2027 Nissan X-Trail review

Better late than never, right?

Four years after their launch in Japan, front-wheel drive e-Power hybrid variants of the Nissan X-Trail have made their way to Australia.

That makes hybrid power more affordable than ever in the Japanese brand’s mid-size SUV, and yet we’re still left wanting more.

Despite this massive expansion of the X-Trail e-Power lineup, we still don’t receive seven-seat versions offered in Japan, even though that would give Nissan’s mid-size SUV a unique selling point in this segment.

Oh, but Nissan Australia has added a rugged-looking – if no more rugged – Rock Creek grade. Alas, it’s petrol-only, even though New Zealand gets a choice of petrol and hybrid power.

Forgive us for sounding greedy, but it’s just the X-Trail is a genuinely good all-round SUV, particularly in e-Power guise, so it would be good to get the full spread here.

For what Nissan’s calling model year 2026 – despite calendar year 2026 being almost over – the brand has introduced these additional variants, but made no other changes.

Earlier this year, Nissan introduced a facelifted version of the current T33-series X-Trail, with aesthetic tweaks inside and out, the launch of connected car services, and some specification changes.

This late-year lineup expansion is likely to be the last significant change to the local X-Trail lineup before a new generation arrives in around 12 months’ time. But while this will be the current T33 series’ swansong, there’s still a lot to like here.

How much does the Nissan X-Trail cost?

There’s a sprawling range of X-Trails to choose from, with a choice of five trim levels, petrol or hybrid powertrains, front- or all-wheel drive, and five- or seven-seat layouts.

But as the song goes, you can’t always get what you want.

You can’t get the Rock Creek with the e-Power hybrid powertrain in Australia, nor can you get a seven-seat X-Trail e-Power. There’s no ST e-Power, either, though in that case it’s because no such configuration exists globally.

Seven-seat X-Trails are offered only with the petrol engine and all-wheel drive, while the Ti and Ti-L are only offered with five seats and the Rock Creek is exclusively offered with seven.

To see how the Nissan X-Trail lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What is the Nissan X-Trail like on the inside?

There have been no changes made to the interior in most X-Trails, and that’s fine – it’s ageing quite well.

The Rock Creek features some colourful accents plus seats upholstered in “durable ballistic nylon” which, despite the exotic name, feels scarcely different from leatherette.

Nissan already ditched the odd brown upper dashboard and door trim with the facelift earlier this year – I love any interior that’s not black, but this two-tone scheme always seemed more like a factory error. You can still get a no-cost ‘Chestnut’ interior in the Ti-L, however, which is a more attractive application of brown trim.

The facelifted X-Trail also ditched the base 8.0-inch touchscreen, making a 12.3-inch screen standard across the range. This features modern graphics, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and, on all bar the base ST, a slick surround-view camera system.

The resolution isn’t quite as high as some Chinese rivals, but there are various views including a “Skeleton Hood” one.

Unusually, there’s no embedded satellite navigation.

Key vehicle functions are controlled via the instrument cluster display – a 7.0-inch screen in the ST and ST-L, a 12.3-inch full digital display in the others – rather than via menus on the touchscreen. It’s therefore a pretty simple infotainment system, but it works well.

Likewise, the digital instrument cluster is fine if not flashy, and all bar the ST and ST-L feature a handy head-up display.

The dashboard is logically laid out, and refreshingly still features a whole bank of physical climate controls; below the touchscreen, there’s also a row of physical shortcuts for functions such as the camera, plus a volume knob.

There are proper physical switches and rollers on the steering wheel too – which is leather-wrapped on all bar the ST – with the only typically mid-2020s annoyance being the use of gloss-black trim on the centre console and centre stack.

The centre console is logically laid out, with a wireless phone charger at the base of the centre stack below two USB-C outlets, a pair of well-sized cupholders, and a whole second level below where you can stash a handbag. Speaking of storage, the bottle holders in the doors can easily fit 1.5L bottles.

Material quality is excellent, with soft-touch trim used for much of the dashboard and doors, plus the sides of the centre console where your knees might rest.

The front seats are comfortable and feature heating in all bar the base ST, but you can’t get ventilated front seats in any X-Trail despite this feature being introduced to the related Mitsubishi Outlander.

