Nissan X-TRAIL News

It has never been a better time to buy an SUV with seven-seats, with a range of options across all price ranges.But if you're looking for a seven-seater, but don’t want to spend any more than about $45K? We’ve got you covered.Here are the five most affordable seven-seater SUVs on sale in Australia.The MG QS is last on our list for affordability but first on our list for practicality thanks to its giant five-metre length, which offers more third-row room than the others here. The QS is a proper larger SUV, while the others here are on the smaller side of large.The price of $46,990 is a drive-away offer too, so the value is still outstanding. We have tested the MG QS and liked the roominess, the hefty list of standard features and the 10-year warranty.  Things we didn't like include the fairly small petrol engine, which has to work hard to carry this big car around. We also felt the cabin stying looks great, but some of the materials felt a bit cheap. The Mitsubishi Outlander has been around for decades and has been a stalwart in driveways of Aussie families. A low list price of $42,540 for this entry grade is also good to see. We tested the Outlander and liked its value for money and good looks, but found the third row to be cramped and the CVT transmission to offer lacklustre performance. The Nissan X-Trail is not only one of the original mid-sized SUVs that’s been around for more than 25 years but for a long time it was one of just a few that offered seven seats.The new X-Trail is one of the best SUVs here and it's wonderful to see it priced so affordable at a list price of $41,305.Of course we have tested it and liked the ride comfort and good handling, but we noted that the spare wheel is under the third row seats and little things like the sound system quality weren’t as good as some rivals.Chery has returned to Australia with an array of excellent vehicles and the Tiggo 8 is no exception. At just over 4.7m long the Tiggo 8 is classed as a large SUV, although that’s still not huge.We’ve tested it and liked the quality of the interior, the amount of features for this $41,990 drive-away price and the good ride. We prefer the super hybrid version of this SUV, which offers better fuel economy although the price tag is more than this petrol version.Indian car maker Mahindra makes a pretty compelling proposition here with the XUV 700, which is our cheapest seven-seater SUV at $36,990 drive-away for the AX7 entry grade.The AX7 is considered a mid-sized SUV at just under 4.7m long.We’ve tested it and liked the punchy 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine, the mountain of standard features for the price, but felt the interior quality could be better and the ride and handling wasn’t exactly great.

A deadly 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Japan has halted production at multiple facilities across two major domestic car brands, Toyota and Nissan.As it currently stands 13 people have been killed in the earthquake and, as reported by Automotive News, production output of more than 5000 vehicles could be lost due to the facility shutdowns.One of the affected production facilities is Toyota’s Miyata assembly plant, which produces many Lexus vehicles. These include the ES sedan, as well as the UX, RX and NX SUVs.One shift was reportedly suspended at the Miyata production plant on July 28, following the earthquake. Production then restarted in the morning of July 29, but was suspended again in the afternoon.A decision was reportedly made to suspend production until July 31."Lexus Australia is currently assessing the impact of the recent Kumamoto earthquake in Japan on production and supply of vehicles for the Australian market," said a Lexus Australia spokesperson."While this is still an emerging issue, we can confirm that currently production for NX, UX, ES and RX has been suspended since 28 July, 2026 pending safety assessments and supplier impact."Lexus is currently studying the impact of this suspension and in the process of developing a recovery plan."Two facilities that manufacture components for Toyota vehicles reportedly suspended production following the earthquake.This reportedly includes Aisin Kyushu, which produces suspension components for Toyota vehicles, as well as engine components and doors. Ahrestry Corporation is also reportedly affected and it is an automotive diecast component maker.At this stage neither company has reportedly given a clear indication of when production output will resume at full capacity.Nissan partially suspended production at its Nissan Shatai Kyushu and Nissan Motor Kyushu facilities following the earthquake.The former produces the Nissan Patrol/Armada and Infiniti QX80 SUVs, as well as the Elgrand people mover.The latter, on the other hand, produces the Kicks and X-Trail SUVs, as well as the Serena people mover.“I can confirm that Nissan Motor Kyushu and Nissan Shatai Kyushu have partially suspended production this week due to earthquake-related parts supply delays,” said a Nissan Australia spokesperson.“At this stage, we have not received any information to suggest there will be any interruption to the supply of vehicles destined for Australia. However, the situation remains fluid, and we will continue to monitor developments closely.”

