Marketed as the Rogue in North America, Nissan's X-Trail might not be the first choice for a mountain rescue vehicle. Nevertheless, it was this exact model that was heavily modified and is now serving its new role on the right side of the pond.
Named the Nissan X-Trail Mountain Rescue, it is a true slope-conquering brute with multiple upgrades. And we're not just talking about those on the outside, as the interior was also altered to save lives, and that is its real purpose.
Starting on the outside, one of the most memorable upgrades saw the wheels being ditched for tracks. The brand’s engineers replaced the front and rear fenders with wider components to accommodate the tracks. Up front, it has a winch that allows it to free itself from most slippery situations, and if it cannot do that on its own, then the reinforced tow hooks at both ends will certainly come in handy.
Sporting a red and silver look with a few yellow accents and displaying its name on the sides, the beefed-up X-Trail is also equipped with footboards for easier ingress and egress, as it rides 23 cm (9 inches) higher compared to the regular variant. Additional lighting units were added to turn night into day at the push of a button, and it also gets a flashing light bar and a siren. The custom roof rack hosts the evacuation stretcher and snow shovels.
Photo: Nissan
To be worthy of its new given name, the X-Trail Mountain Rescue's interior was modified. For one, the rear seats were removed, and this is where a stretcher can be found. Thus, it can transport injured skiers to the nearest medical facility, accompanied by a medical professional sitting on a special seat next to them. Additional gizmos can be seen throughout the cockpit, with everything serving a single role: lifesaving.
No upgrades were performed under the hood, where this mid-size crossover features the e-4ORCE powertrain with all-wheel drive. It has a total output of 213 ps (210 hp/157 kW). According to the official spec sheet, the 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) acceleration drops from 8.0 in the two-wheel drive model to 7.0 seconds when ordered in this configuration, and the top speed goes up by 10 to 180 kph (6-112 mph). The combined fuel consumption is 6.3-6.4 l/100 km (37.3-36.8 US mpg), and it emits 143-145 g/km on average.
Curious as to where you might be able to catch a glimpse of the new Nissan X-Trail Mountain Rescue? Well, you will have to book a trip to Italy for that, as it serves its new role at the Cervinia ski resort. Besides the images shared in the gallery, the automaker also released a video that shows this one-off crossover in action, and it can be seen below.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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