Nissan X-TRAIL 2.2 dCi SPORT
The
Nissan X-Trail 2.2dCi Sport Competes In The Middle Of A Packed Market. Does It Blaze A Trail Or Will It Sink Without Trace. Andy Enright Reports
What a place to land. Were the funkily named Nissan X-Trail 2.2dCi Sport a space probe, it would have probably folded up its solar panels and died the terrain is just too inhospitable. Jeep Cherokees,
Land Rover Freelanders,
Toyota RAV4s,
Honda CR-Vs,
Mitsubishi Shogun Sports - this market is stuffed to the far horizon with unfriendly aliens looking to clobber your sales figures into nothingness.
The Nissan also has to contend with the fact that most people equate Nissan 4x4s with the Patrol, a model thats about as sophisticated as a backstage party with Roy Chubby Brown and a case of Kestrel. Perhaps thats a bit harsh, as the Patrol has come on a great deal since its rather agricultural roots, but in this part of the market, a certain amount of urban chic counts for a lot. Its what has made the Jeep and Land Rover offerings sell so well. The diesel side of things may well count in the Nissans favor though buyers of these models arent totally sold on cosmetics.
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The X-Trail 2.2dCi Sport should appeal to their latent practical side. The cost is a not insignificant £20,645, though if thats too much, you can get the same engine minus some of the sporty kit from £19,245 or less if you dont want 4WD. For the latest model year, this Sport variant gets new 17-inch alloy wheels and theres also a new colour (Baltic Blue) added to the palate.
"You even get an electric glass sunroof thats bigger than some open cast copper mines"
These changes build upon the improvements introduced during 2004 which saw 50mm shaved from the front of the car courtesy of a slimline new bumper. The front grille was also revised to give the nose a little more visual impact while round the back there were revised light clusters. Inside, there have been interior upgrades focusing on improving the look and feel of the cabin. The X-Trails signature design feature has always been the centre mounted instruments and this design has now been tweaked to house additional climate control switches and, where necessary, Nissans Birdview satellite navigation system.
The seats have been beefed up a little with added bolstering at the sides and under the thigh and the X-Trail now features upright can holders as opposed to the horizontal holders used in the original version. And the engine? Well its a decent one, stolen from the Primera range. The available torque is up nicely by 16.3% over the original 114bhp lump that was first fitted to this car and the 136bhp power output is impressive.
Youll see 60mph tick by in 11.5 seconds on the way to a decidedly subsonic top speed of 113mph, but thrashing along autobahns is hardly the X-Trails home turf. A combined fuel economy figure of 39.2mpg sugars the pill that usually comes with a relatively small-engined, heavy, bluff-fronted vehicle.
Although the X-Trail sounds suitably lifestyle and the press material contained a rollover weeks-worth of the dreaded PR-guff, the reality is refreshingly practical. A thoughtful addition is a door sill that opens with the door, thus alleviating the muddy trousers problem common to many 4x4s that see terrain tougher than a Tesco car park. Walking around with strides that look as if a terrier has fouled itself upon them rapidly undoes any residual credibility that stepping from a mud-spattered 4x4 accrues. Otherwise five doors and the longest wheelbase in the class are a good start and the styling isnt so wacky that itll date quicker than a HearSay CD single.
Road manners are pretty near the top of the compact SUV tree, certainly far better than average. Roll is well suppressed and wind noise is also agreeably muted although the tyres will make an infernal din on poorly surfaced motorways. You do get more equipment for your money these days with features on this Sport variant such as a leather-rimmed steering wheel with audio controls, front fog lamps, active head restraints, fully colour coded exterior, that cargo net and a centre floor mounted box with lid. And thats in addition to the enormous electric glass sunroof, 6CD autochanger, alloys and roof spoiler that this model has always had.
Off the beaten track the
Nissan does surprisingly well, with power switching from the front wheels to all four when conditions decree, else the driver can manually select 4wd via a dash-mounted button. It certainly seems capable of holding its own, although it lacks the fancy hill descent control of the
Land Rover. Although most compact SUV buyers are as unlikely to venture off-road, its good to know you have the Nissan at least has some trousers to back up that shiny mouth. The fly in the X-Trails ointment has to be the gearchange.
The six-speed box fitted to the diesel versions is, despite its well-chosen ratios, pretty woeful. Be prepared to develop a left arm of splendid musculature and rehearse a plausible reason why. All told, the Nissan X-Trail 2.2dCi Sport is a welcome part of the diesel compact SUV market.
In practically every judgment Nissan has made about the car, theyve got the balance just right and apart from the gearbox and overall refinement, it would come close to scoring a full five stars. As it is, if you set aside questions of image, youd probably choose it over pretty much anything else. Thats quite an achievement when you consider the opposition.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Nissan X-Trail 2.2dCi Sport
PRICES: £20,645 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 10
CO2 EMISSIONS: 190g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 11.5s / Max Speed 113mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 39.2mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver and Passenger airbag, ABS, EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4510/1765/1750mm
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