The first time I saw the Kühlung forest range breaking through morning fog, I thought, this is no place for a city slicker. The winding routes, steep climbs, and sudden transitions from gravel to damp forest asphalt begged for something muscular, smart, and quietly confident. That morning, I wasn’t in a Land Rover or a lifted pick, up. I had with me the fourth, generation Nissan X, Trail e, 4ORCE. A car that, on paper, tries to marry hybrid economy with real, world utility. But I didn’t want paper impressions. I wanted dirt, elevation, cabin chatter, drivetrain sweat. So I turned off my phone, took a sip of coffee, and pressed the power button.
The X, Trail’s New Shape: Family Muscles, Not Gym Muscles
The X, Trail’s new design feels like it’s finally come into its own. It’s no longer pretending to be a budget pathfinder or a bloated Qashqai. No, this is a car that wears its width and height with genuine purpose. The V, motion grille is wide and cleanly aggressive, like it knows you’ll be putting child seats and bike racks behind it. It doesn’t scream premium; it whispers “I’m built for real stuff.”
Those flared wheel arches aren’t just cosmetics either. They swallowed Kühlung’s uneven forestry paths without once making me feel I was bottoming out. I particularly appreciated the rear light design which not only adds a wide stance but made loading my camping gear into the generous 575, liter boot feel less like a puzzle and more like a game of efficient stacking.
Even more, when I folded the 40:20:40 rear bench, I didn’t need a roof box. A full, size trekking bike went in diagonally. No wheels removed. No drama. That’s utility, and very few hybrids can match that layout without feeling like you’re punishing the interior.
Cockpit Calm in Wild Places
The interior of the X, Trail deserves a separate story. And no, it’s not flashy like a Mercedes EQB, nor clinical like a Model Y. Instead, it’s a family, first, sanity, preserving layout. There are still knobs. Real ones. For climate and volume and drive modes. And a chunky drive selector that just feels right.
The 12.3, inch infotainment screen is plenty crisp, but it’s the voice control that became my unexpected favorite. I was winding through the misty curves of the Kühlung uplands when I asked Alexa to play my forest, drive playlist. And it just… worked. No taps. No distractions. And with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, my navigation was always right where I needed it.
Storage is intelligent too. The butterfly, opening armrest allowed my daughter in the back to reach her snacks without needing to bug me. The sliding rear seats let me maximize legroom or cargo based on whether the dog or the camping cooler needed priority. It’s those details that show this isn’t a “greenwashed” SUV, it’s a genuinely evolved family hauler.
Real Hybrid, Real Power , The e, 4ORCE Story
Now let’s get technical. The X, Trail I tested was the full hybrid 1.5 VC, T e, Power Tekna e, 4ORCE model. Forget mild hybrids. This is serious tech.
The combustion engine doesn’t even touch the wheels. Instead, it charges a battery which powers twin electric motors, 150 kW up front and 100 kW at the rear. That gives you 213 horsepower and 525 Nm of torque with electric immediacy.
I launched it from a standstill near the Kühlung forest watchtower, and it hit 100 km/h in a flat seven seconds. Not neck, snapping, but linear and effortless. From 15 to 30 km/h, the surge was nearly EV, like, just 1 second. Merging onto the B105 later that day, 80 to 120 km/h took only 5.1 seconds. More than once I had to remind myself this was a family SUV.
But here’s the thing: it never felt frantic. No CVT drone. No weird power, lag. Just smooth and progressive power, unless you really stab the pedal. Then, yes, the petrol engine raises its voice a bit, but not more than a distant murmur. Even then, the system does its best to keep things balanced.
The Suspension Is Honest, And So Is the Steering
Now, Kühlung isn’t forgiving terrain. Patches of unpaved road with tree roots, followed by pristine tarmac that turns slippery in the dew. The X, Trail handled both with integrity, if not plushness.
The ride is stiff. Not punishing, but definitely tuned more for body control than comfort. You feel manhole covers. You hear suspension work when it’s doing its job. That said, on long sweeping bends, I appreciated the setup. The steering had just enough weight and feedback, and I never felt uncertain even when cornering harder than I should’ve with the family dog in the boot.