Step into the second row and there’s a comfortable bench, with plenty of room for adult passengers – though taller occupants may find the centre seat uncomfortable in panoramic sunroof-equipped variants.

The driveline hump is fairly small, and therefore doesn’t impinge too much on the centre-seat occupant’s legroom.

Amenities include a pair of USB-C outlets, plus air vents, map pockets, and a fold-down centre armrest with cupholders that’s a bit awkward to pull down.

The rear bench can also be reclined, and slides in all bar the five-seat ST.

The X-Trail is one of the few vehicles in its segment to offer a third row of seating, but these are only for little kids. Not too little though, as there are no child-seat anchor points – these can only be found in the second row, in the form of two ISOFIX and three top-tether points.

While adults, at least those who don’t play basketball professionally, could fit in the third row of the now-axed Pathfinder, we wouldn’t recommend even petite, short-statured adults attempt to clamber back here.

Open the tailgate, which features power assistance in the Ti and Ti-L, and you’ll find tie-down points, a small side storage section and a 12V outlet, as well as a cargo cover with an oddly discoloured appearance.

There’s between 465L and 585L of space behind the second row, depending on the variant. Nissan doesn’t quote total cargo capacity with the second row folded, or in seven-seat variants with the third row up.

To see how the Nissan X-Trail lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the Nissan X-Trail drive?

Our drive route on New Zealand’s South Island saw us venture off-road, down trails and across fords.

The fact that we did all of the same off-roading in not only the new Rock Creek but also front-wheel drive e-Power variants probably tells you everything you need to know about the Rock Creek’s off-road capability – it effectively has no more or less than any other X-Trail.

This is an appearance package, much like the defunct N-Trek, and we don’t even get all-terrain tyres like in the US-market Rogue Rock Creek.

Australian buyers also have to make do with pure petrol power for the Rock Creek, and that’s not where the X-Trail puts its best foot forward.

To be fair, the CVT makes the most of the 2.5-litre four’s adequate outputs, but should you be too heavy on the throttle you’ll be greeted with typical CVT rev flare. It’ll rev up to 6000rpm, and it’s quite raucous while doing so.

Keep it within its comfort zone, however, and this is a decent if unexceptional powertrain.

Step into the e-Power, however, and you’ll find one of the most refined powertrains in the segment.

That’s because Nissan has engineered quite a complex hybrid powertrain, more like that of an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) than a traditional Toyota-style hybrid.

The petrol engine, a small turbocharged 1.5-litre three-pot, doesn’t directly power the wheels. Instead, it serves as a generator for the battery pack and the electric motor(s), which in turn send drive to the wheels.

The result is a quiet, EV-like driving experience. Fuel consumption isn’t as good as a Toyota RAV4, even with the new front-wheel drive e-Power variants, but frankly I’d sacrifice a few tenths of a litre per 100km in fuel for a more refined drive.

And that’s what you get here with the X-Trail e-Power. It doesn’t get thrashy when you rev it and it doesn’t make odd noises at inopportune moments.

The front-wheel drive variants still feel plenty zippy, and we didn’t observe any uncouth wheelspin.

We observed fuel consumption of 6.0L/100km in a drive consisting of various high-speed regional roads and some steep hills; a petrol-powered Rock Creek across a different drive route displayed consumption of 9.2L/100km.

Unless you really need seven seats, this superior fuel consumption – not to mention the improved refinement – proves a ringing endorsement for paying extra for an e-Power.

The X-Trail’s steering feels a bit light at first, but it proved confidence-inspiring when we whisked the Nissan up the winding roads to the Cardrona Hotel.

Shifting the e-Power into B mode increases the regenerative braking and proved enormously well-suited for this kind of mountain driving.

There’s a selectable EV mode but it’s just as pointless as in other hybrids. It even told us at one stage it wouldn’t activate because the front demister was on. And unlike the growing number of EREVs or plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) on the market, you can’t plug this in.

While we wouldn’t say it’s the most engaging vehicle to drive in this segment, the X-Trail feels nice and composed. Body roll through corners is well-suppressed and the steering is reasonably communicative.

Ride comfort could be better, as the X-Trail can feel a bit fidgety on some regional roads, while it can feel a bit brittle over certain road imperfections. Overall, though, we’d call it a comfortable SUV.

