Nissan X-TRAIL vs Renault Arkana

What's the difference?

For its silver anniversary, the X-Trail in e-Power guise remains better than ever. And the flagship Ti-L makes a convincing, value-packed, well-equipped and enjoyable to drive luxury medium SUV alternative for the family. Its only glaring fault is the omission of a full-sized spare wheel.

But other than that, given the Nissan’s warranty, reputation and the fact that it's still so functional, economical, gutsy and easy to live with, the e-Power remains one of our favourite mid-size SUVs. Our choice would be the Ti, though, chiefly because of its comfier 19-inch wheels.

The Arkana is a stylish alternative in a sea of same-same compact SUVs. It's relatively well equipped and has some hidden gems in its ownership and running costs that elevate it above some of the competition.

It’s not a bad thing to steer, either, but the lurchy dual-clutch could be a deal breaker for some.

The sweet spot is the Techno, which misses out on the Esprit Alpine’s special touches but represents the most bang for your buck.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

For its 2026 facelift, the T33 X-Trail Series II gains a fussy new grille design, different LED lighting elements, reprofiled bumpers front and rear, new colours and restyled alloy wheels.

But, essentially, it looks very similar to the previous model that was released locally back in 2022. Meaning this is a good-looking machine.

Proportionally, as with all previous iterations, today’s X-Trail blurs the fine line between SUV and crossover-wagon in silhouette – much more so than the latest Subaru Outback (that’s classed in the category above) manages.

Dimensionally, it’s bang in the middle of its class: 4690mm long, 2065mm wide (mirrors out) and 1725mm tall with a 2705mm wheelbase. Note, the e-Power rides lower, with 187mm instead of 205mm of ground clearance.

Stepping inside, the X-Trail’s interior presentation is conservative and perhaps dated to some eyes, with its separate central touchscreen and instrumentation displays. But, precisely because of this, it is neither compromised nor frustrating to understand or operate, like the worst of the inexplicably minimalistic single-screen applications beloved by most Chinese brands today. Physical buttons abound. This Nissan is for everyday people and the cabin design reflects this.

This update isn’t a massive overhaul of the Arkana, rather its “refreshing and enhancing” what was already there according to Renault Australia.

And this remains true with the car’s styling. Not much has changed on the outside except for a few minor garnishes and flourishes, especially on the Esprit Alpine variant.

The coupe styling isn’t for everyone. It’s more popular in Europe than Australia but if you want to stand out from the crowd it’s a good place to start.

The Arkana has curves in all the right places and its little grille made up of little Renault badge diamonds is a welcome addition in a world of wide mouth front ends. The C-shaped LED headlights and a large Renault badge add a bit of pop to its look.

The pinched rear end has LED lighting that runs from the tail-lights to the centre badge and Arkana is spelled out in big, bold letters.

The Esprit Alpine stands out with gunmetal highlights on the front bumper and the front and rear skid plates in the same colour. It also adds a Esprit Alpine badge below the side mirror and front door sill plates.

The Esprit Alpine has 'Tricolour' stitching in red, white and blue on the door trim and steering wheel, which is complemented by blue contrast stitching on the gear shifter, seats and centre console.

Cabin quality is variable. There are some nice feeling materials used on the dash and on the door trims but below eye level there are lots of hard wearing plastics. A big slab of faux wood running along the dashboard doesn’t feel as high-quality as you would like. The quality drops a bit in the back row, which is where carmakers often try to cut costs.

Solid white is the only no cost paint colour, but it is not available on the Esprit Alpine. Metallic white, blue, black, grey and red cost $750.

Buyers can also option a black roof for a two-tone look for $600.

Large and rectangular, the X-Trail is sized and packaged to be used. Nowhere is this more obvious than using the wide doors, with the rear pair opening at almost a 90-degree angle to facilitate entry/egress.

Climb inside, and – as with all three previous-gen versions – there is an abundance of space for heads, legs and shoulders. Occupants sit up fairly high, with easy views afforded by a big windscreen and deep side windows.

Except that Nissan now uses much-better looking and feeling plastics than back then. Nobody is going to mistake the Ti-L for a Lexus, but quality and finish is beyond reproach. No squeaks or rattles to report here.

Aided by a fine driving position, the dash is pleasant to look at and simple to use. A new steering wheel, up-spec digital graphics and updated camera views help keep things relatively fresh.

