Nissan has shown off its new X-Trail at the Shanghai motor show. Well, it's not quite new-new - we've already seen this car in its US-market form, badged as the Nissan Rogue, and on the outside at least, this new X-Trail is only different in its badges.
Nissan's family-sized seven-seater
We do know that, once again, it will be Nissan's primary seven-seat vehicle, as although there is an all-new Qashqai being launched here in June, there will not be a new generation of the once-popular Qashqai +2.
Much shared with the new Qashqai
Much of the new X-Trail is actually carried over from the new Qashqai - there's the same CMF-C/D platform underneath, and up front the two cars have virtually the same dashboard, complete with an (optional) 12-inch digital instrument panel and a central touchscreen that measures as much as nine inches across.
Clever X-Power hybrid
While the Qashqai is ditching diesel power this time around, the X-Trail's engine lineup is not yet fully confirmed, but we do know that it will get the same X-Power setup as the Qashqai, in which an electric motor drives the wheels, which is powered by a compact battery, which itself is kept charged by a frugal 1.3-litre petrol engine. The engine never drives the wheels directly, and there's no external charging point for the battery - Nissan claims that X-Power offers the smooth, instant-acceleration of an EV, without the hassle of charging, and with the low emissions of a hybrid. We shall see...
Other engine options will include Nissan's 1.3-litre turbo petrol unit, with mild-hybrid assistance and either 140hp or 160hp. It seems possible that there will be no diesel option this time around, as Nissan reckons that X-Power fill the frugal fuel-burn gap for longer-distance drivers, but that's still TBC.
The new X-Trail should be on sale in Ireland towards the end of this year.