Nissan X-Trail

Overview

The only crossover in Nissan’s Malaysian portfolio, for the time being, the Nissan X-Trail is a midsize premium car which has recently been given a big tweak and is in its third generation. The X-Trail here is offered in two altogether different variants and five color options – Tungsten Silver, Brilliant White, Diamond Black, Titanium Olive and Imperial Umber.

Interior & Features

The cabin of the X-Trail might not look futuristic and sweep you off your feet. But it still impresses with its mature layout, premium pure black theme and correct use of materials at right places.

The flat bottom three-spoke steering with a nice looking instrument console housing a modern and informative colored MID screen in between analog dials make up for a very nice driver’s cockpit.

Coming towards the wide centre console, it houses a large touchscreen infotainment system with automatic climate control below it. The AC vents on the dashboard get a premium piano black finish around them. With features like panoramic sunroof, push-button start with keyless entry, full leather upholstery, dual-zone automatic climate control with AC vents for all the three rows, the X-Trail tries to pamper the occupants sitting inside. While the space levels in the front and second row are undoubtedly good, it is the third row which feels claustrophobic.

Exterior

The facelift which Nissan has given to the X-Trail has managed to give the vehicle a much appealing front fascia and a rugged stance which were missing in the previous iteration. However, compared to the other similarly priced full-fledged SUVs, it still misses out on the required intimidating road presence, but then, there is no lack of modernity in its design which does justify its premium positioning.

Nissan has tweaked the centre of the front grille by adding piano black finish below the signature V-shaped chrome element, which makes it look much more aggressive and premium. The angular headlights do inculcate dual full LED projectors, with daytime running LEDs placed on their inner edge.

There is not much drama when you view the X-Trail from the side. It has nice and smooth curvy lines flowing above the front wheel arch, which blend on the window waistline. Nissan has made generous use of chrome for garnishing the door handles, window frames and side body moldings. Apart from the use of chrome, the presence of roof rails, as well as diamond, cut alloy wheels make the side profile look even more premium.

The rear profile of the Nissan X-Trail doesn’t look as enticing as the front and has got a simple but elegant stance with thin chrome garnish on the skid plate on the rear bumper as well as above the license plate housing.

Ride & Handling

Thanks to the stiffly sprung independent struts with stabilizer at the front and independent multi-link with stabilizer at the rear, the Nissan X-Trail makes up for being one of the finest handling crossovers. The X-Trail has also got disc brake setup at both the front as well as rear, with the 4x4 variant also getting limited slip differential in addition for off-road duties.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

Nissan is offering the X-Trail with two petrol engine options, both of which are mated to Nissan’s X-Tronic CVT gearbox. The smaller 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine produces 144 PS of maximum power and 200 Nm of peak torque output, and channels the power produced to front wheels only. Meanwhile, the bigger 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine has been blessed with a 4x4 drive train and belts out 171 PS of peak power and 233 Nm of peak torque outputs. In addition, the 2.0-litre engine is also available in a hybrid variant.

Braking & Safety

The Nissan X-Trail has got a long safety feature list, making it the safest vehicle in its category. This SUV packs in features like front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, seat belt pre-tensioners with force limiters, ISOFIX mounts for child seats, reverse camera, front and rear parking sensors, around view camera with moving object detection, forward collision warning system, forward emergency braking, hill descent control, hill start assist, vehicle dynamic control, intelligent trace control, blind spot warning system and rear cross traffic alert.

Verdict

The Nissan X-Trail might not have got the intimidating stance of a traditional SUV, but then, its modern design and luxurious cabin justify its premium positioning. Adding to it, the X-Trail has got its mechanical aspects quite sorted, which makes it a very practical choice for one’s urban usage as well.