Clever drivetrain sees electric motors do the work with engine mainly as a power generator.

POTENTIAL for Nissan here to next year take a higher trails approach to all-wheel-drive hybrid for a compact sports utility seems possible.

Everything hinges on availability of the 2023 X-Trail e-Power hybrid, just unveiled in Japan as a primary model there and already confirmed as a starter in Australia next year alongside choices with a conventional internal combustion 2.5-litre petrol engine.

Although Nissan NZ has yet to share any public thoughts, the distributorship here being effectively an adjunct of the operation across the Tasman all but cements potential. The two now sing from a common song sheet when it comes to model choices, specifications and launch timings.

Aimed at the RAV4 hybrid that has proven hugely popular with Kiwis, Nissan’s car stands chance of also resonating loudly here as it takes a bigger technology leap than the Toyota.

The X-Trail uses a small 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine to charge the battery that powers the electric motors driving the front or all four wheels. There’s no plug-in replenishment required.

Also, this is the first Nissan model to come with both hybrid e-Power and what it being called e-4orce – meaning all four wheels are driven.

The e-4orce editions have an additional electric motor at the rear, as opposed to just one at the front as is the case in the Qashqai e-Power, also expected to be sold here. X-Trail also provisions with e-Power front drive in a base format.

The all-wheel-drive models are likely to be more attractive here. With these the front motor provides 150kW/330Nm and the l rear motor produces 100kW/95Nm. And these are assisted by the 106kW and 250Nm variable-compression (VC-Turbo) petrol engine.

The combination of hybrid tech and the VC-Turbo engine provides high fuel-efficiency, the carmaker claims – though as yet no fuel economy figures have been provided.

But figures for the Qashqai hybrid give good idea of the territory it is heading into. That car is rated at 5.3 litres per 100km and a CO2 count of just 119 grams per kilometre.

At the release even in Japan, Nissan’s chief operating officer, Ashwani Gupta, described the X-Trail e-Power hybrid as being a core model.

“We are electrifying major models, with the X-Trail for the Japan market becoming a dedicated e-Power model with e-4orce an option. The new X-Trail will play an important role in leading our electrification.”

Japan’s domestic market will be offered seven grades; the S, X and G offering two-wheel drive, and S, X and G with 4WD e-Force – all of which are five-seat models. Above these is a seven-seat X e-Force.

Pricing for Japan starts at $NZ37,000 for the 2WD S grade and topping out with the flagship at $NZ45,700. Expectation is that the export choice will narrow to ST-L and Ti trims.

Nissan NZ has recently toured a pre-production example of the new petrol-pure X-Trail to remind customers that a new generation is coming. The petrol editions have a 2.5-litre non-turbo four-cylinder engine, shared with the Mitsubishi Outlander, that makes 135kW and 245Nm; slightly more than the engine in the previous X-Trail, whose supply exhausted last year.