Hybrid family SUV buyers have a new cheaper option in Australia.Nissan has released the pricing for its more affordable X-Trail e-Power hybrid lineup that kicks off from $45,990 before on-road costs - a rough $3000 cut compared to previously.It is now priced the same as the segment-leading hybrid-only Toyota RAV4 (also from $45,990).The changes make the most affordable e-Power grade also in closer proximity to hybrid versions of the Hyundai Tucson (from $42,850) and Kia Sportage (from $44,450). Customer arrivals for the new X-Trail models will begin in September 2026, with order books open now.Cheaper hybrid X-Trails are less powerful and swap all-wheel drive for front-wheel drive.These variants are powered by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol and single electric motor set-up, producing 150kW/330Nm, compared to the AWD’s dual-motor 157kW/525Nm.Nissan’s hybrid set-up utilises electric motor power to drive the wheels, with the petrol engine solely responsible for generating electricity doing away with the need for a traditional transmission. These variants offer improved fuel efficiency at 5.4L/100km compared to the AWD's 6.1L/100km and also emit less CO2 into the atmosphere. Nissan has also introduced a stand-alone Rock Creek seven-seater petrol variant, priced from $48,315, making it the most expensive three-row X-Trail on offer.This variant adds a bigger 12.3-inch digital driver display and a 10.8-inch head-up display as well as new orange-accented 18-inch alloy wheels. The Rock Creek features several blacked out elements, including the front grille, roof rails and door mirrors. The front and rear badges have been given orange accents, along with the steering wheel. The X-Trail is Nissan’s most popular model in Australia, and is a strong competitor in the mid-size SUV segment.  These new hybrid models will work to offset the brand's impending emissions fines under the Australian New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) while making sought-after hybrid variants more affordable.Nissan showed off the next-generation X-Trail earlier this year that is due to land in Australia towards the end of 2027. It will introduce an updated e-Power hybrid set-up that it claims is even quieter, smoother and more fuel efficient. It will also have a more rigid overall structure and a reworked suspension system.The next-generation X-Trail will continue to be offered with petrol power globally, but Nissan may consider only bringing the hybrid to Australia in light of emissions restraints. 

Nissan has issued an urgent recall notice affecting its most popular model.A total of 13,795 Nissan X-Trail e-Power mid-size SUVs could have a potentially dangerous software issue, according to the official notice from the Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts.The affected X-Trails covered model years from 2022 to 2026, and used the Japanese brand’s e-Power hybrid technology.A software issue with the lithium-ion battery controller could cause the vehicle to enter a fail safe mode, which means the vehicles could lose power while driving and wouldn’t be able to charge the battery.Unlike other hybrids, Nissan’s e-Power technology only uses the petrol engine to charge the battery and the electric motors drive the wheels, rather than a combination of both. This means if the battery can not charge, the vehicle can not be driven.The recall notice said if this occurs it could “increase the risk of an accident, causing injury or death to the vehicle occupants and other road users”.Nissan will be contacting affected owners and urging them to attend their local dealership to have the software reprogrammed at no cost.Nissan also recalled 237 Qashqai e-Power compact SUVs for the same issue.The affected models cover the 2025 to 2026 model years and again will be reprogrammed free of charge.

