Nissan is about to add a new powerful diesel engine variant to their successful X-trail model so as to keep the competition going with the Skoda Kodiaq.
The SUV now has a couple of rivals and in order to cope up with the growing needs, the company decided to come up with a range topping diesel powertrain. While changing the engine under the hood, the company is also going to add new items to the dashboard, improve the interiors and update the cabin for the upcoming 2017 edition.
The news was revealed by James Wright, VP of Nissan who had an exclusive interview with some of the top automobile magazines during the 2016 Paris auto show. He confirmed that the team is working on a diesel engine capable of delivering up to 187 horsepower. A possible option is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine which has to be upgraded to meet the Euro 6 standards in order to be launched in the country.
Adding to the announcement, Wright commented that buyers are increasingly demanding every year and automobile manufacturers are supposed to keep up by providing something richer. The most number of X-trails sold belong to the premium category, top of the line models and uses a four-wheel drive setup. While sales are going at a strong pace for the Nissan SUV, the company found buyers spending more on their cars and an obvious move to boost revenue is to add another range topping model to give people more choices.
At the moment, the stores are packed with a 1.6-liter petrol engine powered Nissan X-trail SUV which happens to be the most powerful variant available. It can deliver up to 160 horsepower while the top of the line diesel engine offers just 128 horsepower. The SUV’s direct competitor, Hyundai’s Santa Fe and the Kia Sorento already has 2.2-liter diesel engine variants that offer 194 horsepower.
The mid-life upgrade for Nissan’s SUV should give the brand a much needed boost to sales. Cabin quality is also expected to significantly improve according to the statement made by Wright. The engineering team is working to add semi-autonomous driving technology to all Nissan models including the X-trail and the Qashqai.
Things have been going in the right direction for Nissan and the company has already ventured into the futuristic electric vehicle category with its Leaf. It directly competes with Tesla’s offerings and Chevrolet’s Beat with formidable mile range.