Brakes were solid, averaging 34.9 meters from 100 to 0 km/h during repeated panic stops. That’s above average. The regen from the e, Pedal system was predictable, and while it won’t bring you to a complete stop, it made downhill drives incredibly relaxing. My right foot got a vacation.
Real Consumption in the Real World
Let’s not sugarcoat this. If you’re buying the X, Trail expecting Toyota Prius fuel economy, you’ll be disappointed. Over four days of mixed driving, forest trails, autobahn, school runs, I averaged 7.5 l/100 km. On the highway alone, I saw 9.3. But in the city? A solid 5.8.
So yes, the hybrid system shines in urban sprawl. Start, stops, creeping traffic, parking lot chaos, it feels like an EV. But get on the open road, and it drinks a bit more. Still, I had no range anxiety, no charge cables, and no worrying about battery levels. For many families, that flexibility will trump pure EVs.
Table of Technical Specifications
For complete accuracy and consistency, all technical content is sourced from Nissan’s official platform.
| Specification | Detail |
| Model | Nissan X, Trail 1.5 VC, T e, Power Tekna e, 4ORCE |
| Engine | 1.5L VC, Turbo Petrol (generator only) |
| Electric Motor (Front) | 150 kW |
| Electric Motor (Rear) | 100 kW |
| System Power | 213 hp / 157 kW |
| Torque | 525 Nm |
| Transmission | Electric motor drive (no gearbox) |
| Drive Type | All, Wheel Drive (e, 4ORCE) |
| Acceleration (0, 100 km/h) | 7.0 seconds |
| Top Speed | 180 km/h |
| Combined Consumption (WLTP) | 6.3 l/100 km |
| Real, world Average Consumption | 7.5 l/100 km (tested) |
| CO2 Emissions (WLTP) | 143 g/km |
| Boot Space (Seats Up) | 575 liters |
| Boot Space (Seats Down) | 1,396 liters |
| Length x Width x Height | 4680 x 1840 x 1720 mm |
| Towing Capacity (Braked) | 1,800 kg |
| Unbraked Towing Capacity | 750 kg |
| Kerb Weight | 1,908 kg |
| Warranty | 3 years or 100,000 km |
| Base Price (Tested Version) | €54,690 |
Why It Mattered in Kühlung
The Kühlung landscape doesn’t forgive weak traction. It doesn’t appreciate overcomplicated tech that breaks down when your phone has no signal. The X, Trail was the right kind of hybrid for this place, not because it conquered rocks or forded rivers, but because it offered something subtle: confidence. I drove gravel switchbacks without slipping. I turned off, road without hesitation. And I camped without the sense that I’d pushed the car beyond its character.
This car is for families who dream of going places beyond IKEA and city malls. Who want an SUV that doesn’t just wear a hybrid badge, but one that works with electricity in a meaningful, balanced way.
Conclusion: A Hybrid With Real World Grit
I left Kühlung after three days of trail dust, packed sandwiches, dog hair, and some of the most scenic drives I’ve done in a long time. The Nissan X, Trail didn’t pretend to be an EV. It didn’t act like a Range Rover. But what it did, quietly and competently, was prove it belongs in the wild, in the city, and everywhere in between.
It’s not perfect. The ride could be more refined, and fuel efficiency on the autobahn needs work. But as a well, rounded, seriously capable, and hybrid, intelligent family SUV, it nailed the brief.
Is the X, Trail a full EV?
No, it’s a full hybrid with electric motors driving the wheels and a petrol engine acting solely as a generator.
Does the e, 4ORCE system in X Trail really help off, road?
It’s not a rock crawler, but for wet trails, dirt roads, and light off, roading, the e, 4ORCE all, wheel drive distributes power impressively and invisibly.
Can X trail tow a caravan?
Yes. It can tow up to 1,800 kg braked, which covers most medium, sized caravans and trailers.