Nissan may have finally bounced off rock bottom as the embattled Japanese giant executes its turn-around plans and posts promising results off the back of new model launches.Its grand turn-around plan, dubbed Re:Nissan has seen the company need to take drastic measures to reverse a financial slide into oblivion, including shuttering some of its factories, and turning more than ever to its Chinese joint-venture with Dongfeng for new model launches.It is not just the exciting new Frontier Pro plug-in hybrid ute and successful N7 sedan from China that have shown promising results for the brand. It also posted smaller declines in the last quarter of its financial year both in Japan and North America.Europe and the rest of the world didn’t perform as well for the brand, but make up a smaller portion of its overall sales. The brand also noted that US tariffs had a huge impact on its bottom line for the financial year.The company is predicting a return to an operating profit off the back of new and refreshed model line-ups across all the markets it plays in, predicting a 20 billion yen (a little over 175 million AUD) net income off the back of a brutal A$4.7 billion dollar loss to the end of this Japanese Financial Year, described as “extraordinary non-recurring losses” related to the brand’s realignment according to the company’s CFO George Leondis.CEO Ivan Espinosa said the company was tracking ahead of its goals for the end of the year, as it enters the “final year of Re:Nissan”.The brand is banking on higher demand for its range of incoming new-generation offerings, which in the financial year 2026 will include the NX8, N7, and Frontier Pro as export models from China, new models also from China based on the Terrano PHEV off-road concept and Urban PHEV concept small SUV (many of which are likely for an Australian arrival).Outside of that, the brand will also launch the new Tekton in India, Infiniti QX65 in the US, Elgrand people mover in Japan, as well as the Rogue e-Power in the US and Kicks in Japan.The confirmation of the Kicks launching in Japan opens the door to the previously overseas-only model launching in Australia thanks to its availability in right-hand drive. It could potentially serve as a replacement for the recently-discontinued (and relatively unpopular) Nissan Juke as the brand’s new entry-level SUV.Meanwhile the new-generation Leaf, which has undergone a radical transformation to a crossover SUV instead of a hatchback, has been delayed indefinitely for an Australian arrival, with the brand earmarking competitiveness issues in the small EV space and a focus on mass-market e-Power hybrids going forward. It leaves the mid-sized Ariya as the brand’s sole fully electric offering in Australia.Other new products to look out for from Nissan for the our market include the next-generation X-Trail, due in 2027, which will ride on an updated platform, feature a wider track width and new suspension, as well as feature the latest and more efficient version of the brand’s e-Power plugless hybrid tech.Nissan continues to take a battering in the Australian market, with the brand down 32.2 per cent year-on-year. It has seemingly permanently dropped out of the top-10 in Australia, making way for new entrants like BYD and GWM.By the end of April 2026, Chery was also now in the top-10, ranking eighth, leaving just Mazda (6th), Isuzu (10th), and Toyota (1st) the only remaining Japanese players in the list.

Nissan globally revealed the new-generation version of its X-Trail mid-size family SUV earlier this month.The X-Trail has been the most-popular Nissan model in Australia for a number of years now and is a key rival to the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, among others.The current-generation model, which shares its platform with the Mitsubishi Outlander, dates back to 2021 though it didn’t launch in Australia until 2022.A facelift was revealed globally in 2025 though it only arrived in Australia a few months ago.Nissan still needs to confirm a number of different details about the new, fifth-generation X-Trail, but here’s what we know so far.What is different about this new X-Trail?It’s worth noting straight away that this new X-Trail is based on an iteration of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance CMF-CD platform that underpins the current model.It also appears that the glasshouse has been carried over but with new body cladding and styling.However, Nissan Corporate Executive of Family, Products & Components Strategy Richard Candler told CarsGuide that there is a “very large amount of new”.For example, the structure is claimed to be completely different and much stiffer than before.Additionally there is a completely reworked suspension system with a wider track width. Nissan hasn’t confirmed exactly how much wider just yet.It’s likely the interior is also completely redesigned, though Nissan hasn’t detailed any imagery or information about this yet. It has only shown off the exterior design so far.What will power this new X-Trail?A highlight of this new X-Trail is the introduction of a new-generation e-Power hybrid powertrain.It’s understood this new e-Power powertrain is a version of the system that will soon debut in the Qashqai small SUV.Like the current X-Trail e-Power however, it’ll have dual electric motors (one on each axle) providing all-wheel drive, unlike the Qashqai e-Power which only has a single electric motor and front-wheel drive.Nissan claims this new e-Power hybrid is quieter, smoother and more fuel efficient than the current version.While there have been reports indicating that this new X-Trail will go e-Power only, Candler confirmed it will still be offered with a pure petrol engine, at least globally. However, he didn’t confirm what this pure petrol engine will be exactly.In Australia the non-e-Power X-Trail is powered by a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 135kW and 244Nm.In other markets however, there is a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine available that produces 150kW and 305Nm.It’s worth noting though that this turbo three-pot forms as the generator for the e-Power hybrid, so technically it is already offered in Australia.When will it arrive?The new Nissan X-Trail will likely launch in North America first, where it is called the Rogue and built in the US.The Japanese-built X-Trails will likely follow at a later date.No exact Australian launch timing has been locked in yet, however CarsGuide understands it will likely arrive in late 2027.

