Nissan X-Trail

	Everything is well built, but it feels low rent in this company, with cheap plastics. Under the bonnet, the engine is showing its age, too

The Santa Fe arrived this year, while the Free­lander and CR-V are brand new, but the X-Trail has experience on its side – it debuted in October 2001. That may seem to put it at a disadvantage, but Nissan has worked hard to ensure the SUV stays at the top of its game. We voted it our best Recreational 4x4 at New Car Honours for four years on the trot; the model was only dislodged by the Hyundai this year.

Nevertheless, many of its strengths remain – the X-Trail looks unfashionably square and flat-sided compared to its more rounded and chunky opponents, but it has an air of go-anywhere ruggedness that’s true of all Nissan SUVs. No doubt about it, despite the relatively compact dimensions (it’s the shortest, lowest and narrowest car here), the boxy machine manages to appear tough.

But the macho exterior hides a welcoming cabin. Designed to be easy to live with and offering loads of neat features, the X-Trail remains a more practical and thoughtfully designed car than either the Freelander or CR-V. The wipe-clean plastic surface in the boot may be slippery, but it comes with a load net to secure loose objects, there’s under-floor storage and the seats fold to provide a completely flat load bay which, at 1,841 litres, is second only to the Hyundai’s. Legroom is fine for those travelling in the back, but as with the Freelander, the large standard-fit sunroof limits headroom slightly – although we think that’s a price worth paying for the extra light the sliding glass lets in.

Up front, the airy ambience is aided by the low window line and commanding seating position – forward visibility is great. That’s helped by the fact that the instrument binnacle has been banished
to the centre of the dash.

The area freed up hasn’t been wasted in the X-Trail, though – just like most of the nooks and crannies in this model, the space has been filled with extra stowage. And there isn’t much wrong with the seats or driving position – it’s not as comfortable behind the wheel as the Freelander, but the broad, well padded chairs mean you can look forward to ache-free long journeys.

However, time is beginning to tell for the X-Trail – there’s bare metal on the inside of the tailgate, the doors are thin, the stereo is cheap, there’s no steering reach adjustment, some controls are hap­hazardly located and the atmosphere is less than luxurious. Everything is well built, but it feels low rent in this company, with cheap plastics. Under the bonnet, the engine is showing its age, too.

This powerplant is easily the most noisy and intrusive in this test. Moreover, as it doesn’t bene­fit from the latest-generation common-rail tweaks, unlike its rivals, it’s rather flat low down in the rev range. However, this lack of power isn’t such an issue as the Nissan doesn’t weigh much – against the clock, it returned similar performance to the more potent Freelander.

Engine vibrations through the pedals and steer­ing take the edge off refinement, though, while the ride isn’t as smooth as its rivals’, either, so the Nissan felt comparatively crude. It’s very capable in the rough stuff, but on the tarmac – which is where the car is likely to spend most of its time – the vague, slow-witted steering and lack of grip prove its undoing. Nevertheless, the generously equipped X-Trail looks good value for money, and scores points for its honest approach.