The new X-Trail: Worth its salt, in more ways than one

While the dust and excitement of the recent Qashqai launch has not even settled, Nissan is at it yet again. This time with the X-Trail, for many years square and boxy, not unlike the Land Rover Defender. It has not just seen a radical change in styling and technology but now sports a serious family resemblance to its sibling – the Qashqai. It’s all in the nose – as the aristocrats would say!

And based on my principle not to compare products, I have no intention of weighing up these two vehicles. It is, however, a fact of life that one can and will see resemblances, even across comparing brands with one another. It is also a fact that with the event of the Juke, Nissan probably changed the face/design of SUV/crossover vehicles for ever. The latter applies to the new X-Trail as well.

There is a market for serious 4×4 low-range capacity vehicles but in my mind the market for SUVs with limited 4×4/all-wheel drive capacity, or even low range, is much larger. The major concerns in terms of 4×4 or all-wheel drive capacity for the Tom, Dick, and Harry’s among us, are fuel-consumption and maintenance costs. I call it the squint elements. “I would love to own this, that or the other 4×4 but hey, six kilometres to the litre – just too hectic!” And you have heard this often enough yourself.

In photography circles we say that if you are not going to shoot 80% of your pictures with that R80 000+ lens or camera 80% of the time, don’t buy it. To my mind, the same principle applies for all other things/stuff/cars/bikes and the rest. But, let me apply my mind to the X-Trail.

Not only does the new model look bigger, it is physically larger – 75mm longer and 30mm wider, and those broad wheel arches, high rear-light clusters and excellent ground clearance certainly add their share of contributing to the overall impression. Designers also meant for the X-Trail to accommodate seven seats although you can buy it in a five-seater configuration. Sitting in the driver’s seat, that front end fills the road space from yellow to white line, which renders a large-vehicle driver experience.

The seats have all been individually designed to ensure complete comfort and support with passenger and driver touch points as Nissan calls them, maximised for comfort and also storage. The second-row seats also offer legroom adjustment. In seven-seat models the rearmost seats fold down completely into the floor to provide flat and practical luggage space – in fact collapsing them increases loading space from 135 to 1 310 litres.

NissanConnect, Nissan’s new-generation infotainment, now allows for smartphone integration, Sat Nav and compatibility with a seven-inch touch screen on the top models. The fascia lay-out is driver focused, uncluttered but stylish and offers satellite controls on the steering. The X-Trail will be available in no less than eight models – XE, SE and LE specification with both diesel and petrol engines and or two-wheel or all-wheel drives.

I drove the 1.6dCi six-speed manual two-wheel drive which delivers an excellent 96kW@4000r/min and 320Nm@1750r/min. And although it offers a brisk 0-100km/h, what impressed me the most was the fuel consumption. My best was 4,8litre/100km and the worst was 5,8. Now in my book, this is very impressive for such a large and comfortable vehicle.

If you are interested in the top models with all-mode 4x4i, the various chassis technologies will most certainly impress you. I drove the famous 22 between Sabie and Hazyview at never faster (or much slower) than 120km/h and I was really impressed with the solid feel, confidence and good feedback via the steering. Now I can but only imagine what it would be with an all-wheel drive derivative with its active-ride control and ABLS. At slower speeds (town driving) the torque band offers excellent performance also and although I drove the manual, the automatic gearbox will be my preference if I am to spend a lot of time in traffic.

On the SE and LE models a Techno Pack, available as an option, offers a host of technologies that will enhance your experience of the vehicle. The latter includes 18-inch wheels, 7-inch touch screen, Nissan safety shield, surround-view monitor and more.

Nissan now claims the most comprehensive offering in this segment and with prices ranging from R327 700 to R473 600 the new X-Trail is set to leave a blazing trail. Photos: www.quickpic.co.za