Nissan X-TRAIL 2WD RANGE
Whats This? A Four-Wheel Drive That Well.. Isnt A Four-Wheel Drive? Jonathan Crouch Checks Out the Two-Wheel Drive Versions Of Nissans X-Trail
Youre probably bored of hearing how infrequently the current breed of 4x4s are taken off road. I know I am. Why the big deal? Be honest, have you really used all the functions of your home DVD player? Or your microwave oven come to that? Thought not. So why worry about buying a 4x4, enjoying the looks, the versatility and the elevated driving position and never taking it off road?
Of course, if you could do all of that without having to buy the largely redundant 4x4 hardwear, it would probably be even more tempting, especially if the upfront saving reflected the lack of under-floor gubbins. Enter Nissans X-Trail 2WD. Its not the first soft roader to be offered without 4x4 traction and it certainly wont be the last. It might, however, be the best.
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Theres a £1,500 saving to be gained by going the 2WD route in this case but
Nissan have wisely reasoned that buyers wont want to advertise the fact, so this X-Trail looks just like its four wheel drive stablemates. In fact, I should say these X-Trails since there are actually two: an entry-level £16,145 2.0-litre petrol model and a £17,745 dCi diesel. The performance and economy figures these variants manage arent much different to those of their 4x4 counterparts. Youll reach sixty from rest about 0.
3 seconds quicker and go 0.6 miles further on every gallon of fuel. Of more interest are the CO2 emissions where the reduction measured for the 2.0-litre petrol model (which records 217g/km) puts it in a more affordable tax bracket than the four wheel drive variant this car replaces.
Bear that in mind by the way. If you want a four wheel drive X-Trail, you now have to pay at least £19,645 for a 2.5-litre version. Nissan has done some tinkering with specifications across the X-Trail line-up in recent times.
There is, for example, a new colour on the palate (Baltic Blue). 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.
"Its not the first soft roader to be offered without 4x4 traction and it certainly wont be the last. It might, however, be the best."
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. Go for the 2.0-litre petrol 2WD version and you should find that the 140bhp engine isnt too punishing on fuel, returning a presentable 31.
0mpg, the payback being its ability to hit 60mph in 10.7 seconds en route to a fairly academic 110mph. Its a sweet engine, but the five-speed gearbox fitted to the X-Trail is about as slick and polished as John Prescott at the dispatch box when President Tonys in Tuscany. Road manners are pretty near the top of the compact 4x4 tree, certainly far better than average, on a par with the
Land Rover Freelander.
Roll is well suppressed and wind noise is also agreeably muted although the tyres will make an infernal din on poorly surfaced motorways. Go for the diesel version and you get the uprated 136bhp dCi unit that was introduced in 2004, a marked improvement on the original diesel this car campaigned with. With the fitment of this unit, torque (or pulling power) went up by 16.3% yet fuel consumption has stayed at 39.
2 mpg and CO2 emissions at 190 g/km. As youd expect, this makes the X-Trail dCi rather faster than the original diesel version with in this case, 2.8 seconds slashed off the 0-62 mph acceleration time bringing it down to 10.9 seconds.
Nissan has also taken the opportunity to improve the gearchange to make it cleaner shifting. The X-Trails styling initially takes a bit of getting used to. Massive headlights are probably the most striking design feature, but the detailing is neat, the stance purposefully chunky and the bloodline looks more like a scaled-down Patrol than a latter-day Terrano II. With chrome touches on the grille, tail and door handles, the X-Trail leaps into a commanding lead over the Land Rover Freelander and
Toyota RAV4 in the shininess stakes.
Where the Nissan strides ahead of the Toyota and the Land Rover is in terms of interior design. Yes, we appreciate that its a Japanese car, and its interior is expected to be about as chi-chi as a McDonalds staff room, but bear with us here. Loads of space, a big tick in the oddments space box and some beautifully judged trim colour combinations make the Nissan as good as it gets in this sector. The centrally mounted instruments give the fascia a wonderfully symmetrical look spoiled only by a steering wheel offset to the right (European and US buyers get theirs offset the other way!) and the centre console is trimmed in silver and features a drinks cooler that actually works.
So, a sensible package from a breed of car that is normally anything but sensible if you add up all the pros and cons. Nissan could be on to something here.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Nissan X-Trail 2WD range
PRICES: £16,145-£17,475 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 9
CO2 EMISSIONS: 217g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0] 0-60mph 11.3s / Max Speed 110mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0] (combined) 30.4mpg
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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