DRIVE QUEST - Exploring the appeal of cars with guests.
Vol.05 NISSAN X-TRAIL G e-4ORCE

DRIVE QUEST - ゲストと探る、クルマの魅力。<br>Vol.05 NISSAN X-TRAIL G e-4ORCE

2025.1.30

Photo： Tatsuki Nakata

Edit： Naoya Tsuneshige

Places you can only go by car. Secret conversations you can only have in the car. Play your favorite music and go wherever your heart takes you. Cars always show us new sights. Maybe it's a little different when you've got your crush in the car. This is a series that explores those thrills and excitements with our guests. Passenger seat passenger of the month, what is the appeal of cars?

Profile

Tokio Kimura

After graduating from Bunka Fashion College, he gained experience in multiple genres, including apparel manufacturers, leather craft manufacturers, and accessory manufacturers, and launched his own original brand, tokio, in 2021. He won the TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2025 in September last year, and is scheduled to exhibit at Men's Fashion Week in Paris in January and June this year.

Instagram: tokioworks.official

Exploring the appeal of X-TRAIL with Tokio.

Luxurious brilliance and a design that has been carefully crafted down to the smallest detail. The car in question is the Nissan X-TRAIL G e-4ORCE, which has the look of an SUV but is equipped with the new e-4ORCE technology that allows for such smooth steering that you might mistake it for a compact car.

This is the first time that a Japanese car has appeared in the fifth installment of the series, and on this day, I was once again able to see the true power of Japanese cars. "Go Nissan" is a very famous catchphrase, but the three and a half hour drive gave me a glimpse of the overwhelming confidence hidden behind the challenging phrase.

My first impression of Tokio was that he was casual, frank and unpretentious.
He is extremely friendly. When Tokio is around, the place instantly becomes brighter and smiles never cease to fill the space.
The new shift lever has an excellent design. It is compact enough to fit comfortably in your hand, and its movement is smooth and easy to operate.
A drive mode selector is standard equipment, allowing you to choose from five driving modes, including Sport, Eco, and Snow.

The designer of the fashion brand TOKIO, Tokio Kimura, appeared wearing a bright yellow jacket. In fact, this was my first time meeting him. With the collection presentation in Paris just around the corner, this may be the busiest time for him. What if the drive turned into a tense one? However, Tokio, the designer himself, easily blew away such worries.

"I'm going to Paris in three days. I'm really looking forward to it. I've just finished getting a lot of things done, so I was really looking forward to today's drive. Thank you for inviting me! It seems like you'll be helping me out with some errands today, so I'm sorry!"

Tokio-san said this in a bright voice as soon as he got in the passenger seat. The course of the drive for the day started with a meal at a local Chinese restaurant that Tokio-san frequents, and then we picked up some items that he ordered from a factory in Asakusa.

The bold front view is a perfect match for outdoor scenes as well as around town like this.
This is what it looks like from above.
The interior and seat color is tan, which gives off a luxurious feel.
The interior has a uniform look. You can see the height of the ceiling.
Nappa leather (antibacterial) is available as a manufacturer's option.

"X-TRAIL" may conjure up an image of something a little more outdoor-oriented. It would be classified as a rather rugged type. It's something that comes to mind when you think of 4WD. However, this function called "e-4ORCE" dramatically improves the "running, turning, and stopping" performance in all situations, from everyday life to the outdoors, and is a technology that greatly changes the value of 4WD.

Simply put, "e-4ORCE" is the control of the driving force of each of the four wheels. The grip of a tire changes depending on the driving conditions such as speed and handling, whether the road is paved or unpaved, and the weather, and furthermore, it differs depending on the location of the tire, front, back, left and right.

Nissan has focused on this issue, and by calculating the driving force that realizes cornering and acceleration/deceleration according to the driver's operation and integrating and controlling the front and rear motors and the left and right brakes, it is possible to control the driving force to maximize the grip of the four wheels. Whether it is on a paved road on a sunny day or on a snowy slope, the system detects even the slightest slippage of each wheel, and if slippage occurs, it quickly distributes the driving force to maintain acceleration and realize stable driving.

