Introduction
Nissan was one of the early car makers to have ventured into the idea of turning a previously robust and utilitarian class of vehicle into something sufficiently refined for family usage thus came the idea of a SUV named X-Trail.
The original Nissan X-Trail was launched back in the year 2000. It has been a widely success product of Nissan due to its overall refinement and build quality.
In addition, the X-Trail offered superior robustness over the CR-V of the time, making it an ideal choice for both families and light off-road usage.
Specifications:
Variant Tested: 2.0 2WD
Price: RM141,067.01
Engine: Inline-4, Transverse, DOHC, petrol direct injection
Power: 144PS @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm @ 4,400rpm
Transmission: CVT, FWD
Variant Tested: 2.5 4WD Tuned by Impul
Price: RM172,516.42 on-the-road with insurance
Engine: Inline-4, Transverse, DOHC, port fuel injection
Power: 171PS @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: CVT, Intelligent AWD
Safety: 2 airbags, ABS, EBD, brake assist, electronic stability control (VDC), traction control, (TCS), active brake limited slip (ABLS), hill start assist (HSA), ISOFIX (2nd row)
Origin: Locally-assembled at Serendah
Overview of the X Trail
Buyers of the X-Trail are offered a choice between two mechanical configurations – a 2.0-litre petrol direct injection engine powering only the front wheels, or a 2.5-litre port injection engine sending traction to all fours. Whichever way you choose, Nissan’s X-Tronic CVT is the default transmission.
Prices start at RM141,067.01 and RM163,895.94 for the 2.0- and 2.5-litre models respectively, and there is very little in the way of equipment that separate the two variants. Safety is standardized across the range, as are keyless entry, auto headlamps, cruise control, and steering-mounted controls.
For the purpose of this review, we drove the X-Trail in its base 2.0-litre FWD format followed by an Impul-enhanced 2.5-litre AWD test unit.
The 2.0 litre FWD X-Trail competes against the likes of the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5, both of which offer variants as entry points into their model ranges. Whereas the 2.5-litre model competes more directly with the likes of the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, as well as the recently-launched Mitsubishi Outlander; all three are seven-seaters powered by 2.4-litre petrol engines.
The X-Trail comes equipped with state of the art technology which includes a 360-degree camera, which gives you a 360 degree view of your surrounding when driving your car. LED daytime running lights, and Nissan’s Active Chassis Control software are standard fit in both variants. However it is quite disapointing to know that the X-Trail only comes with 2 airbags whereas its Sedan Siblings the Sylphy and Teana gets six airbags as standard.
Exterior of the X-Trail
Nissan opted for a clean slate approach with the T32, completely eschewing now-familiar design cues that characterised the first two members of this model lineage.
Unlike its boxier-looking predecessors, the T32 X-Trail is more curvaceous and rounded, invoking visual similarities with the higher-end Murano. The most significant difference between the 2.0- and 2.5-litre variants are their respective headlights. The halogen reflectors on the former, LEDs on the latter. Regardless of choice of which variant you would choose which is either the vase 2.0 variant or the premium 2.5 variant you get very premium-looking boomerang-shaped LED daytime running lights built into the headlamp cluster as standard. It is a nice touch that helps elevates the X-Trail’s perceived value to onlookers.
Most of the SUV’s in the markets comes equipped with a reverse cameras for safe and convenient backing up. Nissan goes ahead of the competition by offering a segment-first 360-degree Around View Monitor. Using trick computer software, the AVM system stitches visual feed from four strategically-positioned cameras to generate a birds-eye view of the vehicle’s surroundings.
We appreciate that a feature otherwise reserved for vehicles more than twice the price has trickled down to the X-Trail’s price point.
However Nissan’s execution of the 360 degree view camera could be further improve. This is mainly because the monitor deactivates the moment reverse gear is disengaged, a more logical approach would have been to trigger deactivation as the vehicle exceeds a certain speed after moving forward, enabling more seamless use of the feature in tight spaces.
