NISSAN X-Trail

In terms of design, the X-Trail is one handsome-looking SUV. It gets a split headlamp in the front with the LED Daytime Running Lamp positioned above and the main headlamp unit sits in the bumper. There is a chunky chrome grille that Nissan calls V-Motion grille and it can be found on other Nissan SUVs as well. There is also an active air dam below that improves the airflow. On the sides, there are nice 20-inch alloy wheels, plastic cladding and a floating roof design. At the rear, there are boomerang-shaped tail lamps and a chunky bumper. Nissan will be bringing the X-Trail to India in three colour options - Diamond Black, Champagne Silver and Pearl White.

The cabin of the X-Trail is quite functional. The seats are supportive with lumbar support. Unfortunately, there is no ventilated function on offer nor there is leatherette upholstery on offer. This does rob away a premium factor as Nissan is using fabric for the seats and door pads. However, there is soft-touch material used for doors and the dashboard which does look nice. There is a wireless charger on offer along with two cup holders, storage under the centre armrest and there is also an additional shelf that sits between the driver and the passenger seat.

(Also read: Can Nissan X-Trail fill the void left in large SUV space by Ford Endeavour?)

Climbing into the second row is an easy affair because the doors open at an 85-degree angle. The seats offer decent legroom as well as headroom despite having a panoramic sunroof. The rear occupants get charging ports, a centre armrest with cupholders as well as a space for the mobile phone and AC vents. Unfortunately, the rear window does not roll all the way down. The rear seats can also slide forward and back which helps open up more space for the third-row occupants and there is a reclining function as well. Then there is the third-row which is best reserved for children only.

The third row of seats can be easily dropped to open space for the luggage. The second row of seats can also be folded flat which this does is create a huge flat space for larger items. The boot space is rated at 585 litres with the third row folded and it increases to 1,424 litres when the second row is folded as well.

The X-Trail comes equipped with a touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay with a nice speaker system and a panoramic sunroof along with an electronic parking brake and auto hold. There are two charging ports up-front, dual-zone climate control and a 12V socket as well. The driver gets a crisp LCD screen for the instrument cluster that shows all the vital information, automatic wipers and headlamps, a multi-function steering wheel and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. There is also a speed limiter functionality and cruise control on offer. Unfortunately, Nissan is not offering ADAS in India. However, there is a 360-degree camera with front and rear parking sensors to help in parking the SUV.

The X-Trail uses Nissan's variable compression turbocharged petrol engine. As the name suggests, it can change its compression ratio between 14:1 and 8:1, depending on the driver's input. The compression is increased in favour of fuel economy under low load and under high load the compression is decreased in favour of performance. There is a 12V mild hybrid system on offer as well that helps with auto start/stop and boosting fuel efficiency. Unfortunately, the Nissan X-Trail will come only with the front-wheel drive powertrain in India.

Yes, the engine is just a three-cylinder unit and has a capacity of 1.5 litres but the spec sheet does not do justice to it. There are no vibrations that we expect from a three-cylinder engine, not while driving hard and not at idle as well. The engine pulls quite strongly and reaches triple-digit speeds swiftly. There are three driving modes that the driver can choose from - Eco, Standard and Sport. They alter the throttle response as well as the steering weight. Even the Eco mode, feels enough for day-to-day city usage but the throttle response is a bit dulled down. Then there is the Standard mode which offers a good blend of performance and eagerness from the throttle. In Sport mode, the throttle is the sharpest and also tends to hold on to the revs.

Nissan uses a CVT automatic transmission that has 8 steps, the driver can take manual control of them through the paddle shifters. There is minimal rubber band effect and most of the time, I just ended up using the D mode instead of taking manual control because that tends to work best. Having said that, the gear shifter could be a bit finicky while shifting the vehicle back to neutral.

The ride quality on the X-Trail felt great. It absorbed most of the bumps on our roads despite riding on 20-inch alloys. The SUV feels stable while doing highway speeds. The steering wheel feels light in the city and weighs up decently at higher speeds. However, there is a bit of wind noise that creeps into the cabin. Nissan is offering all-wheel disc brakes and they do a great job of shedding speed. The brake feels strong and inspires confidence.

Upcoming cars

In terms of safety equipment, the Nissan X-Trail comes equipped with four disc brakes, traction control, 7 airbags, an Emergency Stop Signal, Hill Start Assist, front and rear parking sensors and much more.

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