The X-Trail features Nissan’s ProPilot system in all bar the base ST, combining adaptive cruise control and lane centring systems. It’s not the cleverest system about, and can be late to react, resulting in some pinballing between lane markings.

To see how the Nissan X-Trail lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What do you get?

There’s a choice of five trim levels.

2027 Nissan X-Trail ST standard equipment highlights:

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Automatic LED headlights
• Automatic high-beam
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors
• Proximity entry and start
• 7.0-inch instrument cluster screen
• 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• NissanConnect connected services – complimentary 3-year subscription
• Wireless phone charger
• Air-conditioning with second-row air vents
• 6-speaker sound system
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
• Cloth seat upholstery
• 6-way manually adjustable driver seat (including 2-way power lumbar
• 4-way manually adjustable passenger seat
• Folding second-row centre armrest
• Sliding second-row seats with 40/20/40 split (AWD only)
• 2 x front USB-C outlets
• 2 x rear USB-C outlets
• 2 x 12V outlets (1 x front, 1 x boot)

The ST-L adds:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Tyre repair kit (e-Power only)
• Rear privacy glass
• Leather-accented steering wheel
• Dual-zone climate control
• Heated front seats
• Leather-accented upholstery
• 10-way power-adjustable front seats with 2-way power lumbar
• Active noise cancellation (e-Power only)

The Rock Creek adds:

• Unique grille and 18-inch alloy wheels
• Orange exterior accents
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• 10.8-inch head-up display
• Rock Creek embroidery on front seats
• Orange stitching and steering wheel accent
• ‘Durable ballistic nylon’ upholstery

The Ti adds (over the ST-L):

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Panoramic sunroof
• Adaptive LED headlights
• Hands-free power tailgate
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• 10.8-inch head-up display
• Tri-zone climate control
• Digital rear-view mirror
• Ambient lighting – centre console

The Ti-L adds:

• Remote start
• Driver’s seat and exterior mirror memory
• Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors with tilt to reverse
• Heated steering wheel
• Heated outboard second-row seats
• Quilted Nappa leather upholstery
• Bose 10-speaker sound system
• Ambient lighting – door trims

Is the Nissan X-Trail safe?

The Nissan X-Trail has a five-star rating from independent safety authority ANCAP, based on testing conducted in 2021.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• • Intersection assist
  • Pedestrian and cyclist detection
  • Reverse AEB
• Blind-spot assist
• Lane-keep assist
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Reversing camera
• Rear parking sensors
• Traffic sign recognition
• Front, front-side, front-centre, and curtain airbags

ST-L and above get:

• Surround-view camera with ‘Skeleton Hood’ view
• ProPilot (adaptive cruise control + lane-centring)
• Front parking sensors
• Tyre pressure monitoring

How much does the Nissan X-Trail cost to run?

To see how the Nissan X-Trail lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Nissan X-Trail

The T33-series X-Trail may be in its twilight years and fighting for market share in one of the most brutally competitive segments in the market, but it’s still worth recommending.

The introduction of front-wheel drive e-Power variants has made the petrol-powered X-Trails seem more redundant. We can appreciate the concerns of long-term durability for such a complex powertrain, but Nissan does back the X-Trail with the industry’s longest new-vehicle warranty.

Opting for the e-Power not only gets you better – if still not class-leading – fuel economy, but it gets you a more refined powertrain.

All X-Trails boast pleasant dynamics and a comfortable, well-appointed interior. It doesn’t have the best infotainment or the most pliant ride among mid-size SUVs, but it doesn’t really do any one thing badly.

While the X-Trail’s third row is tight, as with rival three-row mid-size SUVs, we wish Nissan Australia would make it available in conjunction with the e-Power system – something that would give this a truly unique selling point in the segment.

The Rock Creek represents a fairly anticlimactic launch for this nameplate, given the lack of any extra off-road ability. The lack of an e-Power option for this, too, strikes us as a missed opportunity to appeal to buyers who might like its more rugged look but who want hybrid power.

Even with a new generation around 12 months away, though, we think the X-Trail should remain on your shortlist. In fact, Nissan has now given buyers more reason than ever to consider it.

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MORE: Explore the Nissan X-Trail showroom