Spy photos: New Nissan X-Trail already getting a facelift in the US

A facelift for the just-launched Nissan X-Trail mid-size family SUV is already in development – but it may be some time away from Australian showrooms.

Drive’s spy photography partners have captured a camouflaged X-Trail prototype testing on US roads, with a new grille, and refreshed front and rear bumpers.

Although it may have just arrived in Australia at the end of last year, the current Nissan X-Trail has been on sale in the US since late 2020 – where it is sold as the Rogue – so it will be due for a mid-life update in North America towards the end of this year.

However, if the two-year delay in the current model arriving in Australia is a guide, this styling refresh may not arrive in local showrooms until the end of 2025.

The Nissan X-Trail sold locally is built in Japan, where production – for Australia, as well as Japan and Europe – did not commence until early in the second half of 2022, suggesting it is on a staggered life cycle two years behind its US sibling.

Although a new look may be around the corner in the US, many of the features planned for the updated model overseas may already be in Australian showrooms.

Australian models are fitted with a larger 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen than the 9.0-inch display in US versions, as well as a more advanced autonomous emergency braking system capable of braking for obstacles in intersections.

It remains to be seen if the updated model in Australia drops the current 2.5-litre non-turbo four-cylinder petrol engine for the 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine in US models, with improved power and torque outputs of 150kW and 305Nm (up on the non-turbo engine’s 135kW/245Nm).

Meanwhile, the e-Power hybrid system in Australian X-Trail is not offered in the US Rogue.