Nissan X-Trail gains front-drive e-Power and petrol-only Rock Creek

A lower-cost hybrid, and a tricky Rock Creek decision

Nissan's Australian X-Trail range has grown to 13 variants as part of the nameplate's 25th-anniversary celebrations, adding three front-wheel-drive e-Power hybrids alongside the new Rock Creek grade. Until now the e-Power system was offered only with all-wheel drive, which kept Nissan's series hybrid technology out of reach of buyers shopping the value end of the medium SUV market, GoAuto reports. ¹³

The new e-Power versions span the ST-L, Ti and Ti-l trims. GoAuto tested the ST-L 2WD e-Power, the new entry point at $45,990 plus on-road costs, which it says goes toe-to-toe with the identically priced Toyota RAV4 GX Hybrid 2WD. Torquecafe lists the Ti e-Power FWD at $50,915 and the Ti-L e-Power FWD at $54,715, and notes a saving of $3,090 for the ST-L against the all-wheel-drive e-Power, with a $3,655 discount for the Ti and Ti-L against the e-4orce versions. ¹⁴

The Rock Creek, based on the seven-seat ST-L 4WD and carrying a $2,435 premium over its donor at $48,315 plus on-road costs, is offered in Australia exclusively with the 2.5-litre petrol engine, GoAuto reports. CarExpert, whose coverage 7NEWS republishes, is blunt about the gap: the Rock Creek is petrol-only here, even though New Zealand gets a choice of petrol and hybrid power. ³²⁶

How the e-Power system works and what it costs to run

The e-Power formula is unchanged apart from the deleted rear motor: a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine never drives the wheels and instead generates electricity for a 150kW front electric motor, GoAuto explains, adding that the front-drive version's overall power output is only 7kW less than the 157kW all-wheel-drive e-Power. Torquecafe notes the claimed 5.4L/100km against the e-4orce's 6.1L/100km, and a requirement for at least 95-octane fuel with the same 55-litre tank. ¹⁴

On the road, CarExpert found the front-drive e-Power one of the most refined powertrains in the segment, describing quiet, EV-like behaviour with no uncouth wheelspin, and observed 6.0L/100km on a route of high-speed regional roads and steep hills. GoAuto's test car also recorded 6.0L/100km against the official 5.4L/100km figure, and 6.7L/100km in the all-wheel-drive e-Power on the return leg of the same 230km drive. ²¹

Trade-offs are real: braked towing drops to 650kg from 1,650kg for the all-wheel-drive e-Power and 2,000kg for petrol X-Trails, ground clearance is 187mm against 205mm for petrol variants, and every e-Power gets a puncture repair kit instead of a spare wheel, GoAuto reports. Australian e-Power models are five-seaters only, although CarExpert notes seven-seat e-Power hybrids are offered in Japan but not here, and Torquecafe points out that e-Power versions come only as five-seaters. CarExpert adds that fuel consumption still trails the RAV4 but argues the refinement is worth a few tenths of a litre. ¹²⁴

Rock Creek: style over substance, driven in New Zealand

GoAuto drove the Rock Creek on Nissan's launch route along the shores of Lake Wakatipu on New Zealand's South Island, praising its predictable handling and traction across gravel sections and mild off-road creek crossings, with Bridgestone Alenza Sport all-season tyres finding plenty of purchase. Those impressions come from a launch drive in New Zealand and should not be read as an Australian road test. ³

CarExpert's take is sharper: the Rock Creek is effectively an appearance package, much like the defunct N-Trek, with no more off-road capability than any other X-Trail. Its testers completed the same off-road routes in the Rock Creek and in front-drive e-Power variants, and note Australians miss out on the all-terrain tyres fitted to the US-market Rogue Rock Creek. ²

Over the ST-L, the Rock Creek brings a black grille inspired by Navara designs, unique 18-inch wheels with orange accents, ballistic nylon-trimmed seats, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.8-inch head-up display, GoAuto reports. The Baja Storm hero paint with black roof is a $1,495 option, and the petrol engine retains 2,000kg braked towing and a temporary spare wheel. ³⁶

Why no Rock Creek e-Power in Australia?

Nissan Oceania has left the door open. "I think the availability to potentially turn it on is 100 per cent there," senior X-Trail product manager Aleks Pecanac told CarExpert, noting the car is approved for both markets but that dealer feedback favours simplicity in the grade line. He explained Nissan doesn't offer the mid-spec Ti in New Zealand, leaving room for a Rock Creek there, whereas an Australian Rock Creek e-Power would overlap pricing-wise with existing variants. ⁶

Nissan Oceania managing director Steve Milette told CarExpert the two markets have autonomy over their line-ups and that dealers are asking for simplification, but added: "if it is a high-demand feature, we've got the potential to do it. We will listen to the market." CarExpert's own analysis estimates a Rock Creek e-Power would start at least $51,315 plus on-roads, well under the Ti e-Power AWD. ⁶

Ownership, safety and where the range sits

All 2026-model-year X-Trails carry a service-activated 10-year/300,000km warranty plus up to 10 years of roadside assistance when serviced within the Nissan dealer network, with maintenance capped at $399 per visit for the first five years, GoAuto reports. CarExpert notes the e-Power's complexity raises durability questions for some buyers, but says the long warranty helps back it up. ³¹²

The X-Trail holds a five-star ANCAP rating based on 2021 testing, according to CarExpert, with standard autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise, blind-spot assist and lane-keep, and surround-view camera plus ProPilot on grades from ST-L up. CarExpert praises an intuitive interface and unobtrusive driver assistance, though it finds the ProPilot lane-centring can be slow to react. ²

CarExpert's overall verdict is that the T33-series X-Trail remains worth recommending despite its age, with the new front-drive e-Power variants making the petrol versions seem more redundant. Torquecafe, after more than 250km through New Zealand's Queenstown region, calls it comfortable, quiet and the kind of car you'd recommend to a friend, though it returned high-6L/100km fuel use against the claim and notes e-Power versions are five-seaters only. ²⁴

For shoppers comparing prices, CarExpert's showroom data lists 2026 X-Trail drive-away pricing from $42,302 for the ST to $63,417 for the Ti-L, with the Rock Creek at $52,848 drive-away, based on a Sydney location and inclusive of on-road costs; those figures sit alongside the plus-on-road-costs list prices quoted by GoAuto and Torquecafe and are compiled on a different basis. ⁵

Dimensions

CarExpert's specification data for the 2026 X-Trail, drawn from JATO Dynamics, lists overall length of 4,680mm, width of 1,840mm (2,065mm including mirrors), height of 1,725mm and a 2,705mm wheelbase. These figures are described as the minimum and maximum values across the range rather than a specific grade. ⁵