2023 Nissan X-Trail e-Power gets cheaper! Cut-price ST-L grade sets sights on in-demand Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

Nissan Australia will roll out a cheaper version of its X-Trail e-Power hybrid in the second half of the year, with the ST-L variant lowering the barrier to entry to $49,490 before on-road costs.

This places it below the already-available Ti ($54,190) and Ti-L ($57,190) e-Power X-Trails, and nudges Nissan closer to Toyota’s hot-selling RAV4 Hybrid (from $43,550 with all-wheel drive).

The only other AWD hybrid mid-size SUV currently available in Australia is the Subaru Forester (from $43,290), while Mitsubishi and Peugeot serve up the Outlander (from $55,490) and 3008 (from $84,790) respectively with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

GWM Haval also offers its H6 in hybrid form from $42,490 driveaway, but only in front-wheel-drive guise.

Like Nissan’s existing X-Trail e-Power line-up, the new ST-L makes use of a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine and twin electric motors for a combined output of 157kW.

Drive is sent to all four wheels via a continuously variable transmission, resulting in a claimed fuel-consumption figure of 6.1 litres per 100km.

Standard equipment on the ST-L includes a blacked-out grille, rear privacy glass, fog lights, leather-accented steering wheel, electronically adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, 18-inch wheels, LED head- and tail-lights, and active noise cancellation.

Handling multimedia duties is an 8.0-inch touchscreen with digital radio, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality.

In terms of safety, the X-Trail ST-L e-Power features a surround-view monitor, tyre pressure monitoring, automatic high beams, front and rear parking senses, autonomous emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and driver attention alert.

For reference, the ST-L loses out on the Ti’s adaptive matrix LED headlights, larger 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen, wireless smartphone charger, 10.8-inch head-up display, powered front passenger seat, tri-zone climate control, panoramic sunroof, 19-inch wheels and powered tailgate to bring the price down below $50,000.

The top-spec Ti-L meanwhile, adds 20-inch wheels, auto-tilt side mirrors, a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, Nappa leather interior, 10-speaker Bose sound system, rear door shades and remote engine start in addition to the Ti’s equipment list.

Nissan Australia Managing Director Adam Paterson said the more affordable X-Trail e-Power grade will open the brand’s hybrid technology up to more customers than before.

“Nissan’s e-Power technology has been incredibly well received by our customers, and we’re excited to be able to offer this efficient, EV-like drive experience across even more of the X-Trail range,” he said.

“We’ve always said that e-Power needs to be driven to be believed, and the introduction of the X-Trail ST-L e-Power with e-4ORCE will give even more people the opportunity to do just that.”