X-Trail ePower: A compromise-free EV?
One of the big chin-strokers the motoring world currently faces is whether fully electric powertrains are the one true answer to emissions reduction. A question perhaps less asked is whether traditional hybrids are the best bridging technology to get us there.
Toyota’s pioneering, allconquering hybrid technology has owned the ‘‘electrified’’ space for more than a decade, with few rivals putting their hands up with an alternative. You can see where I’m going with this, yes?
In the background, Nissan has been working on its own alternative to hybrid technology: ePower. It’s poised to debut in New Zealand shortly with the launch of the all-new X-Trail ePower e-4orce. We travelled to sunny Brisbane to get a taste of what’s to come.
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW?
We’ve covered the new X-Trail’s lineage extensively – it shares plenty of hardware under the skin (including a CMF-C platform) with the immensely popular Mitsubishi Outlander.
In being hands-on with the X-Trail, we found comfort in both rows to be more than commendable. The ePower’s boot is hefty, too, offering a wide opening and 575L of space – just 10L less than the dedicated ICE X-Trail.
This ePower stuff is pretty new though. That is, it’s pretty new unless you’ve driven a grey import Nissan featuring an ePower badge.
In essence, ePower is hybrid technology in reverse, where instead of a battery and electric motor playing running back for an internal combustion engine, the combustion engine is there to propel the electric motor.
A 1.5-litre variable compression turbo three-cylinder acts as a generator of sorts for dual electric motors at each end of the car. The 1.5-litre and front motor produce 150kW/330Nm, and the rear motor 100kW/195Nm.
The petrol motor does not power any of the wheels directly, regardless of how much motivation you give it through the right pedal. The result of this is a car that convincingly feels like an EV to drive. Its power and torque delivery is near instantaneous, and most of the time it hums along in perfect silence. And, despite all of this, like a normal hybrid the ePower system never needs to be plugged in.
Nissan’s e-4orce all-wheel drive is tuned specifically to pair perfectly with its ePower tech. Along with being a fairly handy thing to have for those wanting allpaw practicality, e-4orce also encompasses a brake-based torque vectoring system.
WHERE DID YOU DRIVE IT?
Crossing the ditch to Brisvegas, we embarked on a burly round trip from the CBD to the Sunshine Coast, up to Gympie, and back via a series of highways, curly cambered back roads, and a few gravel trails. We’ve driven the X-Trail ePower previously in Slovenia, but these roads are closer to those we have at home.
For the vast bulk of the drive, the Nissan’s ePower and e-4orce duo were very impressive. They largely do exactly what they say on the tin, providing a drive experience that feels most of the way towards an EV. Nissan says that this makes its ePower offerings a perfect mid-point for those wanting to dip their toes in electrification without committing to the plug life.
It’s not quite ‘‘silent’’, of course. The 1.5-litre can sometimes be heard doing its thing in the background, particularly when you’re tackling most inclines. But, thanks in part to Nissan’s noise cancellation tech, it is very muffled, with none of that unsightly CVT whine.
The X-Trail might now be the sweetest thing in its class to drive, thanks to e-4orce. During our brief run on gravel it didn’t put a foot wrong, and it truly shone on tarmac.
You can hurl the X-Trail into fairly steep radius corners at surprising speeds. Do it hard or often enough, and you can feel the torque vectoring working underneath you.
PICK OF THE RANGE?
As we’ve reported previously, there are two X-Trail ePowers destined for local showrooms; the $62,990 ST-L and the $66,990 Ti-L.
Both are exclusively paired with e4orce all-wheel drive, and both are specced to the rafters. Nissan says that a more affordable front-wheel drive X-Trail isn’t off the menu entirely, but requires strong consumer feedback to become a reality.
Having driven the Ti-L at launch, we found it felt every bit like 60-something-grand of SUV packed with exclusive luxury extras, so it’s the model we’d go with.