Nissan X-TRAIL RANGE
The X-Trail Was Already Lauded By Many In The Know As The Best Compact 4x4 Around.
Nissan Hope The Latest Round Of Revisions Will Consolidate That View. Andy Enright Reports
The reception that the Nissan X-Trail received when it was first unveiled in 2001 probably caught even Nissan on the hop. It scooped a whole series of awards and suddenly made the market leaders look rather old hat. Time waits for no vehicle, however, and Nissans product development team knew that without a little fettling, others could do to them what they did to the rest. In order to keep things looking fresh it has in recent times received a mild facelift, a raft of incremental changes inside, a 2WD version and an improved diesel engine.
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Prices start from £16,145.
The main recent news is the adoption of a couple of 2-wheel drive variants, offered with both petrol and diesel power and slotting in at the bottom of the range at £1,500 less than their four wheel drive counterparts. Other changes are minor and most centre around the addition of extra equipment on top of the range T-Spec models (satellite navigation, 17-inch alloys, privacy glass and Xenon headlamps). Sport models get the new 17-inch alloys while SVE variants get the privacy glass. Theres also a new colour (Baltic Blue) added to the palate.
All this has been accompanied by a price increase, meaning that the 4WD models now start with the 2.5 Sport at £19,645. The 2.0SE model now only comes in 2WD form and costs £16,145 or £17,745 with 2.
2-litre diesel power. 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.
"The
Nissan at least has some trousers to back up that shiny mouth"
If you owned an original X-Trail diesel model, you may not know that that cars 112bhp diesel engine has been replaced by a far more satisfying 136bhp unit purloined from the Nissan Almera. Although the power increase is certainly welcome, of more consequence is the swelling of the available torque from 270Nm up to a hefty 314Nm. Consider that a
Land Rover Freelander Td4 puts out 110bhp and 260Nm of torque and youll rapidly appreciate why Nissan welcome any such comparisons. This X-Trail will knock nearly two seconds off the Freelanders sprint to 60mph, reaching the benchmark in 11.
2 seconds. Despite the power on tap, the X-Trail 2.2dCi feels fairly languid, especially when you snick into sixth gear for motorway cruising. Due to the fact that its configured almost as an old-school overdrive gear, the engine will be burbling along at just 2,500rpm at 70mph, helping the X-Trail to some very good extra-urban economy figures.
Even on the combined cycle you should expect to see 39mpg. The only fly in the ointment concerns the diesel engines rather mediocre CO2 emissions showing. Although an extrail sounds like something that would have you quickly flipping the page of Grays Anatomy, Nissans interpretation of the compact SUV theme is pretty inoffensive. The 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 has assumed a commanding lead over the Land Rover Freelander and
Honda CR-V in the shininess stakes. Although its tempting to bring a premature close to this contest with the Nissan ahead on points, it would be a same not to explore the X-Trails potential a little further. The two petrol engines never feel quite as special as the diesel but are worth considering. The 138bhp 2.
0-litre four-cylinder petrol unit used in the 2WD model could give Nissan Primera drivers a gnawing sense of déjà vu and although it may at first promise the torque to weight ratio of a petrified log, appearances can be deceptive. This engine obviously requires a little more down its filler neck but itll still return a presentable 31mpg. The payback is its ability to hit 60mph in 11.0 seconds en route to a fairly academic 110mph.
Its a sweet engine, but lacks the diesels gruff urge, and would probably be the choice for the low mileage user who didnt object to a slight lack of low-end grunt. The 2.5-litre lump, as fitted to Sport and SVE 4WD models, penalises you very little compared to its smaller petrol sibling yet can sprint to 60mph in less than ten seconds. Road manners are pretty near the top of the compact 4x4 tree, certainly far better than average, although probably not quite as composed as the Honda CR-V but 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. 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 4x4 buyers are unlikely to venture off-road, its good to know that in 4WD form at least, the Nissan at least has some trousers to back up that shiny mouth.
Where the X-Trail strides ahead of the Honda 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 revised interior as good as it gets in this sector. Only the most unreconstructed badge snob would turn their nose up at a Nissan X-Trail.
Compared to the sales leader, Land Rovers Freelander, it boasts a better range of engines, a better handling and ride package, a more imaginative and spacious interior and superior fit and finish. The British car would pip it when it came to off road capability but in the real world, the Nissan wins most of the relevant battles. We like to think we live in a meritocratic society but when a product as good as the Nissan X-Trail resides anywhere other than top of the 4x4 sales charts it gives lie to this illusion. The best just got better.
Will it sell? It had better.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Nissan X-Trail range
PRICES: £16,145-£24,245 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 9-11
CO2 EMISSIONS: 189-230g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0] 0-60mph 11.0s / Max Speed 110mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0](combined) 31.0mpg
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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