot monitoring systems that can intervene in the event of a potential accident.
Nissan’s ProPilot system is also included on the top-spec Ti-L, combining active cruise control with lane-keeping assist to keep you centred in your lane and a safe distance from the car in front. This is a useful and effective remedy for the monotony of longer drives and works well in all traffic conditions.
Other driver assistance features range from gimmick to game-changer.
There’s an intelligent rear-view mirror that, when engaged via a tab on the bottom of the mirror, displays a camera feed of what’s behind the car in case passengers or a fully loaded boot compromise your visibility.
It did what it promises on the box, but I never quite got used to the slightly strange perspective offered by the camera.
Conversely, I have high praise for the intelligent around-view monitor, which dramatically improved my day-to-day driving experience by offering a clear, remarkably precise bird’s-eye view of the X-Trail when parking and manoeuvring.
Along with this overhead view, the infotainment screen also supplies a kerb-view camera feed to assist in parallel parking – perfect for inner-city dwellers.
How much does the Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power cost to maintain?
While the purchase price of the flagship X-Trail hybrid is reasonable within the context of its rivals, its ownership costs fall on the high side.
For starters, capped-price servicing for the X-Trail e-Power is available for six years at a total cost of $3051, or an average of $508.50 per year.
By comparison, Toyota charges just $260 a year for the first five years of servicing on the RAV4 hybrid, while the GWM Haval H6 hybrid costs an average of $330 a year to service over five years.
Additionally, Nissan places service intervals at 12 months or 10,000km, which is a slightly shorter distance interval than the industry average of 15,000km between services and could see you visiting the dealership more regularly.
Nissan offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty to private buyers, but places a 200,000km cap for commercial use for taxis, hire cars, ride-share and delivery vehicles.
The Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power will cost $1189.13 to insure based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
Interestingly, that’s a marginally cheaper quote than the one I received for the regular petrol X-Trail Ti-L, which will cost $1306.07 to insure per year.
The Toyota RAV4 hybrid returned an insurance quote of $1408.74 per year on the same site, while the Subaru Forester hybrid returned a quote of $1276.34 – suggesting that the X-Trail hybrid is actually relatively affordable to insure.
Finally, while a hybrid powertrain should reduce your fuel costs, the X-Trail requires premium unleaded petrol with a minimum octane rating of 95, which can substantially add to your fuel bill compared with regular 91 unleaded.
| At a glance | 2023 Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power |
| Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 10,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1371 (3 years) $2353 (5 years) |
| Battery size | 2.1kWh |
Is the Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power fuel-efficient?
Now for the all-important question: if the hybrid X-Trail costs around $4000 more than the non-hybrid X-Trail, are you likely to make that back in fuel savings?
Nissan claims a combined-cycle fuel economy of 6.1L/100km, but almost all of my driving took place around town in terrible traffic, so it’s probably fairer to compare my real-world figure to the urban claim of 6.5L/100km.
After a week of driving, the final consumption figure settled on 7.3L/100km, which is higher than the quoted urban figure, but lower than what I recorded in the regular X-Trail I drove the week prior, which finished on 9.0L/100km.
Further testing outside of peak hour in a mix of steady highway and light traffic saw consumption sink as low as 5.2L/100km.
I’ll admit I had hoped for better efficiency given my driving style typically has more pronounced peaks and troughs than some of my colleagues, meaning I’m theoretically the perfect candidate for the e-Power system, which promises to bypass some of this inconsistency.
While it was certainly far more economical than my regular ride – a 2021 Subaru Outback – it didn’t entirely convince me to make the switch to hybrid.
Of course, no one’s real-world fuel economy figures are final, given we all have different driving styles.
For added context, my colleague Glenn Butler recorded an average of 7.4L/100km on a combined cycle at the model’s overseas launch, while Tom Fraser saw 6.8L/100km on the model’s local launch.
More recently, Justin Narayan managed to almost equal Nissan’s claim with a real-world consumption figure of 6.3L/100km.
