“With Qashqai-esque styling and a spacious and flexible interior, the all-new X-Trail is finally a compelling SUV proposition.”
On one hand they bring us the Almera and on the other, the GT-R. Somewhere in the middle Nissan offer something for everyone else, but considering the Almera’s dreadful looks and the GT-R’s (for most) unobtainable price, I reckon Nissan’s best efforts are undoubtedly their bakkies and SUVs.
In fact I’d go so far as to say that Nissan could bin their entire passenger car line-up (Almera, Sentra and Micra) and no one would really notice. Would they?
With the Juke a market winner despite its opinion polarising design and the new Qashqai setting the compact SUV benchmark, the new X-Trail – which borrows heavily from the Qashqai in terms of design – should also prove to be a segment leader. Or will it?
Thank goodness they’ve binned the boxiness
Indeed! This new X-Trail is all-new and yes, thankfully they’ve binned the ‘box-on-wheels’ design. Sure, the previous generation model was a marked improvement over the original shape. But to be honest, I was never a fan of either. The new model you see here is a breath of fresh air though, looking like an inflated Qashqai, but in a good way.
Good news is that Nissan has managed to trim 90kg off the overall kerb weight of the X-Trail whilst making it more spacious. It is marginally longer (5mm), a little wider (30mm) but crucially has a longer wheelbase (75mm), allowing for a roomier interior. Ground clearance is improved by 6mm as well.
While not dismissing its off-road abilities, the X-Trail has never professed to be a serious off-roader, rather wearing the ‘Soft-Roader’ badge with pride. Much is the same with the new model.
There are four-wheel drive options in the range which incorporate Nissan’s ALL-MODE 4x4i technology allowing for 2WD, 4WD and 4WD Lock modes, however there is no low-range. Saying that, the X-Trail’s 4WD system will be enough for most people’s bundu-bashing adventures.
The furthest I’ll go off-raid, is to the animal farm and back. Which model is best for me?
Definitely the 1.6DCi two-wheel drive model I’ve been driving for the past week. Like most people four-wheel drive is overkill for 99 percent of the tasks required by family SUVs and fortunately Nissan offer you a few options.
The entry-level 2.0-litre XE model (R327Â 700.00) no doubt represents the best value for money, but if you can stretch to it, the 1.6DCi XE is probably the pick of the range.
You might scoff at the puny 1.6-litre capacity, as did I, but in reality this little diesel engine is superbly suited to the X-Trail. It’s also super frugal too, consuming an indicated 6.5l/100km over the week I drove it. In fact, I thought that the fuel gauge might actually be broken because the needle didn’t move from full for the entire week.
Rated at 96kW and 320Nm, it’s the latter figure which astounds me considering the diesel engine’s 1598 cubic centimetres. Mated to a slick 6-speed manual – which I mentally noted as one of the slickest I’ve felt in a SUV – even in top gear and at low engine revs, that impressive 320Nm just keeps on pulling.
Maximum ground clearance is a farm track-beating 209mm, meaning the odd foray off-road won’t leave you with a permanent grimace on you face as you await the inevitable thump on the undercarriage.
On road the X-Trail belies its higher centre of gravity and is supremely comfortable to drive, with respectable road manners even for an SUV. The cloth seats (leather is offered on higher spec models) offered good support and is height adjustable, combined with the height and reach adjustable steering wheel means finding a perfect driving position is a cinch.
Looks good. Tell me a bit more about the interior
As a family vehicle the X-Trail really excels. The rear seats (split 60/40) can move forwards and backwards independently allowing for either more legroom, more boot space or more legroom for the third row in the seven seat variants.
Boot space is a generous 500 litres which expands to a huge 1Â 405 litres of flat loading space with the second row folded completely flat.
The all-new interior uses a good mix of plastics and soft-touch materials for the dashboard and centre console and overall feels fairly upmarket for the price point.
Standard spec is generous too with items such as electric windows all-round, the advanced drive-assist display, a multi-function steering wheel, height adjustment for the driver’s seat, manual air conditioning, audio system with radio, CD, MP3/WMA, USB and auxiliary input, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control and electric parking brake are all included as standard fare on XE models.
Okay, let’s wrap this up
With Qashqai-esque styling, strong performance (in diesel guise at least), a slick manual gearbox, spacious flexible interior, decent specification list bolstered by competitive pricing (R351 000.00) the X-Trail ticks all the right boxes as a solid family soft-roader.
And, for those loyal to the Nissan brand or even those who might be considering a Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V or Kia Sorento, who need more load space (and occasionally seven seats) than what a compact SUV like the Qashqai can offer, the rejuvenated X-Trail is a more compelling proposition than ever.