Suave, Safe and now with seating for seven – the new Nissan X-Trail.
Suave, Safe and now with seating for seven – the new Nissan X-Trail.
By Chad Lückhoff
The SUV segment is one of the fastest growing segments in South Africa, and indeed, the world. The shift from four-door sedans and compact hatches has seen this share of the market expand exponentially over the last 15 years. Leading the charge for the longest time is Nissan, and their pioneering crossover SUV; the X-Trail. This C-Segment SUV has been a top seller for Nissan for several years and in 2016, was the 5th best selling vehicle globally – no mean feat.
With the latest slew of SUV offerings coming from manufacturers looking to capitalize on the current buying trend, the competition is tight. Many have tried to carve their own little niche in the market by offering improved off-road capabilities, a higher level of luxury and most have been presenting their wares with the same, and on occasion better, tech than their sedan and hatch products.
The new Nissan X-Trail retains most, if not all, of the robust practicality that the previous generations enjoyed, but now serves up a better-presented dish with improved safety and creature comfort convenience.
Dashing Design
The new Nissan X-Trail receives a fresh new look for the 2018 model year with a revised front-end treatment. The front bumper has been altered and the redesign sees a more aggressive nose on the vehicle with the V-Motion grille flanking the Nissan badge up front. The headlights get a redesign and still carry the trademark day-time running light setup. This front-end treatment carries over to the rear where the oft-lamented rear taillights of the X-Trail have been revamped with LED 'boomerang' treatment and a smokey finish – a step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned.
Three new colours, along with new 17- and 19-inch alloy wheels further expand on the visual changes to the new Nissan X-Trail.
The interior has seen a little less in the way of visual upgrades, preferring to go with the “if it isn't broken, don't fix it” philosophy. The materials have been altered ever-so-slightly on the center console and the arm rest, and white contrast stitching goes a way to improve the overall perceived quality of the trimmings. A new steering wheel with flat-bottomed design and improved steering controls feels good in the hands and keeps the cabin feeling contemporary.
One criticism that I would level against the new X-Trail is the build quality that isn't readily apparent, our test vehicle picking up a persistent squeak in the dashboard after a spate of corrugated dirt road. Despite this, the rest of the interior package comes together rather well, in a functional yet stylish way. It's not going to win design awards, but the logical layout will slot itself into your life seamlessly.
Now for the best bit: Nissan now offers the X-Trail with a 7-seater configuration. Perfect for the larger family or those that offer their services on the school run or for young ones' soccer practice.
Improved Safety Systems
Nissan has injected a rather healthy dose of active safety systems into the new X-Trail to bring it up to date with the current trends and competitors. Nissan dubs their new approach to this tech as NIM, or Nissan Intelligent Mobility, believing that technology should never be intrusive, except when it needs to be, as in the event of an emergency.
As such, you can now find Intelligent Blind Spot Intervention (alerts you of traffic in your blind spot); Intelligent Lane Intervention (helps keep you in your lane); Intelligent Cross Traffic Alert (warns you of vehicles in your way); Intelligent Emergency Braking (uses radar to gauge proximity and will bring you to a stop if needed); Intelligent Forward Collision Warning (to alert the driver to impending collisions); Intelligent Auto Headlights (that automatically switch between high and low beams depending on the traffic); and the Intelligent Around View Monitor (with moving object detection) for a 360-degree bird’s-eye view of the vehicle for easier parking.
We were able to sample some of these systems with the aide of a practical exercise. With an obscured view ahead of us, we were tasked with negotiating a tight gymkhana, using only the Intelligent Around View Monitor to guide us. I can attest to the fact that it is accurate, and a breeze to use.
Driving the X-Trail
I put the Nissan X-Trail, in both 2.5-litre petrol and 1.6-litre turbo-diesel guise, through its paces on the twisty coastal roads of Port Elizabeth and surrounds. I was most taken with the functionality of the Intelligent 4x4 and the way that it was transferring the power between the front and rear wheels on loose surfaces. It helped give the X-Trail a neutral handling presence, with the chassis rotating around its center, rather than understeering or wanting to oversteer. Naturally, with a boorish approach, you could get it to do either, but under regular circumstances the predictable handling helped boost the confidence.
The X-Trail is now available with three engine derivatives, the entry-level spec 2.0 petrol producing 106kW and 200Nm, the 1.6 dCi that makes 96kW and a considerable 320Nm torque while the range is topped by the 2.5-litre naturally aspirated inline 4-cylinder that churns out 126kW and 233Nm torque.
I sampled the 1.6 dCi and 2.5 Acenta, both with the 4WD, the diesel with a 6-speed manual and the 2.5 with the CVT gearbox. Both transmissions performed flawlessly and Nissan certainly does know how to integrate a CVT gearbox into their offerings. Choosing between the two is actually quite hard, while the diesel is sure to offer improved fuel consumption (we had it at around 8l/100km with some combined driving), the smoothness of the CVT gearbox and ease of use on all surfaces would probably sway me towards the 2.5 petrol.
Pricing and Grade Walk
Nissan has managed to keep the price of the X-Trail stable and competitive in a market that sees it compete with the likes of the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, KIA Sportage, Toyota Rav-4.
All Nissan X-Trails are sold with a class-leading 6-year / 150 000km warranty and a 3-year / 90 000km service plan.
| 2.0 Visia | R 369 900 |
| 2.0 Visia 7-seater | R 374 900 |
| 1.6 dci Visia 7-seater | R 392 900 |
| 2.5 Acenta CVT 4WD | R 425 900 |
| 2.5 Acenta CVT 4WD 7-seater | R 429 900 |
| 2.5 Acenta Plus CVT 4WD 7-seater | R 444 900 |
| 1.6 dci Tekna 4WD | R 457 900 |