You can tell how important a region is to an automaker from the time it takes to deliver a particular model. The Rogue launched in the United States in June 2020 but it wasn’t until July of this year when the X-Trail equivalent debuted at home in Japan. Now it’s Europe’s turn to get a midsize SUV, complete with three-row seating, optional all-wheel drive and an electrified powertrain with a three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine.
Looking so familiar inside and out, the X-Trail destined for the Old Continent is big enough to accommodate passengers up to 160 centimeters tall in the rear seat. Meanwhile, the second row seats have a 60:40 split configuration and can be shifted forward to make it easier for people to access the third row. With the seats in place, the cargo capacity reaches 585 liters or 20 liters more than its predecessor.
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The combustion engine we mentioned earlier doesn’t actually drive the wheels. Instead, a three-pot unit with a displacement of 1.5 liters is used to generate the electrical energy needed for the battery, which is then fed to the electric motor. This method prompts Nissan to say that the X-Trail behaves very much like an EV, offering a full 330 Newton-meters (243 pound-feet) of torque almost instantly. The e-motor is good at producing 201 horsepower, enabling 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in eight seconds.
Nissan will also sell the X-Trail in Europe with AWD by mounting an electric motor on each axle for a combined output of 210 hp. In the all-paw configuration, the SUV will complete the sprint in 7 seconds for the five-seater model and 7.2 seconds with the seven-seater. Not many people care about top speed when buying such a vehicle, but the single motor setup reaches 106 mph (170 km/h) while the dual motor configuration allows for a maximum speed of 112 mph (180 km/h).
Elsewhere, it’s the same Rogue we’re all familiar with, featuring a 12.3-inch driver’s screen and a similarly sized infotainment touchscreen. On the outside, the body is available in 10 colors, along with five two-tone colors. Already available to order in select Euro markets, the X-Trail starts at €38,080 in Italy where it is offered in four trim levels.
