X-Trail e-Power can outsmart RAV4 hybrid

NISSAN has officially launched its petrol-electric X-Trail e-Power with e-4orce medium SUV in Australia this week, poised to take on the likes of the Toyota RAV4 hybrid, albeit with its own unique take on petrol-electric motivation.

Although technically a ‘hybrid’, Nissan’s five-seat SUV is not cut from the same cloth as rivals like the Toyota RAV4, instead isolating the petrol engine from the driven wheels and using it to charge the battery – or supply current directly to the inverter – which feeds the electric motors that turn the wheels.

Typically, hybrid setups such as those found in the RAV4 can send drive from the petrol motor to the wheels, and therein lies the difference, Nissan says.

Speaking to GoAuto at the launch of the Nissan X-Trail e-Power with e-4orce,

Nissan Technical Centre of Europe deputy director Adam Robertson said it was important for the electrified X-Trail to drive more like a battery electric vehicle (BEV), and less like a traditional hybrid (HEV), even if performance and efficiency numbers were indeed similar.

“It is not a backward step at all. Everyone is rushing headlong towards battery electric vehicles, and of course that is the future … I mean, Nissan pioneered that space. But the truth is that not everybody is ready to plug in today,” he explained.

“What e-Power does is it gives you a bridging technology. It is an important step towards full EV. We have listened to what our customers want, and one of the key things that stood out was the ease of driving, the smoothness and the responsiveness of acceleration that an EV offers but without the requirement to plug in.”

Mr Robertson said that while the electrified vehicle market was becoming increasingly competitive, he believed regions including Australia were not yet ready for a mass shift towards BEVs, saying the infrastructure was not yet ready, especially if everyone were to make the move at once.

“To plug in, to go to a full battery EV, you need to have customers that are ready, and a country that is ready, and that’s why e-Power is ‘the’ alternative solution. Introducing BEVs at a critical mass needs to be led by government incentives because it is going to absolutely drain the electric infrastructure of this country, and we’re just not ready at this point in time,” he explained.

“This really is an inflection point in time where we’re giving people the opportunity to experience the way an EV drives without the hassle. By experiencing it now, we think they’ll be ready to seriously put an EV on their shopping list for their next car.”

Nissan Australia X-Trail product manager Aleksander Pecanac said not only would the X-Trail e-Power appeal to future BEV buyers, but also to those waiting for a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

He said excessive wait times for the rival model would clearly work in Nissan’s favour, as would the smoother driveline experience and traction advantages of the e-4orce all-wheel drive set-up.

“We’re hitting the market at a good time. I’ve noted the wait times for specific competitors with hybrid technology, and that some customers are getting frustrated. I think those buyers will start to look for other options, and this is very much a good option for those customers to consider,” he said.

“The key challenge – and what we’re pushing here – is for those customers to take two test drives – test drives are key. We can explain the benefits of the technology, but it’s bums in seats that are going to help people to really understand it.

“We think buyers who have an interest in hybrid or electrified technology are really going to want to drive this car.”

Both Mr Pecanac and Mr Robertson agreed that the unique proposition offered by the Nissan driveline would appeal to buyers not only of hybrid vehicles, but even to those considering a plug-in hybrid ‘stepping stone’ as it negated the need for lengthy charge times, and the often critical ‘planning ahead’ that came with such technology.

Speaking to GoAuto, Mr Robertson said Nissan was determined to take its own electrified path from the earliest stages of the new model’s development, despite the obvious platform sharing benefits that could have arisen from within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.

“We really wanted to take our own route with this car. In terms of technologies that are open to us within the alliance, everything is open. But our route is that if you’re wanting to charge your vehicle in that way, then you’re going to have to plug in consistently,” he explained.

“We have power which gives you the benefits of the drive and lower emissions without that need. That’s why we’re chosen something slightly different. There are a lot of markets that have differing incentives and different responses to plugging in … for them, this is a lead-free power direction.

“Returning to Alek’s point, and this is something I’ve spent the last two or three years now, even internally, demonstrating, is the difference in driving experience this technology offers. The real customer voice, and even that of our executives who have experienced the car, is that this really is a particularly good technology for this time – it is a great technology to experience.”

The Nissan Australia team said it was too early to say how significant the share of electrified X-Trail models would be locally, and that it would consider introducing a cheaper variant if customers were keen for it.

Supply of e-Power models is looking good over the coming 12 months, giving the Nissan an important advantage over its nearest rival, and helping it to establish the new technology in a rapidly diversifying market.

Last year, Nissan sold a total of 7943 examples of the X-Trail locally, well behind the Toyota RAV4 (34,845), Mazda CX-5 (27,062), and twin-under-the-skin Mitsubishi Outlander (19,546).

Many will be watching with interest to see if a full year on the market can pay dividends for the new X-Trail, and indeed the e-Power with e-4orce range.

Visit GoAuto again soon for our local launch review of the 2023 Nissan X-Trail e-Power with e-4orce.