The 2024 X-Trail e-POWER is the first new, off-the-local-showroom-floor, full electric vehicle (EV) available from any of the big Japanese three.
This shouldn’t a surprise, as Nissan were the first of the Asian automakers to put a mass market EV on sale, via the Leaf in 2010.
Now, having over a decade of technical prowess, the X-Trail benefits from all the expertise they have gained in the EV segment.

EXTERIOR
The new X-Trail gets all-new sheet metal. The profile is very familiar and relatively conservative for an SUV, which is to be expected in this sector. But futuristic design details, like the current nod to the Nissan V-motion grille, give it spaceship looks that does turn heads.

INTERIOR
Much has improved inside. It’s well designed with plenty of space in all the main passenger rows. The new vehicle is a seven-seater. There’s a mix of materials for visual variety and soft touch elements, like leather, are at the primary contact points.
The powered front seats are heated and all the main operational functions can be quickly reached. Many are powered for ease of use or automatic, to be set and left alone.
Standard features such as the panoramic sunroof and a powered rear lift gate extend the convenience of the X-Trail.
A large 12.3-inch screen, with local navigation, runs the infotainment system, while drivers have a similarly sized digital gauge cluster. Clear and simple menus and multitude of USB ports make smartphone integration a breeze.
Storage solutions abound for practicality. Overall, the cabin is quiet — as expected from an EV — with only the occasional intrusion of tyre noise if the stereo isn’t in use.

ON THE ROAD
The road to electrification has not been smooth, and Nissan, with its e-POWER technology applied to the X-Trail, hopes to quell the tides of change by making things as normal as possible.
Other than the badge, there’s nothing on the X-Trail to indicate it’s an EV. Even stranger to some, lifting the bonnet reveals an internal combustion engine, a 1.5-litre three-cylinder with both turbocharging and variable compression.
The X-Trail is not a hybrid, it’s a full EV. The engine doesn’t drive any of the four wheels, it instead acts as an on-board generator feeding electricity to the 1.8kWh battery located under the passenger side seat as demanded by the vehicle’s front and rear electric motors for all-wheel drive.
The immediate benefit is that the X-Trail doesn’t need to be charged like a normal EV, instead users just add fuel, as they would with a normal car. This means no change in personal behaviour. It still has to be taken to a gas station, just nowhere as often as a petrol-powered SUV, yet it retains all the benefits of an EV.
Battery power suits the X-Trail. While 205bhp is nothing to sneeze at in the class, it’s the instant 243lb-ft of electronic torque on tap that keeps the X-Trail moving. It can regenerate energy through braking and coasting — the best way to maximise efficiency in an EV — and has e-Pedal, Nissan’s one pedal driving system.
Total range is rated at over 700km. With a full tank of fuel 606km was indicated; however, it was easily able to travel 84km more using only three-quarters of said tank.
The best way to describe the 2024 X-Trail is that it’s an EV for those who don’t want an EV. e-POWER addresses the main concerns many have with EVs in the market, range anxiety, and lack of charging infrastructure.
The X-Trail can deliver more real world range than all current rivals and when it needs to be recharged all it takes is a visit to a regular gas station. Even the driving experience isn’t that much different. It feels and functions like a normal SUV, requiring owners to do nothing out of the ordinary to own and operate the vehicle making the switch to EV potentially seamless for the on-the-fence adopter.