The more I drove the new Nissan X-Trail e-Power, the more I found myself liking it. Some cars have enough showroom appeal to make you press a signed cheque into your sales consultant’s hand the moment you see them, but the X-Trail isn’t one of them. With a car like this, the flames of affection burn slowly.

That makes perfect sense, because the X-Trail isn’t the kind of car conceived to steal hearts. Instead, it’s a family sport utility vehicle with a boxy shape and seven seats. Its mission is to deliver comfort, practicality and safety, like a clever pooch you can rest your feet on, who can be depended on to fetch your slippers and fend off burglars.

Rivals include the Mazda CX-8, Kia Sorento and Skoda Kodiaq, all of which riff off the same basic theme. Except the Nissan adds a twist: it has the legs of an electric car, but the heart of a petrol one.

That said, if you really need a seven-seater and your brood is on the tall side, you can rule out the X-Trail off the bat. The rearmost chairs origami into place easily enough, but they’re strictly for children because the headroom back there would only suit Anne Boleyn. Plus, if you want to use them you’ll have to remove the luggage cover, but then there’s nowhere to stow it.

But everything from the middle row forwards is perfectly pleasant. There’s plenty of room in the back, and the optional pleated upholstery adds an upmarket, lounge-like feel to the space. The ambience is just as nice up front, where you get a neat dashboard, solid build quality and plenty of space for all the things you take out of your pocket when you get into a car.

The air-con system gets plenty of love from me, not only because its switches are dead easy to use, but mainly for how relentlessly it fills the cabin with air that feels like it came straight from the South Pole.

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While the 12.3-inch infotainment is fairly rudimentary, it works with Android Auto and (wireless) Apple CarPlay so it doesn’t have to do more than look pretty, which it does.

The X-Trail’s real charms have to do with its e-Power drivetrain. Nissan’s idea (build an electric car but instead of powering it with a heavy, expensive battery, get a petrol engine to generate electricity on the go) sounds elegantly simple but it works marvellously well. The X-Trail doesn’t need hours of charging, but it exhibits all the smooth urgency of an electric car, with much of the quietness.

The e-Power setup makes the X-Trail more efficient than a pure petrol car, too. It has a small buffer battery to store energy recovered during deceleration, which is effectively free electricity. When the generator kicks in, it usually runs at its optimal speed, unlike a normal car’s engine, which spends much of its life outside of its sweet spot.

The upshot of it all is that the X-Trail does feel like an electric car to drive. The acceleration is strong and immediate when you want it to be, but in quieter moments the car wafts along like a swan on the water. The generator does raise its voice if you’re standing on the accelerator, but otherwise it only ever emits a faraway purr.

More to the point, the X-Trail’s e-Power system gives it enough polish and refinement to make its rivals sound and feel crude in comparison. That’s just as well, because the current state of the certificate of entitlement market means the Nissan is now in luxury car pricing territory, at S$249,800 apiece.

Yet, the X-Trail’s rivals are in the same boat, plus the same money buys less car if you really want a premium nameplate. BMW’s X1, for example, costs a similar amount, but while it wears its badge on its boxy body well, the Nissan is roomier, more practical, more refined and more soothing to drive. Though the price might have you feeling salty, the X-Trail itself is quite a sweet car.

Nissan X-Trail e-Power Prestige

Engine 1,497 cc, turbocharged in-line three Power 142 hp at 4,400 rpm Torque 250 Nm at 2,400 rpm Gearbox Single speed Electric Motor Front (204 hp/330 Nm), Rear (134 hp/195 Nm) Battery Lithium-ion, 1.75 kWh System Power 210 hp System Torque 525 Nm 0-100kmh 7.9 seconds Top Speed 180 kmh Fuel Efficiency 6.7 L/100 km Agent Tan Chong Motor Sales Price S$249,800 with COE Available Now