Step aside Toyota RAV4 and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV! 2023 Nissan X-Trail e-Power priced, and it's arriving soon

Nissan Australia’s rival to the hot-selling Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, the X-Trail e-Power, will land in local showrooms early next year available in two flavours priced at $54,190 before on-road costs for the Ti and $57,190 for the flagship Ti-L.

That means buyers are being asked to pay an extra $4200 over the equivalent petrol-powered X-Trail variants, but more important is the fact that Nissan will not undercut Australia’s most popular SUV – the Toyota RAV4 that tops out at $52,700.

Though both the X-Trail and RAV4 can be had in petrol-electric hybrid form, the competing models approach electrification very differently.

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For Toyota, it uses a series parallel set-up that means the electric motor will power the wheels only in certain situations like low speeds, while a petrol engine is used the remainder of the time.

Meanwhile, the Nissan X-Trail e-Power’s wheels are powered exclusively by the electric motors, and the small-displacement petrol engine onboard is only used to charge the battery.

In both cases, owners will not need to plug in and recharge their vehicles, and each can be topped up with petrol like any conventional internal-combustion engine car.

And while Nissan’s X-Trail is more expensive than the RAV4, it can be argued it uses a more advanced powertrain system.

Under the bonnet of the X-Trail e-Power sits a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine, which as stated above, powers a 1.8kWh battery.

Drive is sent to all four wheels thanks to twin electric motors, with the front axle endowed with 150kW and the rear featuring 100kW for a combined total output of 157kW.

The front and rear motors deliver 330Nm and 195Nm respectively, but combined output is not a simple matter of adding the two figures together, and Nissan is yet to reveal the X-Trail e-Power’s torque output.

This culminates in a fuel consumption figure of 6.1 litres per 100km.

On the other hand, Toyota’s RAV4 with all-wheel drive also features two electric motors, and has a combined power output of 163kW, but uses a larger 2.5-litre petrol engine.

Toyota’s RAV4 is also more frugal at 4.8L/100km, but wait times for the mid-size SUV have blown out to up to 18 months at some dealerships.

Nissan’s X-Trail will also come well equipped, with the Ti featuring 19-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, LED turning signals, tri-zone climate control, a powered tailgate, a 10.8-inch head-up display and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

Handling multimedia duties is a 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen, complete with a Apple CarPlay/Android Auto support, built-in satellite navigation and a wireless smartphone charger.

Safety features include Nissan’s ‘Smart Rear View Monitor’, adaptive highbeams and automatic wipers, as well as autonomous emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and more that is standard across the entire 2023 X-Trail line-up.

Shelling out for the Ti-L will net buyers a heated steering wheel, 10-speaker Bose sound system, Nappa leather interior, rear sunshades, heated rear seats and remote engine start.

2023 Nissan X-Trail e-Power pricing before on-road costs