Yet it is the basics that make this interface so sound. Clear and obvious switchgear for the very effective climate controls (and other vehicle functions) that feel good to the touch, logical menus within the responsive touchscreen, an enjoyably strong audio experience, wireless Apple CarPlay that never dropped out and a sense of no-nonsense solidity. Nissan’s been making cars for almost a century and it’s in the little things that show up big time here.

Likewise, 700km-plus in the front seats over a variety of road conditions reveal appreciable comfort and support. Factor in plentiful storage and sufficient all-round vision, and the X-Trail’s interior is difficult to criticise unless you’re nit-picking. A fiddly gear lever and a one-pedal braking button that’s a bit of a stretch for the driver are about it.

The back-seat area is as fine as we’ve experienced in any mid-sized SUV rival, with the Nissan dutifully ticking all the required spec boxes: USB ports, rear-facing air vents, cupholders within a 40/20/40-folding, sliding and reclining backrests and – in this Ti-L – separate climate control access. And don’t forget how usefully huge those rear doors are.

Further back, the X-Trail’s wagon-esque shape comes into play with a long, wide and flat load area, measuring in at 575 litres VDA (10L fewer than the petrol versions), extending to 1298L in two-seater mode.

But there are two points of contention.

Firstly, given the length of the load area, there are no remote-release handles for the backrests, so the user must use the side doors to lower them. This is an annoyance.

Secondly, and this is more serious, is the lack of spare wheel, period, in the e-Power models like ours. The space is taken up by some of the hybrid tech, resulting in a tyre repair kit instead. Regular readers will know our disdain for such compromises, as these cannot patch up larger punctures, ruin the tyre in smaller ones and are costly to replace. It’s such a rubbish solution.

Our advice is to seek an aftermarket space-saver wheel and jack kit, which do not cost much more than replacing just one ruined tyre and spent repair kit. When will this foolishness end? If Toyota can manage a spare in their RAV4 hybrid, others can as well.

A sour note to finish on an otherwise noteworthy interior experience.

The Arkana isn’t a family SUV, but rather is pitched at younger couples and empty nesters. 

Up front there is great forward vision with a higher seating position than hatchbacks and sedans. Electronically adjustable seats and a manually moveable steering wheel means there’s a good seating position for pretty much everyone.

The seats are comfy and the multimedia screen and climate controls are easy to reach. The centre console has a wireless device charger, two USB-A charging ports and a 12-volt socket to keep various devices juiced up. 

Two cupholders take up most of the space with minimal storage space leftover. There are decent sized storage bins in the doors and a little net in the passenger seats footwell to stop small items rolling around. 

Back seat passengers have their own air con vents and USB charging ports, which is a welcome addition.

In the rear pew is where the Arkana’s stylish coupe-like design dents its practicality. The sloping roof shrinks the windows and reduces headroom, which makes it feel a bit gloomy compared to more boxy-shaped SUVs that makes it no-no for smaller kids.

The boot is a decent size, but it’s longer and lower than other SUVs, which is the price you pay for looking good. 

Initially Renault is launching with just two variants, the mid-tier Techno and top-spec Esprit Alpine, which replace the formerly named Intens and R.S. Line variants. 

Despite the update, prices remain the same with the Techno starting at $41,000, before on-road costs, and the Esprit Alpine from $45,000.

An entry-level Evolution grade will arrive later to take the place of the old Zen variant. Expect it to be priced from $37,500.

The Arkana isn’t the cheapest compact SUV on sale with lower starting points for the Hyundai Kona, Kia Seltos and Mazda CX-30 ranges. It is cheaper than the hybrid-only Toyota C-HR and its French rival, the Peugeot 2008.

The two model grades are fairly well stacked with gear to justify the price, though.

Techno shoppers can expect 18-inch alloy wheels, which swell to 19-inche on the Esprit Alpine and all variants have LED head and tail-lights.

Step inside and the Techno grade has black leather and synthetic suede accented seats, which upgrade to more premium synthetic leather and suede upholstery with contrast blue stitching and Alpine badging in the top-spec grade.

The front seats are heated in both grades and the Esprit Alpine has a heated steering wheel, too.

On the tech front both variants have a 9.3-inch portrait-shaped multimedia display paired with a 10.25-inch digital driver display.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wireless smartphone mirroring is standard.