Regardless, the e-Power does seem to manage notable fuel savings when compared to its full-petrol counterpart, but is not quite able to match the frugality of the Toyota RAV4 hybrid, which is the car to beat in this segment.
The fact it requires premium 95 unleaded at a minimum could also counteract some of the potential fuel savings.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Usage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 6.1L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 7.3L/100km |
| Fuel type | 95-octane premium unleaded |
| Fuel tank size | 55L |
What is the Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power like to drive?
One of the major advantages of the X-Trial’s e-Power hybrid powertrain is that it makes a good car even better to drive.
While other hybrids tend to run on electric power only at low speeds or for short distances, the X-Trail e-Power can use electric power for longer and thus create a predominantly electric drive experience with plenty of power on tap.
It’s quick, quiet and smooth – gliding along without any gruffness from the engine and enclosing you in a pocket of peace that feels particularly premium.
The single-speed automatic transmission allows for the kind of immediate, effortless acceleration I’d typically expect from a full-electric car.
The trade-off is that the engine noise can feel disconcerting when it does eventually make an appearance. Given it’s not directly driving the car, the engine can rev at unexpected times that are unrelated to pedal input, which is bizarre but not particularly bothersome.
Another disconcerting noise associated with the X-Trail e-Power is the acoustic alert system that plays at low speeds for pedestrian safety and can make you feel incredibly conspicuous when reverse parking.
Like many full-electric cars, the X-Trail e-Power allows for one-pedal driving, meaning that simply decelerating will slow the car. However, Nissan’s e-pedal is a little different to other one-pedal driving set-ups I’ve experienced in that it doesn’t bring the car to a complete stop, so some brake intervention is required.
Additionally, when you do go to put your foot on the brake pedal, it’s already half-depressed in line with the car’s deceleration.
I personally found this arrangement wasn’t intuitive or easy to manage in traffic, so I used it less than I would have liked to.
For a medium SUV, the X-Trail can feel large on the road, and this isn’t helped by the addition of the hybrid battery that boosts the X-Trail’s kerb weight from 1672kg to 1911kg.
However, the steering is perfectly matched with the car’s size – it feels light to the touch yet is surprisingly direct and accurate in its response.
As a result, while I was aware of the car’s larger footprint when manoeuvring, the sharp steering made it easy to manage around town.
As for ride comfort, the X-Trail is wonderfully composed over most road surfaces, but the extra heft from the hybrid system can mean it sinks into potholes and can feel clunky over more pronounced lumps and bumps.
Aside from the occasional quirky sound effects, I was impressed by how the X-Trail e-Power’s on-road performance felt predominantly electric, while Nissan’s efforts to soundproof the cabin and refine the driver experience make it feel like a more expensive car altogether.
| Key details | 2023 Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power |
| Engine | 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol hybrid |
| Power | 106kW @ 4400rpm petrol (engine does not power the wheels) 150kW front electric motor 100kW rear electric motor 157kW combined |
| Torque | 250Nm @ 2400rpm petrol (engine does not power the wheels) 330Nm front electric motor 195Nm rear electric motor 525Nm combined |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Single-speed reduction gear |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 83.6kW/t |
| Weight | 1911kg |
| Spare tyre type | Tyre repair kit |
| Tow rating | 1650kg braked 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 11.1m |
Should I buy a Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power?
The 2023 Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power is a seriously compelling package that’s as comfortable as it is practical.
There’s very little missing on Nissan’s flagship hybrid, and it’s all executed in a manner that belies its relatively attainable price point.
Opting for the hybrid powertrain is possibly more advantageous for driver feel than fuel economy, offering a sleek, serene on-road experience reminiscent of a fully electric car.
A few pet peeves include ownership costs that are higher than most, a heavy on-road feel and the lack of a spare wheel. Plus I would have loved to have seen more dramatic fuel savings from the hybrid system.
Otherwise, driving is a delight, with thoughtful inclusions for families and some genuinely impressive driver assistance and safety technology.
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