Nissan has marked a quarter-century of X-TRAIL in New Zealand with the launch of new front-wheel-drive e-POWER hybrid variants and two adventure-focused Rock Creek grades, taking the nameplate into its second 25 years with the broadest range it has offered.

“X-TRAIL has been a part of New Zealand families’ lives for 25 years, and its enduring success comes down to one thing: evolving with what our customers want,” said Steve Milette, Managing Director, Nissan Oceania. “Today, we’re giving Kiwis more reasons to choose X-TRAIL, with the introduction of front-wheel-drive e-POWER and the new Rock Creek. One makes Nissan’s innovative hybrid technology accessible to more buyers, while the other brings a fresh, more adventurous character to the range.

“After 25 years and four generations, X-TRAIL remains Nissan’s best-selling nameplate in New Zealand. We’re proud of that legacy, but even more excited about what comes next.”

e-POWER hybrid line-up expands to front-wheel drive - For 2026, Nissan has doubled its e-POWER hybrid line-up from two grades to four with front-wheel-drive versions of the ST-L and Ti-L. In e-POWER, the wheels are driven exclusively by an electric motor.

The two-wheel-drive e-POWER variants return combined fuel consumption of 5.4L/100km, an improvement of approximately 11.5 per cent over all-wheel-drive e-POWER variants. Combined CO2 emissions for the two-wheel-drive hybrid models are just 123g/km.The two-wheel-drive e-POWER variants also offer 150kW of power and are priced $3000 below their all-wheel-drive counterparts.

Expanding X-TRAIL’s hybrid offering reflects decisive shifts in the medium SUV segment, where electrified powertrains have overtaken petrol as consumers’ preferred choice, and around half of hybrid buyers choose two-wheel drive.

Rock Creek makes its X-TRAIL debut - The distinctive new Rock Creek grades have been developed for buyers seeking a more rugged interpretation of the family SUV. New Zealand takes two — a seven-seat petrol grade built on the all-wheel-drive ST-L petrol, and a five-seat e-POWER grade built on the all-wheel-drive ST-L e-POWER — both featuring unique exterior styling and bespoke interior detailing.

Outside, the X-TRAIL Rock Creek features a black V-motion grille, black roof rails, gloss-black door mirrors, a unique front lower bumper and exclusive 18-inch alloy wheels, complemented by orange accents on the front and rear badging and the alloy wheels.

A distinctive ‘three-slot’ horizontal grille treatment, inspired by the Nissan D21 ute and current Navara, is exclusive to the X-TRAIL Rock Creek. Headlining the Rock Creek colour palette is a new ‘Baja Storm’ exterior paint, paired with a black roof.

Inside, durable ballistic nylon-trimmed seats feature embroidered Rock Creek badging, while orange contrast stitching across the seats and dashboard trim, along with an orange Nissan badge accent on the steering wheel, reinforces the grade’s adventurous character.

Both Rock Creek grades bring a technology step up over the ST-L donor grade, adding a 10.8-inch head-up display and a 12.3-inch full TFT instrument cluster, at a $2600 premium over the grades on which they are based.

“The new Nissan X-TRAIL Rock Creek answers a clear call from buyers who want theircompact family SUV to look and feel ready for the weekend,” Milette said. “Rock Creek pairs genuine, rugged attitude with seven-seat practicality, and gives X-TRAIL a distinctive new character at the adventurous end of the range.”