The Esprit Alpine version ditches the six-speaker stereo in the Techno for a booming eight-speaker Bose system and it adds a sunroof.

The X-Trail e-Power system is not a traditional hybrid set-up.

Instead of having an electric motor(s) and small battery assist an internal combustion engine (ICE) that does the driving (as per a Toyota hybrid), this one’s the other-way round: an ICE solely charging a larger battery that feeds an electric motor(s) that powers the driven wheels. No plugging in required. This is the essence of an EREV. The Holden Volt famously relied on such a system nearly 15 years ago.

In the X-Trail e-Power’s case, a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine making 106kW of power and 250Nm of torque is mated to a 2.1kWh battery, inverter and an electric motor on each axle (front: 150kW/330Nm - rear: 100kW/195Nm), for a combined 157kW and 525Nm, distributed to all four wheels.

That’s a lot more than the 135kW and 244Nm that the regular 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and CVT set-up can muster.

The Arkana keeps the 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine from before. It makes 115kW and 262Nm and is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto that drives the front wheels. 

That’s plenty of grunt for a car this size, but it’s let down by a glitchy transmission that hesitates a lot at lower speeds and doesn’t do its best work when asked to hustle, either.

Requiring 95 RON premium unleaded petrol, the e-Power drinks from the more-expensive bowser. It also comes with a capless filler, saving clean hands from handling dirty caps. How European of this Japanese SUV!

Nissan reckons the e-Power averages 6.1 litres per 100 kilometres, which translates to 139 grams/km of carbon dioxide emissions. The Urban rating is just 6.4L/100km and Extra Urban returns 6.0L/100km.

In contrast, the petrol CVT AWD’s corresponding numbers are 7.8L, 10L and 6.5L, respectively.

Out in the real world, over 700km of at-times very demanding driving, we managed a tad under 6.9L/100km – which is what the trip computer also calculated – while, driven more frugally – it dropped to under 5.5L/100km.

That’s impressive stuff, meaning you can expect around 800km between refills even if you don’t care about fuel economy, and over 1000km if you do.

Efficiency is the name of the game with the Arkana’s little turbo engine. The French brand claims it drinks 5.9L/100km on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle but we averaged 7.5L/100km on our circa two-hour country road drive according to the trip computer.

The higher speed twisting and turning country roads we drove on aren’t conducive to low fuel use, though.

It has a 50-litre fuel tank and only requires cheaper 91 RON petrol, which is rare for little turbo engines that usually have premium tastes.

So, what's the X-Trail e-Power like?

Well, as it turns out, it marries really well with the Ti-L flagship, because it is a smooth, refined and sophisticated powertrain experience.

It's an EV first, and even though the petrol engine fires up and charges the battery regularly, pausing the electric dream for a few moments, it isn't noisy or buzzy, blending in with the general road, tyre and wind noise at speed. The ICE’s intervention is seamless, though it does rev away at a pre-set constant speed. That varies according to load and conditions, at between 2400rpm and 4800rpm.

That’s the theory. In practice, the X-Trail e-Power’s performance is one of its greatest attributes.

As with all good EVs, this one’s silky smooth and quiet as it zips away from standstill, whooshing forward with a determined, even lively, attitude. Turn the (cumbersome) driver selector to 'Sport' mode and the throttle response reacts accordingly, for rapid point-to-point performance. Give the 1900kg Nissan it’s head on a long empty road, and this thing can be downright fast. Hauling around 83kW per tonne, we recorded a 0-100km/h sprint time of seven seconds flat.

And here’s the thing. When the battery starts running low, there’s no shortfall in performance as you find in many PHEVs that feel neutered at this point, since the peaky little engine is feeding electricity back into the battery that drives the motors. It’s all so effortless.

Speaking of recharging, a single-pedal function provides a noticeable amount of braking off-throttle, collecting that otherwise wasted energy back into the system. It won’t bring the car to a full stop, though, and is not adjustable as per many rivals’ paddle-shifter-actuated systems. Maybe a suggestion for the next-gen model.

Underneath is a Renault/Nissan/Mitsubishi Alliance platform, complete with struts up front and a multi-link rear suspension set-up, imbuing the X-Trail with a solid, dynamic European flavour. The steering is light yet nicely weighted, for a sense of connection and balance.

