Before even looking at the line-up or the price, and simply going with my experience of this engine, I am going to say the diesel.
The 1.6-litre turbo diesel in the X-Trail is the same unit which called the diesel Renault Kadjar 96kW dCi home before it was discontinued. I fondly remember getting a full tank of petrol and driving for around 1100 km plus before having to visit the fuel station again.
Diesel vs. petrol; the pros and cons
The X-Trail's 2.0- and 2.5-litre petrol-engines are good too, and with the focus on longevity, the petrols have their merit. For starters, they're both naturally aspirated, so you won't have issues with the turbo later, once the warranty has run out. And if you mostly drive in town and encounter stop-start traffic every day, the petrols tend to pollute a lot less and have fewer issues overall, once the car gets on in years.
Price wise, the least expensive diesel in the line-up, the X-Trail 1.6 DCI TEKNA 4WD, carries a rather large price premium over the entry-level petrol model, the 2.0 Visia. This means you will have drive the diesel for many years until the fuel saving comes into full effect and you can start feeling some relief in your wallet. (We suggest opting for a used model with low mileage to offset this.)
Related: Nissan's warranty under the microscope
The diesel is also a little noisy, slightly slower out of the blocks when sudden acceleration is needed, and you need to be extremely diligent about regular services and oil changes, even more so when the vehicle in question runs out of warranty. Using your diesel vehicle mostly for short journeys will lead to the diesel particulate filter getting blocked in the not too distant future, because it's not getting hot enough to burn off the unwanted particles. You can help prevent this from happening by giving your diesel car regular highway runs for at least fifteen minutes, at around 2500 rpm.
Once your X-Trail's warranty is no longer valid, however, you can always have the diesel particulate filter removed and the software upgraded, says Adam Ford, mechanic, workshop owner, and all-round engine expert.
The current South African line-up is as follows:
Nissan X-Trail 2.0 Visia, R427 400
Nissan X-Trail 2.5 Acenta 4WD, R484 200
Nissan X-Trail 2.5 Acenta Tech 4WD CVT, R505 900
Nissan X-Trail 1.6DCI TEKNA 4WD, R537 300
Nissan X-Trail 2.5 TEKNA 4WD CVT, R550 400
So which X-Trail engine is better?
Ultimately it depends on your lifestyle and what kind driving you do on a daily basis. If you want the extra torque and you're committed to caring for your diesel X-Trail, then by all means, buy one. If you and your family undertake regular road trips, tow a boat or trailer, or do plenty of motorway driving, you won't be sorry. Pity you can't buy a new diesel model for under R536k anymore, though — the 1.6DCI can only be had in four-wheel-drive and pricey Tekna trim. You could still buy a 1.6-litre diesel X-Trail in entry-level Visia trim (and six-speed manual gearbox) not too long ago, and we've spotted a few on site. Check out the wide variety of diesel X-Trails we have here.
But, if your budget is limited, there's no harm in buying the entry-level petrol model. Both petrol X-Trails will give you many years of reliable service.
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Nissan X-Trail 1.6 DCi Tekna review (2018)
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