Nissan Elgrand: Luxury people mover redesigned with hybrid drivetrain

The fourth-generation of the Nissan Elgrand, the car that arguably created the luxury people mover segment, has been unveiled at the 2025 Tokyo motor show.

Essentially a toned-down version of the 2023 Hyper Tourer concept, the new Elgrand’s Timeless Japanese Futurism styling has plenty of sharp edges and interesting angles to catch the eye, and is certainly a more intriguing design than the third-generation model that debuted way back in 2010.

The front-end is dominated by a pixel lighting arrangement that blends into the grille pattern. The car seen here is finished in Fuji Dawn paint scheme that’s said to meld the colours of sunrise on Mount Fuji with a deep red-purple hue that symbolises nobility.

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On the inside we find a minimalist dashboard that’s heavily influenced by the Ariya mid-size electric SUV, and has a screen pod that houses two 14.3-inch displays.

While the climate control system has capacitive buttons under the infotainment screen, there is a physical volume knob and on/off switch for the sound system. Similarly, the transmission buttons and steering wheel spoke controls all use physical buttons.

With its mix of interesting colours, Kumiko-inspired patterns on the door trims and seat upholstery, and subtle woodgrain elements, the cabin is a big upgrade over the functional interior of today’s car. The only discordant note is the middle head restraint for the rear seats, which doesn’t match the colour used on all the others.

A 22-speaker Bose sound system, and 64-colour ambient lighting system are among the items on Elgrand’s options list. The people mover is also available with the latest ProPilot system, which includes hands-free driving below 50km/h, as well as hands-free operation on highways and hands-free lane changes.

The current car’s 2.5-litre four-cylinder and 3.5-litre V6 petrol engines have been given the boot. They’ve been replaced by a third-generation e-Power hybrid system that has a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine acting as a generator for electric motors that drive the wheels.

While outputs have yet to be revealed, Nissan says the Elgrand is the first car to use the next-generation e-4orce all-wheel drive system, which uses torque from the rear axle motor to counteract pitching during acceleration and deceleration.

Given past history, it seems unlikely the Elgrand will make its way Down Under, but there is a healthy market for the Elgrand and its competitors through the grey market.

While Toyota has so far resisted the urge to officially bring the Alphard/Vellfire twins to Australia, the very closely related Lexus LM went on sale locally in 2023.

MORE: Explore the Nissan showroom