New Nissan X-Trail Nismo revealed with sporty body kit, chassis upgrades

Nissan has revealed the X-Trail Nismo, a sportier version of the regular family SUV, in Japan. It gets several chassis upgrades and some cosmetic updates, too, but the 1.5-litre petrol-hybrid powertrain with all-wheel drive e-Power has been carried over unchanged. 

1. X-Trail Nismo gets a rear-biased AWD system
2. Gets new suspension and wider wheels
3. Interior gets new Recaro bucket seats

Nissan X-Trail Nismo mechanical upgrades

The biggest updates on the X-Trail Nismo are on the chassis front – it gets new wing-valve dampers supplied by suspension firm KYB, which are said to provide more effective bump absorption at low speeds. Nissan says the new suspension provides an improved trade-off between body control and ride comfort.

It even gets larger 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres, which are also 20mm wider. There are upgrades to the car’s electric power steering as well to accommodate the new chassis setup.

Under the hood, the X-Trail Nismo continues with a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine that comes paired with two electric motors (one on each axle), thus enabling all-wheel drive. The engine does not drive the wheels but instead acts as a generator for the motors, with the system producing a total of 204hp and 330Nm.

This powertrain is already offered on the regular X-Trail in the same state of tune in several markets abroad, but Nissan has tweaked the car’s all-wheel-drive system to send a greater share of the power to the rear wheels. This, it claims, makes it easier to adjust the X-Trail’s line through a bend using the throttle. 

Nissan X-Trail Nismo exterior and interior updates

Visually, the X-Trail Nismo is marked out by a sportier body kit that brings new front and rear bumpers and a slightly tweaked grille. The front bumper even features a prominent splitter with red accents, while at the rear, there’s a diffuser with Nismo badging. Nissan says this has helped reduce aerodynamic lift by 29 percent compared to the regular X-Trail. Inside, it also gets the option of more thickly bolstered Recaro bucket seats.