Car: Nissan X-TRAIL range
Prices: £22,345-£26,795 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 13-14
Emissions: 198-216g/km
Performance: [dCi 173PS] 0-60mph 10.0s / Max Speed 124mph
Fuel Consumption: [dCi 173PS] (urban) 30.4mpg / (extra urban) 44.8mpg / (combined) 38.2mpg
Safety: Driver, Passenger, Side & Curtain airbags, ABS, EBD
Dimensions: length/width/height 4510/1765/1750mm
X MARKS THE SPOT
Our Rating: 5.9 / 10
Nissan’s first X-TRAIL was everything a compact 4x4 should have been but never caught the public’s imagination. The latest version should do better. Andy Enright reports
To be honest, there wasn’t a lot wrong with the first generation Nissan X-TRAIL. It just started feeling a bit old and a bit plasticky compared to the freshest faces on the compact 4x4 block. The latest car makes a better fist of ‘perceived quality’ and retains the old car’s admirable versatility.
It’s enough to make you wonder. Nissan pulled out all the stops with the 2001 X-TRAIL and brought a vehicle to market that was palpably the best compact 4x4 money could buy. The trouble was, you guys didn’t believe Nissan and you didn’t believe us when we said so. Instead you bought Land Rover Freelanders, Honda CR-Vs and Toyota RAV4s. Some of you even bought Mitsubishi Shogun Sports, gallantly taking one for the team in the process. Meritocracy, it seemed, was a dirty word among buyers of smaller 4x4s. Nissan tinkered with the X-TRAIL formula but it was mere fiddling while Rome burned and you weren’t listening.
Undeterred by this brutal blanking, Nissan has brought us an improved X-TRAIL, hoping once again to tempt you from your Land Rovers, Hondas and Toyotas. Will it do the numbers for Nissan? In all likelihood, no. It’s not for want of trying though.
The old X-TRAIL was always one of the tautest-handling small 4x4s around thanks to a very well engineered suspension system that served up a ride and handling compromise that has only been bettered in this class by the Toyota RAV4 and, at more rarefied prices, the BMW X3. Thankfully little has changed in that regard. With petrol power now discontinued, there’s a pair of 2.0dCi diesels with either 150 or 173PS, the latter scooting to 60mph in ten seconds and hitting 124mph where conditions allow. The 150bhp unit is only available in top spec with an auto ‘box.
The X-TRAIL is also very competent off road, Nissan’s designers rightly proud of All-Mode 4x4-i, an intelligent four-wheel drive system that reduces understeer and gives this ostensibly front-wheel drive car some real capability, predicting when the front wheels are slipping and directing drive to the rears with lightning response. A rotary knob lets you choose either fuel-saving front-wheel drive, automatic four-wheel drive with a variable torque split between the front and rear axles, and a mode with the centre differential fully locked to help you crawl
New from the ground up, the current generation X-TRAIL is slightly larger than its predecessor: its wheelbase has increased by 5mm to 2630mm, while overall length has risen by 175mm to 4630mm. Much of this extra length can be found in the luggage area, which has increased dramatically in size. With the rear seat in place, the original vehicle had a luggage area VDA measurement of 410 litres up to the lower edge of the rear window: in this latest X-TRAIL, the equivalent figure is 603 litres, an increase of 193 litres (including double deck trunk capacity). Fold the rear seats forward and this increases to 1773 litres.
This has been achieved by rerouting the exhaust silencer from its original transverse position under the boot floor to a north/south location alongside the rear wheel well. This has allowed the creation of an innovative double deck luggage area, with space for a sliding drawer under the floor where valuable items can be stored away from prying eyes. The drawer has partition walls that can be placed in a number of different positions or removed altogether as required. The floor and the drawer can both be removed to increase load space even further. As a result, the luggage area of this X-TRAIL is deeper and wider than the original and, even with the false floor in place, virtually as tall. With it removed, luggage height is increased by 127mm over the original.
Though there are exterior styling changes with this latest generation model, more important are the improvements wrought inside. Nissan knew that to compete against rival products like Land Rover’s Freelander2, the latest Honda CR-V and Toyota’s MK3 RAV4, they would have to up their game in terms of cabin fitment and this they’ve certainly done. The rather icky plastics of the first generation car have been replaced with more soft touch finishes, metallic highlights and tonnes of auxiliary storage space. Nissan claims an extra 50 litres of oddment stowage around the cabin with various bins, boxe
Nissan to extend trade-in scheme
Following the moves of their competitors, Nissan Motors plans to extend its British Built Trade-in Scheme. Nissans trade-in scheme guarantees clients a minimum 2,000 pounds trade-in for vehicles more than seven years old. Previously the scheme only applied to 8-10-year-old models. The scheme will kick off from 1 April until 30 June 2010. The new Nissan models eligible for the offer include the Qashqai, Qashqai+2, Note, ...
Nissan lays out ambitious electric car plans
Nissan has confirmed that its forthcoming electric car will boast a battery range of around 100 miles, making it one of the most energy efficient on the market.Due to be launched towards the end of 2010, the manufacturer's breakthrough vehicle is currently being developed in Japan, where the first batch will also be constructed.While exact details of the car have yet to be announced, Nissan's No...