Nissan has taken the wraps off its X-Trail NISMO, which brings a raft of predominantly visual changes to the e-Power-based variant, as well as some meaningful hardware upgrades.
Aesthetic upgrades include tasty 20-inch Enkei alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres. A deeper front splitter and more serious rear diffuser, according to Nissan, reduces lift by 29 per cent. It also incorporates an F1-style brake light.
For the interior, Recaro bucket seats trimmed in leather and Alcantara offer tombstone backrests and generous bolstering – not that you’ll need it, as the SUV retains the stock e-Power‘s 157kW hybrid powertrain.
To be fair, KYB Swing Valve shocks are implemented to reduce body roll – not to the detriment of ride comfort – while the e-4ORCE AWD system has been tweaked for more rear drive bias and improved torque vectoring between the front wheels. Furthermore, the vehicle control module (VCM) has been sharpened with Sport mode giving more ferocity, so it might be a pretty handy steer after all.
Scheduled to be released on September 24 in its home market, there’s no word on whether or not the X-Trail NISMO will make it Australia. However, it is part of a mid-cycle enhancement (MCE) which also includes the Rock Creek off-road focused variant – hitherto exclusive to the North American market.
The last time Nissan cooked up a hot X-Trail was the Japan-only, first generation X-Trail GT, powered by the 206kW SR20VET, with variable valve lift and a top-mount intercooler.