For lunch, we went to the Chinese restaurant Kouraku in Ueno, a long-established local Chinese restaurant that has been in business for over 50 years.
Tokio says he always comes here when he has work in the area. He finishes his usual menu in seconds.
Tokio's recommendation is a set of Chinese noodles and nasi goreng. Does kimchi go well with nasi goreng?
The shop is run by an elderly couple, and you're sure to be soothed by their friendly service.
Tokio-san is a friendly guy who will talk to anyone, and he has become good friends with the store owner.

"Actually, I also run a second-hand clothing store. I need a car to carry things in and out of the store. I don't really care about the size of the car, as long as it can carry all my luggage. I'm tall, so it's often cramped, but this car is spacious and nice. However, it seems to be quite maneuverable considering its apparent size and the spaciousness inside. It should be able to easily navigate the narrow, winding streets of Asakusa."

There is a huge difference in driving comfort between cars equipped with e-4ORCE and those without it. First of all, the brakes. The two motors exquisitely control the front and rear drive force and regenerative braking, suppressing the unpleasant swaying that occurs when leaning forward. This minimizes the "whoosh" that you feel when stopping at a traffic light. When cornering, in addition to distributing the drive force between the front and rear, braking is applied to the inside wheels, making it less likely for the car to swerve outward. The smooth steering that I mentioned at the beginning is likely due to this function.

Tokio-san checks the finished product of the item he ordered. He has the look of a professional.
What I received that day was an accessory that can be attached to sneaker laces, accented with the TOKIO logo.
A sophisticated new SUV design whose appearance changes beautifully with the changing sunlight.
In order to achieve the ideal proportions, the tires are laid out so that they run as close to the side of the body as possible.

The "X-TRAIL G e-4ORCE" smoothly runs through the downtown area, which has many narrow roads. Inside the car, the conversation turns to TOKIO, who is preparing for an exhibition in Paris.

“Since winning the ‘TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2025’ in September last year, it definitely feels like the environment has changed. The number of stores carrying our products has suddenly increased. I really feel that we received an award that is easy to understand, like a brand with a future and representing Tokyo. As a result, things that until now were fine to make by hand at my own pace can no longer be done that way, and we have started outsourcing more. However, I originally worked in production management, so I was used to that kind of movement, which probably played a big role. Having said that, we are currently in a phase where a lot of things are changing all at once.”

If you suddenly find yourself in such a situation, it's natural to become anxious or panicked. However, Tokio-san remains calm, so I asked him why.

"I just confront things honestly as they are. I've worked in accessories and in production management in the past, so of course I have a wealth of experience, but I think it's important to be honest and sincere. Recently I went to ask a certain skate shoe brand if I wanted to collaborate, and the brand's shoes are ones I've loved for a long time, so I went wearing a pair of shoes that were worn out from years of wear, wanting to convey my feelings about them. They readily agreed to the collaboration, saying, 'I often turn down requests, but when I hear such passionate feelings, I can't help it.' Of course, the quality of your work and the products you make are important, but at that moment I realized that there are some things that you need to value more than that."

The steering wheel is wrapped in genuine leather, giving off a sense of luxury and quality.
The navigation system uses a 12.3-inch wide display. When backing up, images from the rear and above are displayed.
A 12.3-inch colour display with an enhanced mode that allows navigation and driving assistance information to be displayed in a larger size.
19-inch aluminum wheels with unique cut that creates a luxurious look.

With all the errands done, the drive came to an end. Tokio, who had been enjoying the drive with a smile on his face the whole time, looked back on the day.

"The interior was spacious and really comfortable. The ceiling is high, and when you open the roof window it feels open. It looks like you can carry a lot of luggage in it. The average fuel economy of 19.7 km/L is also appealing. When I go to a local shop to have it handled, I take a sample with me. It's the same as what I said earlier, because I want to be honest and sincere. In that sense, fuel economy is important. I had the impression that this type of car didn't have very good fuel economy, but the X-TRAIL G e-4ORCE is wonderful. It could be an excellent partner."

A panoramic glass roof is available as a manufacturer's option. It uses privacy glass that blocks approximately 90% of UV rays.
The luggage compartment has a wide space between the wheelhouses, making it easy to load large items, and the luggage compartment capacity is 575 liters, which is top-of-its-class level.
Like the wheels, the front view has a unique design and its appearance changes depending on the viewing angle.
There is no problem even on narrow roads and roads with many curves. In fact, it can be said that it exerts its power.