Hybrid family SUV showdown! How will the 2023 Nissan X-Trail e-Power fare against rivals like the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Ford Escape PHEV?

Nissan is joining the mid-size hybrid SUV fight with the 2023 Nissan X-Trail e-Power, meaning the likes of the top dog Toyota RAV4 and rivals like the new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV or the Haval H6 Hybrid have more competition.

Though the X-Trail e-Power features a slightly different hybrid system in which the engine provides power to the battery and electric motors rather than directly powering the wheels, the new Nissan X-Trail will still go up against similarly priced mid-size SUVs.

That means its number one target should be the Toyota RAV4, the most in-demand and highest-selling model in the segment. With its hybrid models starting from $36,900 before on-road costs for a RAV4 GX 2WD Hybrid or $39,900 for the AWD.

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Nissan’s X-Trail e-Power pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it will arrive in Australia in only high-spec 4WD variants with prices expected to start north of $50,000. Nissan’s X-Trail Ti trim level is about in line with Toyota’s RAV4 Cruiser spec on price.

X-Trail has had a quiet year for sales so far in 2022, with 5740 units shifted so far to the end of August against the RAV4’s 25,292. But in previous years, the X-Trail has rivalled the RAV4’s overall sales around the 20,000-unit mark.

While the available sales data isn’t broken down by powertrain, it’s possible Nissan’s more EV-like e-Power system will attract buyers as a point of difference compared to conventional hybrids like that of the RAV4.

Also on the way to shake things up is the Kia Sportage Hybrid, which could arrive as early as the first half of 2023. Its cousin from Hyundai, the Tucson, is also expected to locally receive a hybrid variant not long after.

Collectively the Sportage and Tuscon have almost matched the RAV4 for 2022 sales so far (Sportage almost 11900 units, and Tucson more than 11,200), both also outselling other models with hybrid variants like the Haval H6 and Subaru Forester.

With electrified powertrains increasing in popularity, the overall sales won’t be an exact indicator of hybrid sales, but a little over one in ten SUVs sold in Australia in 2022 is a hybrid, and a tenth of those hybrids are PHEVs.

For those who wish to plug-in, the mid-size SUV options are more limited, but growing slowly. In addition to the existing MG HS PHEV, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has just launched in Australia, while the Ford Escape PHEV is also now available.

There are also hybrid models with significantly smaller shares of the pie like the Peugeot 3008 and the new Cupra Formentor, the latter expected to pick up sales somewhat over time.

So, will the X-Trail swim to the top of the hybrid pond? It’s unlikely to have quite the impact on RAV4 sales given its relatively high entry price, but expect the historical popularity of the X-Trail to play nicely into Nissan’s hands and create a proper bit of competition amongst the best of the rest in the mid-size SUV segment.