Nissan X-Trail 2011 review

THERE are other X-Trails for offroading, but Nissan has designed their two-wheel drive version strictly as an onroader. That means it's really a large station wagon with the height and style of an SUV. Why do that? Because it's a growing chunk of the SUV sector, with buyers chasing a vehicle that will give them the illusion of strength and safety without the extra weight and fuel slug of an all-wheel or four-wheel drive system they'll never need.

Value

Nissan has positioned the X-Trail 2WD in the mid-spec ST-L level, where it will attract buyers looking for more goodies than in a bare base model - but who don't want to fork out for top-shelf spec. And the combination of a good equipment package and a starting price of $34,990 should attract some attention.

But the front-driver is a latecomer to the field, and has to battle against some entrenched occupants with similar engine and transmission combinations.

Among those with is its $2800-cheaper stablemate, the Nissan Dualis Ti, with the same drivetrain but slightly higher spec and better fuel economy, road manners and - let's be honest - better looks too, at $32,190. Unless you want the extra room of the X-Trail, the Dualis is well worth considering.

Also cheaper is the $33,990 Mazda CX-7 Classic, with a larger engine offering more power and torque, and car-like ride and handling. But again, if space is your priority the Mazda also loses to the X-Trail.

The real price fighters are the Koreans: the platform-sharing $28,220 Kia Sportage Si and $28,990 Hyundai ix35 Active. Their 2.0-litre engine offers more power than the X-Trail's, and they both have a stacked equipment list for this price. However the Kia is not only ahead of its clone-twin on both fit-out and handling, but even with a laid-back engine it's a good contender against the Nissan.

Toyota offers the RAV4 as a 2WD in base $30,990 CV spec with a 125kW/224Nm 2.4-litre engine but only a four-speed auto, stale design and not a lot of goodies. There's more on offer in the Cruiser spec level with the same engine, but it puts the price up to $35,990.

Design

As part of a model range that has always touted a rugged attitude, the X-Trail 2WD has inherited the blunt, boxy and big approach to styling. That can be a blessing if you want to cart people and cargo around, with the vehicle's packaging designed to offer plenty of leg, head and shoulder room. Even the addition of a child seat doesn't seem to chomp out much of the rear seat space.

The luggage area surface is a hardy, practical and very washable plastic, so there's no fear about throwing anything wet, muddy or four-legged in there, and divided underfloor trays stash valuables out of sight.

Slip the headrests out of the rear seats, and they fold easily to a flat floor perfect for the weekend garage sale cruise, and take the capacity from 479 litres to a whopping 1773.

The cabin is comfortable and punches above the usual base levels with leather seats (powered and heated in the front, with six-way adjustment for driver and four for sidekick). It also has plenty of storage spaces, including a large lidded bin on the dash and what looks like the world's tiniest cupholder on the centre console where the all-paw selector has been removed for the front-drive version.

Safety

The X-Trail has six airbags -- front, side, and roof curtain  -- stability control, anti-skid anchors with brake-force distribution to compensate for uneven loads, brake assist for panic stops, and seatbelt pretensioners and active front seat head restraints in case all that doesn't pull you up in time.

However it gets only four crash stars, as do the popular Toyota RAV4 and the rising Kia Sportage. But that means it's lagging behind the Nissan Dualis, Hyundai ix35 and Mazda CX-7 with five. We've said it in these pages before: five should be the standard, especially for vehicles aimed at the family.

Technology

As mentioned, the X-Trail 2WD has nicked the 102kW/198Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and continuously-variable transmission from the Dualis.
There's also a manual version if you want to save $2000, but it won't save you anything at the bowser, coming in at 0.1L more than the CVT's 8.4L/100km official figure. We didn't achieve that, and instead hovered between 9.5-9.8 in city driving but dropped to 8.8 after a couple of highway runs.
The two-wheel drive misses out on the hill descent control and hill start assist system in the rest of the variant range, but retains active brake limited slip that applies braking force to a wheel that's losing traction, allowing the power to go to the wheels with a better grip.

Driving

Behind the wheel, the X-Trail feels like exactly what it is - a big station wagon. Around town the engine feels as if it's not quite up to the task at hand. This is Nissan's shot at an economical version of the X-Trail, and it only felt comfortable in traffic if you drove it aggressively - which is hard on the engine, and hard on fuel.

Handling is something of a moot point with a vehicle like this, and on a gently winding road it is well-behaved and comfortable, but its weighty nose refuses to poke neatly into sharp corners, and the other end thunks over badly-seamed bitumen.

With the smaller engine, we weren't surprised to find the X-Trail is a fairly laid-back performer. If you relaxed and just let it get around town in an unhurried way it was fine, but it makes a bit of a racket if you try to wind it up too swiftly.

A spin on the freeway gives a different story to city driving.  Like every SUV the extra height makes it easy to see the traffic ahead, and at freeway speeds the engine is more than capable of keeping you comfortably alongside free-flowing traffic.

The X-Trail is a big square thing, and will always have wind noise, but the cabin is surprisingly quiet - possibly helped by good choice of tyres.

The standout feature is its brakes. They're progressive and firm, and give you confidence that if you need to stop in a hurry there'll be no fuss. Adding extra bodies and a bit of cargo didn't bother it any further, but while it has a workable tow capacity of  1300kg braked, it's likely you'll fare better with more grunt from a bigger engine - and less gritted teeth.

But the city-light steering lacks feel and any sort of connection with events. And while it helps in parking what is a sizable vehicle, it's almost impossible to judge the distance to objects around the rear pillars and back. Visibility is out front is fine, and the side mirrors give good coverage, but on inner city streets you find yourself wishing it wasn't quite so large.

Verdict

The X-Trail is competent but unexciting around town, and definitely not intended to go offiroad. Its best points are its cabin fit-out, cargo capacity and passenger space. If these are priorities, this is one to look at, although you should test the Kia up against it. If you are looking for strength and handling, measure it against the Mazda or the Dualis.