For those of you who are looking to buy a new car but aren’t looking at an EV yet, we’ve put together a list of our top-five popular cars that run on the cheapest kind of petrol.Yep, there’s a lot of pressure right now to buy an electric car and avoid high petrol prices.But if you’re not ready for an EV and want to stick to petrol, there’s a way to still save money: buying a car which doesn’t need more expensive premium fuel.Premium fuel such as 95 RON or 98 RON is always more expensive than 91 RON, but with petrol prices so high right now any saving is good.At the time of writing, 91 RON was averaging 200c/litre, while 98 RON was 223c/litre. Filling up a 60L tank with 91 RON is currently $120 while 98 RON will set you back $133.80. So currently there’s about a $14 difference between 91 RON and 98 RON for an average-sized fuel tank. If you’re filling up once a week, that’s about $730 a year.For all we know, prices could go up more and depending on the situation and where our fuel is sourced from, so the gap between higher- and lower-grade fuels could expand.Yes, there’s 95 RON, but that is still more expensive than 91 RON.So, we’ve handpicked five of Australia's best-selling cars that don’t need premium unleaded and instead can run on a minimum of 91 RON. Hyundai’s Kona is a small SUV that comes in three variants – a pure petrol, a series-parallel hybrid and a fully electric. You’ll be happy to know both the pure petrol and hybrid petrol cars only need 91 RON.Fuel efficiency in the hybrid is excellent at 3.9L/100km over a combination of different driving conditions.The hybrid is offered across the entire range, which is great to see.The entry price into the Kona range is $33,700 plus on-road costs.GWM’s Haval Jolion is another small SUV, which is a little larger than the Hyundai Kona, but it also comes in pure petrol and series-parallel hybrid, both of which needing just 91 RON.The hybrid's combined fuel consumption is 5.1L/100km.It’s fantastic to see that the hybrid is offered right across the Jolion range.The entry grade in the Jolion range costs $26,990 drive-away.One of the original mid-size SUVs, the Nissan X-Trail in this latest generation is a superb family car that is offered in petrol and series hybrid variants.Now the pure petrol versions need only 91 RON. Nissan says the hybrids need a minimum of 91 RON, but 95 RON is recommended.Of course, you should follow the manufacturers advice here to ensure your X-Trail lives a long and happy life, but it’s good to know that 91 RON will do if you’re in a pickle.The other good news is that you really don’t need to step up to the more expensive hybrid to save fuel.The hybrid is fuel efficient at 6.0L/100km, but the regular petrol will use 6.1-6.5L/100km depending on the grade.  The entry grade of the Nissan X-Trail range lists for $38,140 plus on-road costs.The Mitsubishi Outlander is another mid-size SUV icon and comes in two variants – a pure petrol and a plug-in series-parallel hybrid (PHEV).Nissan says both the pure petrol version and PHEV need only 91 RON, which is a nice surprise.Fuel consumption in the PHEV is outrageously good at 1.5L/100km in combined driving conditions, but seriously you’ll have to charge it regularly to get this – and I mean every day.The combined consumption of the regular pure petrol Outlander ranges from 7.5-8.1L/100km depending on the grade.The entry grade in the Outlander range starts at a list price of $39,990 plus on-road costs.Chery’s little Tiggo 4 SUV is the smallest car in our selection (about a match-stick shorter than the Kona) and comes in both pure petrol and series-parallel hybrid form.The 1.5-litre turbo-petrol, however, isn’t as fuel efficient as you might think in this not-so-big SUV. The combined fuel consumption according to Chery is 7.4L/100km. But the hybrid variant is much better with 5.4L/100km .The entry price into the Tiggo 4 range is $23,990 drive-away. 

