Nissan X-Trail Nismo Unveiled For Japan

Here in Europe, our access to Nissan’s Nismo performance brand currently extends to the all-electric Ariya Nismo. That’s a car we’ve just spent a few days with, with a full review coming soon, but we don’t think we’ll be surprising anyone when we say it’s not likely to be in contention for our 2025 Car of the Year.

Other markets have a wider range of Nismo-badged stuff available to them, although still nothing to truly recall the glory days of the 400R, or even the glory-ish days of the 370Z Nismo. That’s probably not going to change much with the latest model, the Japan-only Nissan X-Trail Nismo.

It’s based on the all-wheel drive X-Trail e-Power, which pairs a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a pair of electric motors, albeit in an unconventional way: the engine essentially serves as a generator for the motors rather than ever driving the wheels itself.

As standard, that setup makes 201bhp and 243lb ft, while in the Nismo, it makes… 201bhp and 243lb ft. Yep, there’s no extra shove to speak of, but it’s more than just a visual overhaul. The Nismo boasts a set of trick KYB swing valve adaptive dampers, which Nissan says cancel out excessive body roll without compromising ride comfort.

The power distribution to the wheels has been tweaked too, with a greater proportion going to the back, and more torque vectoring happening up front to help the Nismo stick to a tighter line in bends. Finally, it sits on a set of new 20-inch wheels shod in performance-biased Michelin Pilot Sport EV rubber. Those wheels feature a big central opening for enhanced brake cooling, which will certainly be appreciated by all those doing track days in their hybrid crossovers.

Visually, it gets the usual Nismo makeover with lots of dark chrome, flashes of red and extra wings and fins. Again, this isn't just pure embellishment – between the wheels’ aeroblades, small front lip and rear diffuser, the Nismo apparently generates real downforce while reducing lift by 29 per cent over a standard X-Trail. Inside, the changes are rounded out by more red accents and an optional set of chunky Recaro sports seats.

So far, sales have only been confirmed for Japan, where pricing kicks off at ¥5,416,400 (around £27,250). Given it uses a powertrain that’s already fully homologated here, though, we wouldn’t be too surprised to see it arrive in Europe to bolster the Nismo lineup here. Given that a regular X-Trail starts at £36,225 in Britain, though, expect that price to shoot up if it does.