Interior of the X-Trail
Owners of past X-Trails jumping over to the current one will find a reassuringly familiar presence in the pair of chilled cup holders integrated into the centre console. It’s a useful feature to help keep your drinks cool on the move, but we can’t help but wonder if the plumbing works needed to bleed cool air off the air-conditioning system to facilitate this feature created unnecessary packaging constraints.
The X-Trail has the most amount of cupholders we have seen in a modern day SUV so far which a total of ten Cupholders at your disposal. This is quite a convenient feature to have especially on long road trips.
The only difference between the 2.0 base variant and the premium 2.5 variant would be that the premium 2.5 variant comes equipped with powered front seats.
Most important news of the interior is the addition of third row seats expanding the X-Trail’s legal occupant capacity from five to seven persons on the move. Realistically speaking, however, the third row is recommended only for pint-sized adults in short commutes.
Split-folding capability is engineered into both the second and third row seats, which allow the X-Trail’s cargo hold to be pushed to 550 litres with the third row folded down right up to 1,520 litres all seats down. To keep valuables away from prying eyes, a tonneau cover is provided and can be fitted into two different slots to accommodate for adjustment of the second row seats. When not in use, the tonneau cover can be stored out of sight beneath an underfloor storage lid.
Drive-ability of the X-Tail
The X-Trail comes equipped with Active Ride Control. The way the Active ride controls works is when the vehicle passes over certain bumps, passengers may feel a fore-aft pitching motion. The Intelligent Ride Control moderates this by controlling the engine and brakes, delivering a smoother driving experience.
Overall though, the X-Trail is a sensibly-configured and smooth-to-drive SUV. Regardless of your chosen variant, refinement levels are high, performance is adequate, and handling entirely satisfactory for the purpose.
In the context of urban and highway driving, we found the 2.0-litre model hardly wanting for either performance or traction; the 2.5, meanwhile, even with its electronic 4WD system set on 4WD Auto mode, hardly ever needed to route anywhere near 20 percent of torque astern. It demonstrates a chassis setup configured to optimize grip with traction coming only from the front; any additional grip from the rear is a bonus.
Performance advantage of the 2.5-litre model only comes into play on upward slopes, where the bigger engine’s superior torque enables more effortless climbing.
Thanks to its stiffer springs and lowered ride height, the fitment of Impul suspension help provide more effective suppression of body roll around corners and added stability at high speeds. As a whole, however, we feel it is an unnecessary enhancement; the standard setup handles well enough and, as we would elaborate further, the trade-off in ride quality is not a satisfactory one.
Is the X-Traill all that Economical ?
If fuel consumption of 9.9 litres/100km sound for a seven seater SUV sounds good enough for you, the good news is that we achieved this figure on the all-wheel driven 2.5-litre model with a mix of highway and urban driving conditions in a 50:50 mix.
Strangely enough, the lesser-powered 2.0-litre model, despite the benefit of a more advanced direct injection engine and not having the burden of powering the rear wheels, fared only slightly better doing 9.8 litres/100km in similar conditions.
After the first 1,000 and 5,000km services, subsequent maintenance of the X-Trail is performed at 6-month / 10,000km intervals. Estimated costs are slightly lower in the 2.0-litre model, adding up to just over RM6,100 over 5 years / 100,000km of usage. For the 2.5, set aside RM6,700 thereabouts over the same period.
Summary
This current X-Trail is a much better looking SUV as compared to its predecessor. However, is not a vehicle without weakness. One of its major weakness is the safety of the X-Trail as the X-Trail comes with only 2 Airbags as standard when most manufactures offers six airbags as standard. This places the X-Trail at a major disadvantage in the safety department.
Between variants, the 2.0-litre model should prove adequate for most buyers. It offers respectable performance whilst not shedding too much equipment against its 2.5-litre sibling. Dynamically, the X-Trail handles most conditions steadily enough with front-wheel drive, meaning the added traction benefits of all-wheel drive really only comes into play in very severe conditions.
Having allowed the T30 to soldier on way past its sell-by date and subsequently not moving the game on enough with the T31, the X-Trail nameplate was a fading force before the current T32 model came into the picture. The ground up rejuvenation we see here was exactly what the doctor ordered to restore the X-Trail to the mainstream buying public's consciousness.
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