A new hybrid family SUV war is heating up.Nissan has revealed its new X-Trail e-Power hybrid mid-size SUV to challenge the existing Honda CR-V and new Toyota RAV4 which is due to land in showrooms imminently.The Japanese brand lifted the lid on the new family-hauler during the company’s announcement of its global strategy today.Nissan has flagged the X-Trail as a core product for the brand and will heavily promote its 'e-Power' hybrid tech.The e-Power system works more like an extended range hybrid, where the engine is used purely as a generator for the battery and electric motors drive the wheels only.This means it drives in similar fashion to an electric car, but without the range anxiety and mimics the fuel use of conventional hybrids such as the Toyota RAV4.Nissan revealed images of the updated X-Trail, which brings it inline with newer vehicles such as the updated Qashqai small SUV.It features a large lattice work grille with dynamic headlights and lots of label creases down the side.The makeover gives the X-Trail a more modern look compared to the ageing design of the current version.Nissan hasn’t provided any mechanical details of the next-gen X-Trail yet.The current X-Trail e-Power has been on sale in Australia for several years and has found success, but a new design and increased tech could catapult it up the sales charts.It is also likely the next-generation X-Trail will be hybrid only, with purely petrol-powered versions deleted.Carmakers will soon face fines for selling purely petrol powered cars in Australia due to the federal government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Scheme (NVES), which requires cars to emit CO2 below a certain threshold. This threshold gets lower every year until 2030.

Nissan Australia has confirmed sweeping changes to its model line-up effective immediately, as formerly key models are axed in favour of a more hybrid-focused product mix.The 2026 Nissan Pathfinder large SUV and the Nissan Juke small SUV will be the last of their kind sold in Australia indefinitely, while the brand is also putting a hold on the arrival of the new Nissan Leaf electric small SUV until further notice.Along with dwindling sales, the models’ powertrain options make them incompatible with Nissan Australia’s hybrid-heavy plan, the outgoing regional boss has said.Nissan Oceania Managing Director Andrew Humberstone told CarsGuide the Pathfinder and Juke are being given the axe while the new Leaf, which in its new form is a small SUV, won’t arrive in showrooms for the foreseeable future either.That plan, he said, involves a lot more e-Power electrification to, presumably, balance out the effects of the incoming diesel-powered D27 Nissan Navara ute and the rather large Y63 Nissan Patrol in terms of Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which bring fines for models that pollute more and award credits for selling low-emissions vehicles.With Juke and Pathfinder out, Nissan’s line-up is down to six badge names: Qashqai and X-Trail, the small and medium SUVs with hybrid ‘e-Power’ options, Navara and Patrol which fall under the light commercial vehicle category, plus the electric Ariya and the low-volume Nissan Z sports car.“We're going to see a natural dispersion between product and what's coming in, what's going out,” Humberstone told CarsGuide, “so we have to manage that in order to make those tough decisions now for the future.“Juke will no longer be in market, Pathfinder will no longer be in market. Leaf, we're going to, in essence, indefinitely delay at this moment.“We’ll continue to bring in, obviously Navara, which is more NVES-appropriate than the previous version, as is the new Patrol.”Behind Mazda Australia, Nissan is in second place for the largest looming fines as of the most recent February 1, 2026 figures.According to the NVES Regulator, Nissan Australia racked up $10.76m in potential fines between July 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025. Nissan must offset this by selling more low-emission vehicles, or buy credits from other manufacturers, in order to avoid the fines becoming a reality.The plan, according to Humberstone, is to create a model line-up that consists of mostly hybrid variants, thus the introduction of the e-Power-only Qashqai range last year.In addition, a more affordable version of the Nissan X-Trail is set to arrive with 2WD e-Power hybrid in the hopes of increasing hybrid sales of the model.“In addition to that, in the bridging strategy we're focused on when we see circa 75 per cent of all the registrations being, which is within the EV/hybrid space, and that's where we're putting all our energy in the short-term.“So that means the full range of Qashqai now is coming with e-Power technology, which is our hybrid. We’re seeing it with X-Trail… we now want to expand that with a 2x4 hybrid version.”Nissan’s financial situation has been the subject of much speculation, but Humberstone says one of the final things he leaves Nissan Australia with before his departure to a posting in France from April 2026 is this plan to future-proof the model line-up.He said the tumultuous state of the industry means difficult short-term decisions are needed to put the business in a better position in the medium- and long-term.“I would say even within the next six, seven months, you're going to start seeing the benefits of the work. The natural cleansing needs to be done. The sooner you do that, the better. “I believe our timing was perfect, given the volatility of what's been going on all over the place, and the number of competitors and more recent stuff that's going off at the moment around the globe.“We're here to stay in Oceania, and we're committed to the market. There's product investment being made. It's done. So there's no speculation on that.”Humberstone’s replacement is Steve Milette, who was President of Nissan Canada for more than five years, and is currently Division Vice President for Dealer Network Development, Customer Resources, Training and Customer Experience for Nissan and Infiniti’s entire North America region.He takes up the much shorter title of Managing Director of Nissan Oceania on April 1, and is expected to continue overseeing the plan to increase Nissan Australia’s hybridisation of the model range.

