Bay Harbour: November 29, 2023

24 Bay Harbour News Wednesday November 29 2023
Nissan X-Trail a luxurious ground-breaker
Motoring with Bob Nettleton
NISSAN’S 4TH generation
X-Trail is a groundbreaker. It’s
the first sold here with hybrid
technology and the first SUV
produced under the joint
Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi
Automotive Alliance.
There’s a fair weight of
expectation on this model
compared to its three
predecessors. It started life on
the back foot with its Mitsubishi
twin, the new generation
Outlander, beating into the
market by almost a year. It’s
made the most of this generous
head start handed to them by
Nissan to become a huge sale
success.
This latest X-Trail is touted as
Nissan’s most technologically
advanced SUV and unique in
the world of hybrids, by offering
an EV-like drive experience
without ever needing a plug or
fast charger. Unlike conventional
hybrids, Nissan’s e-POWER
technology delivers a constant
EV-like drive, thanks to the
driven wheels being powered
only by the electric motors.
Both the exterior and interior
of the new X-Trail are smart,
modern and versatile. The
exterior is highlighted by
signature Nissan design elements
such as the floating roof and
V-motion grille – while a unique
grille treatment applies to
e-POWER models.
The flagship $66,990 model
Ti-L e-POWER with e-4ORCE,
supplied for this road test, is
the real luxury SUV deal, and it
needs to be when its waving that
hefty price tag under the noses of
prospective buyers. It’s a figure
that takes it perilously close
to some similar sized Plug-in
Hybrids, including its twin the
Mitsubishi Outlander.
In Ti-L form the X-Trail blitzes
it when comes to luxury kit.
Heading up an extensive list
of owner-pampering creature
comforts are a panoramic
sunroof, tri-zone climate
controlled air conditioning,
heated steering wheel, 10-speaker
sound system, and hands-free
opening of the rear tailgate.
Nissan is banking e-POWER
with e-4ORCE propelling this
latest X-Trial up the sales ladder
with its high-output 2.1kWh
battery, teamed with a turbopetrol
engine, power generator,
inverter and twin electric motors
with a combined system output
of 157kW. All very impressive
but still headed off at the power
post by the biggest selling Hybrid
SUV, the Toyota RAV4, which
musters 163kW. When it comes
to frugal fuel consumption
bragging rights, the RAV4
Hybrid gets its nose in front of
the X-Trail’s claimed 6.1L/100km,
with a claimed 5.3L/100km.
Most hybrid systems use
an electric motor and a petrol
engine to drive their wheels.
Nissan’s e-POWER does things
differently with its wheels being
powered exclusively by an
electric motor. Thanks to the
pure electric motor, there’s none
of the power-delivery hesitancy
associated with an internal
combustion engine hybrid set-up.
The electric motors and battery
are kept charged by a 1.5-litre
turbo-charged petrol engine,
and the wheels are only driven
by the electric motor. Thanks to
the pure electric motor drive,
there is none of the power lag of
an internal combustion engine or
traditional hybrid. The X-Trail’s
EV Mode allows a near-silent
EV-like drive experience at much
higher speeds (up to 100km/h)
than conventional hybrids. A
drive mode selector provides the
flexibility of five driving modes
- Off-Road, Snow, Auto, Eco and
Sport.
The powerful dual e-motor
system offers nippy acceleration,
thanks to the addition of a rear
motor, with a zero-100km/h
time of just 7.0 seconds. The
e-4ORCE twin-motor allwheel-drive
system delivers
reassuring traction and confident
acceleration in all conditions in
damp, muddy, icy and snowy
conditions. It’s smoother and
livelier to drive than most
hybrids and its almost instant
throttle response can be a bit
addictive. It is about as close as
you will get to full EV driving in
a vehicle that isn’t EV, but does a
darn good job of impersonating
one.
A new-generation Constant
Variable Transmission (CVT)
delivers better fuel economy
thanks to improved ratio
coverage. Several upgrades
ensure a big step up from the
lethargic and indifferent CVT
used in the previous model.
For a mid-sized SUV this
one is roomier than most, with
plenty of passenger and load
space. A sizeable 575 litre boot
has excellent floor length and all
important width between wheel
arches for bulkier loads.
A higher resolution 12.3-
inch display screen covers off
navigation, entertainment
and vehicle settings, and is
compatible with both Android
Auto and Apple CarPlay. A
Head-Up Display projects key
navigation, driver assistance
and road information onto
the windscreen and within
the driver’s line of vision.
Connectivity extends to all
occupants with the console box
now offering front and rear USB
charging connections.
Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility
suite of active safety tech has
greater capability. Standard
functions include predictive
forward collision warning,
intelligent cruise control with
traffic sign recognition, lane
departure warning and rear
auto emergency braking with
pedestrian and cyclist detection
technology. An acoustic vehicle
alerting system on e-POWER
models lets other road users
know an electrified vehicle is
approaching, when the X-Trail
is operating in near-silent EV
Mode.
The updated Macpherson
Ratings out of 10:
Performance 8; Handling
7; Build Quality 7; Comfort
7; Space 8; Styling, 8; Test
consumption 5.8L/100km;
Value for money 6; Safety
– 5-star ANCAP crash
rating.
Overall points out of 10:
7.5
strut set-up at the front, and rear
multi-link set-up, work better
than ever in tandem with a
new intelligent 4x4 system with
direct coupling that reacts faster,
allowing for the seamless transfer
of power between axles for
improved stability and traction.
The advanced multi-link rear
suspension excels when under
siege from sudden direction
changes, or different road
cambers, and left me impressed
with its management of poor and
choppy road surfaces
The suspension and steering
establishes greater interactions
between driver, vehicle and
road which makes this vehicle a
more enjoyable drive than any
other X-Trail. It does a fine job of
containing body-roll under brisk
cornering, and isolating road
noise and vibrations from the
passenger compartment.
This isn’t a serious off-road
vehicle. If you are wanting
that then you’ll need to look
elsewhere. However, it’s perfect
for powering it’s way up ski field
access roads or reasonably well
formed gravel tracks, but its
average ground clearance makes
excursions over more demanding
terrain risky.
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