Nissan X-Trail e-Power

FIRST DRIVE Qashaai’s big brother is designed to cope with UK roads

- Alastair Crooks

AS the second best-selling car in headline act, but the X-Trail is also hugely important for the brand. Sales here almost match all of western Europe's put together.

Indeed, while the last X-Trail was Nissan's best seller globally, its popularity here has led the firm to tailor the new model to UK roads.

Sitting on the same platform as the Qashqai, the X-Trail is being launched with the e-Power drivetrain, which has a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol unit to charge its 2.1kWh battery. This then sends power to an electric motor on the front axle and, for this e-4ORCE model, a second e-motor on the rear axle. The petrol engine never drives the wheels.

ON THE ROAD e-Power drivetrain is set up to mimic an EV. The car pulls away using battery power, and when its engine kicks in, the revs rise to match road speed - in theory

Nissan claims the main benefit behind the e-Power set-up is its similarity to pureelectric drivetrains. And on the move, you certainly can see where it's coming from.

If you're gentle with the throttle, the X-Trail will set off in electric-only mode. However, the throttle only needs a light prod for the petrol engine to burst into life, and if you push hard, the revs climb to reflect the road speed - although it's never a perfect match. The acceleration also doesn't feel as quick as the 7.2second 0-62mph time suggests, either.

There's not much to distinguish between Normal, Off-road, Eco and Sport driving modes, save for the steering gaining a little more weight in the latter. Eco stiffens up the throttle to ward off aggressive pedal prods.