Specifications for the updated 2026 Nissan X-Trail have just been released.Pricing was detailed in November last year, but the updated X-Trail will start from $38,140 before on-road costs before hitting $58,215 for the top-spec grade.It will be available in petrol or e-Power hybrid guise in front or all-wheel drive variants.The X-Trail’s hybrid and all-wheel drive grades see it shape up as a rival to the strong-selling Toyota RAV4 hybrid.The RAV4’s all-wheel drive grades start from $49,340, before on-roads, which is marginally more expensive than the cheapest X-Trail hybrid, with a starting price of $48,915.Hyundai’s Tucson hybrid is roughly $6000 cheaper than the X-Trail, but that model does not have an all-wheel-drive system.Nissan’s e-Power system operates differently to conventional hybrids, as the petrol engine never directly drives the wheels, only generating energy for the battery.The petrol variant of the X-Trail is slightly more expensive than the Mazda CX-5.The X-Trail comes in five-seater and seven-seater configurations.It is powered by either a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine or a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol hybrid set-up.The petrol-only unit produces 135kW and 244Nm, while the hybrid version has a total system output of 157kW of power.Inside, the X-Trail gets a 12.3-inch central touchscreen display as standard as well as a digital driver display, with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality.New colours are also available, including ‘Deep Ocean Blue’ and ‘Everest White’, while there is a new ‘Chestnut’ interior on the Ti-L grade. 2026 Nissan X-Trail pricing Australia 2026 Nissan X-Trail engine and efficiency  2026 Nissan X-Trail standard features17-inch alloy wheels12.3-inch central touchscreenWireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay7.0-inch digital driver displayPowered and heated door mirrorsPaddle shiftersRain-sensing wipersLED headlightsST-L grade adds18-inch alloy wheelsLeather-accented seatsLeather-accented steering wheelPower adjustable seatsRemote engine start12.3-inch digital driver displayDual-zone climate controlHeated front seatsWireless phone chargerAuto-dimming rear-view mirrorTi grade adds19-inch alloy wheels10.8-inch head-up displayTri-zone climate controlMotion sensing power tailgateRear door sunshadesTi-L grade adds20-inch alloy wheels (hybrid model only)Bose premium 10-speaker audio systemHeated steering wheelHeated second-row outside seatsAmbient interior lightingMemory driver seat 2026 Nissan X-Trail safetyThe Nissan X-Trail has a five-star ANCAP safety rating, awarded in 2022. Standard safety featuresSeven airbags360 degree cameraLane keep assistAuto emergency brakingBlind spot warningAdaptive cruise controlRear parking sensorsST-L grade addsFront parking sensors3D surround view monitorTyre pressure monitoring system 2026 Nissan X-Trail dimensions  2026 Nissan X-Trail warranty and servicingThe Nissan X-Trail comes with a 10-year/300,000-kilometre warranty and roadside assistance when serviced at authorised Nissan dealers. The car has flat price servicing at $399 per year for the first five years. Intervals for servicing have changed from every 10,000km/12 months to a better 15,000km/12 months.