It isn’t quite as agile through fast corners as, say, a Mazda equivalent might be, as the e-Power is a bit too top-heavy to be considered sporty and athletic, but there’s control and grip for days. No doubt the Ti-L’s 20-inch Michelin Primacy tyres help here. And, at highway speeds in teeming rain, the AWD grip feels reassuring.

Speaking of big wheels, the ride is surprisingly okay. Firm but never unyielding or crashy over bumps, the electrified Nissan is comfortable enough. The Ti e-Power’s smaller 19-inch rubber reveals a more supple and isolated ride experience, and without any dynamic degradation, so that’s what we’d choose. And they’d be less prone to occasional tyre drone to boot.

Finally, there’s the X-Trail’s overall suitability to Australian roads from an ADAS point of view. Working away in the background, the Ti-L’s driver-assist tech does not bombard you with unsolicited buzzes or sudden jolts of the wheel. Once, the auto emergency braking (AEB) did gently activate at speed through a heavily-trafficked curve, and the lane-departure light regularly blinks discreetly away, but never to a bothersome, distracting degree. And meanwhile, some Chinese companies question the need for Australian road tuning. Fail.

Overall, then, the latest X-Trail e-Power remains enjoyable and even enriching vehicle to live with, being both a mainstream family car and grand touring SUV. In this context, the sub-$60K pricing seems like a bargain. This Nissan deserves to sell better.

The Arkana is a bit of a mixed bag on the road. Its engine is a nice little unit but the dual-clutch auto deflates the drive experience.

At lower speeds it hesitates and then gives too much oomph all at once, which can result in some wheel spin. It means you need to be mindful at T-intersections and when turning across traffic and feather the pedals. 

This is a symptom of most dual-clutch autos but the Arkana’s is less sophisticated than say ones fitted to Volkswagens, and the Arkana doesn’t have the meaty power and torque bands of performance cars. A conventional torque converter auto would suit it better.

The Arkana does some of its best work at higher speeds, where the dual-clutch is more decisive and it's an admirable highway cruiser. 

It isn’t a bad operator through the bends where it exerts excellent body control to minimise rolling. This is complemented by nice steering that is well weighted and accurate. Pedal feel is excellent with no woody or doughy feel to them.

The suspension is on the firmer side and you’ll feel some harsh bumps, especially over consistent smaller ones that it will crash over.

Its rear torsion beam suspension set-up is less sophisticated than the multilink arrangements found in an increasing number of competitors in the segment.

Road noise is noticeable at higher speeds. There's a fair bit of wind noise, too, but it was an especially windy day on our test drive.

The Arkana isn’t a sports car but is a stylish SUV for punting around town and facilitating weekend getaways, but there are other compact players that answer this brief better.

The Arkana holds a maximum five-star ANCAP rating, but it is based on the 2019 crash test of the Renault Captur, with which it shares much of its underpinnings. This rating is due to expire in late 2025.

There are six airbags and a range of active driver aids included as standard and the update adds a 360-degree camera view to all grades.

This joins auto emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, radar cruise control and speed sign recognition.

A lot of carmakers just tick the box for active driver aids but don’t think of the calibration. Not Renault. The driver aids barely interjected during the launch drive and only chirped up when needed, which is a welcome reprieve from the overly touchy and nannying sensors found in other cars.

At the time of publishing, Nissan offers a 10-year, 300,000km conditional warranty if you choose to service your car at an authorised Nissan dealer. That's up from the brand’s regular five-year, unlimited kilometres and it leads the industry now.

Nissan has also extended X-Trail service intervals from 10,000km to 15,000km annually, while offering capped-price servicing as well as roadside assistance for the first five years.

The first five annual services cost $399 each, then are $565, $392, $562, $470 and $725 for years six to 10, respectively.

Finally, as of January this year, there were 177 Nissan dealer outlets throughout Australia.

There is one part of Renault’s ownership credentials that others can’t match.

Its service intervals are every 12 months and a whopping 30,000km, which is double the industry norm of 15,000km. 

If you need to do big kays such as a sales rep or rideshare driver might this will be extremely important.

Five years or 150,000km of capped price servicing visits costs $2385, which is one the expensive side compared to Honda, Hyundai and Toyota but is in the ballpark of similar-sized Kias and Volkswagens.

Renault covers the Arkana with a five year/unlimited km warranty - par for the course in the mainstream market - and five years of roadside assistance.