Ford Ranger vs Nissan X-TRAIL

What's the difference?

Ford has given its Ranger ute range a mild facelift. And mild is the word. If you look closely, you might notice some small visual changes, but the real news is under the bonnet where a new entry-level powerplant lives.

And however you look at it, this new engine that addresses the ownership issues experienced by some Ranger buyers since the bi-turbo diesel engine was released back in 2018, was probably overdue.

But the new powerplant comes at a cost; in terms of power and torque, even though the vital towing statistics remain for the Ranger.

The other changes that come with this facelift include some new tech, and the availability of the V6 turbo-diesel (which is unchanged) across the entire Ranger 4X4 dual-cab line-up.

For this review, we’ve concentrated on the new engine as being the major point of difference, and we’ve driven it the base-version XL trim specification. That means this is potentially the lightest variant, and heavier specifications might blunt the performance a little. But overall, this is representative of the new powertrain and represents the biggest point of difference in what is otherwise a very minor facelift.

Can you believe that the Nissan X-Trail is 25 years old this year?

It’s safe to say that, over four generations, the Toyota RAV4 rival has been mostly good, though sometimes frustrating. The CVT autos from 2008 onwards have let the side down with dreary performance and questionable durability.

That said, the latest generation has also been the best of the lot, thanks in no small part to 'e-Power' and 'e-4orce' (translation: extended-range electric vehicle hybrid all-wheel drive, or EREV AWD) availability. A terrific allrounder.

Now, for 2026, Nissan has allegedly facelifted the X-Trail range.

Keep on reading to find out what’s changed, and whether the presumably-improved e-Power remains at the pointy end of the 35-strong mid-sized SUV segment.