Nissan X-Trail

The X-Trail isn’t revolutionary, but is an improvement on its predecessor

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Rating:
On the road price: £25,595 - £26,795
For : Lovely handling, easy to drive, well equipped, great value
Against : Knobbly ride, looks similar to old car, thirsty petrol engines

Driving
Nissan offers two petrol engines with the X-Trail, a 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre. They’re OK, but the 2.0-litre dCi (offered in two power outputs, 148bhp and 171bhp) is far superior. The unit delivers its power smoothly and has a meaty shove. It’s mated to a well-weighted clutch and precise six-speed gearbox. We found ride quality could be nuggety, with some vibration in town and rather too much tyre roar on motorways. But this tight dynamic set-up gives the X-Trail an edge on twisty roads. With sharp, positive steering and good body control, the Nissan is able, balanced and car-like in its responses. The ‘All Mode 4x4’ allows you to select front-wheel-drive only, which improves economy; or you can select Auto Mode, which adjusts drive between the axles – very effectively, too. When exiting corners, the unloaded front wheel doesn’t lose traction under hard acceleration.

Marketplace
The X-Trail is vital to Nissan’s 4x4 fortunes in the UK. While this model is completely different to the first-generation car, it’s visually similar; the firm didn’t want to change its winning ways. But look more closely and the modifications are obvious, particularly the stretched D-pillars. It sits on a platform shared with the Qashqai and is designed to be more of an off-roader than that vehicle. It’s a five-seat car, with the company having no current plans to introduce a seven-seat version of the compact SUV. Trims mirror the larger seven-seat Pathfinder and comprise Trek, Sport and Aventura. All are well-equipped, with the expected best-selling Sport including full-length sunroof, CD changer and Bluetooth phone connection. The Nissan’s arch-rivals include the Land Rover Freelander, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota RAV4.

Owning
The boot is massive – 603 litres, up 193 litres on the models’ predecessor. We like the removable false floor and sliding drawer, while a low load lip and wipe-clean trim add to the practicality. However, this extra space comes courtesy of a long rear overhang – rear legroom is only adequate, though the 40/20/40 rear seat fold is clever. The driving position is excellent and there’s lots of steering and seat movement. The dash is upmarket and simply laid out, while there are practical features such as six cupholders, a generous glovebox and dash-top cubby. Combined economy for the diesel is OK, at just under 40mpg, but this falls dramatically for the thirsty petrol variants. However, retained values should be promising; the old model was impressive in this respect, and the much-improved current model is expected to show an improvement.