Nissan X-Trail 2022 review: ST+ 2WD

If you've never heard of the Nissan X-Trail, then you've probably been living under a rock. Almost every time I'm on the road I see one.

For the past two weeks I've been testing the ST+ with my family of three, and it competes with the likes of Toyota RAV4 and the Mitsubishi Outlander. If you want to know my thoughts on the Nissan X-Trail ST+, then just keep reading for this week's family review.

The X-Trail ST+ comes in at just over $34,000, plus extras and on-road costs. I've been driving the petrol, 2WD version, but if you plan on driving on a lot of unsealed roads, it does come in all-wheel drive for an extra $2000. There are also seven-seat versions of the X-Trail, but the ST+ is a five seater.

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What does it look like?

The X-Trail has admittedly served the Aussie SUV buyer well over the past eight years. From the outside, there is really nothing wrong with this car. It is recognisable, and well known, but I feel it is slowly starting to age.

While there is nothing 'ugly' about it, there is nothing special about it, either. It's kind of like a perfect white t-shirt, classic but not fancy.

The X-Trail's like a perfect white t-shirt, classic but not fancy. (image: Dean McCartney)

1 / 4

The X-Trail has admittedly served the Aussie SUV buyer well over the past eight years. (image: Dean McCartney)

2 / 4

From the outside, there is really nothing wrong with this car. (image: Dean McCartney)

3 / 4

It is recognisable, and well known, but I feel it is slowly starting to age. (image: Dean McCartney)

4 / 4

The test car's colour is 'Ruby Red' and it's the only one out of the seven colours that comes at no cost. All other colours are an extra $595.

The wheels are 17-inch alloys and there is a rear roof spoiler to help the exterior keep a more up-to-date, modern look.

How does it drive?

This car is easy to drive. The steering feels a bit loose, but the car doesn't respond to the small movements, which I actually find comforting.

It does have a parking brake operated by a foot pedal, which if you're like me and you've never owned a car with one of these, you'll have to get used to it.

The ST+ has a 2.5L petrol engine with an auto transmission and front-wheel drive. (image: Dean McCartney)

The ST+ has a 2.5L petrol engine with an auto transmission and front-wheel drive. There isn't a tonne of power behind it, so you'll need to put your foot down to get up steep hills.

It does have Hill Start Assist, so when stopped on an incline, you don't have to worry about rolling backwards when getting off the brake and stepping on the accelerator.

How spacious is it?

The X-Trail is a medium SUV, but it definitely doesn't feel like it's lesser in space than a large SUV. When it comes to the family practicalities, this car does have you covered.

Up front, I want to get the negatives out of the way first. The seats are comfortable, but they're fabric, which isn't ideal with small children, and eating snacks in the car.

The seats are comfortable, but they’re fabric, which isn’t ideal with small children, and eating snacks in the car. (image: Dean McCartney)

The media interface looks old school and isn't very intuitive to navigate through. There isn't a huge amount of storage space, but there is enough for me and my family.

For example, there are small cubbies which we used for the car key and garage remote, plus space for a wallet and phone, and a sunnies compartment.

You get four cup/ bottle holders, two in the centre and one in each door. And they are nice and large to fit a big drink bottle, but a small coffee cup may move around a little bit.

The back doors open to almost a 90-degree angle. That makes placing your child in the back effortless, not to mention so easy to get the car seat in. (image: Dean McCartney)

The air-conditioning is a bit primitive, not dual climate controlled, a bit louder than average, and doesn't seem to keep the car cool all that efficiently, so it struggles on hot days.

There is plenty of space up the front, and it's got that nice high-up positioning, without feeling like you're driving a massive truck.

First off, the back doors open to almost a 90-degree angle. That makes placing your child in the back effortless, not to mention so easy to get the car seat in. A win for me while I'm currently eight months pregnant.

There isn’t a huge amount of storage space, but there is enough for me and my family. (image: Dean McCartney)

I'm 168cm or 5'6” tall and I have plenty of space. With the driver's seat set up for myself (and hubby, who is the same height) and even sliding the back row all the way forward, I can still fit.

Getting in and out is a bit of a squeeze with the back seat in the most forward position, but if you needed the extra boot space for a one-off trip after a large purchase at Bunnings, you'll still be really comfortable.

You get four drink holders back there as well, one bottle holder in each door and two cupholders in the centre armrest - which isn't very easy to pull down.

The media interface looks old school and isn't very intuitive to navigate through. (image: Dean McCartney)

You need to pull a cord with one hand while pulling the centre armrest down with the other. It does also then allow access to the boot, which takes me back to my childhood family sedan.

Now this is going to sound a bit random, but this car has a proper coat hook. So many new cars just can't get the coat hook right, you go around one corner and your suit jacket, or whatever you've got hanging up to protect it from wrinkles plops on the floor. Your belongings aren't going anywhere with this one!

You've also got your directional air vents to cool down the back row, but they're not the most powerful, so it takes a bit longer to cool down back there on a hot day.

The X-Trail is a medium SUV, but it definitely doesn’t feel like it’s lesser in space than a large SUV. (image: Dean McCartney)

This boot has some really great features. First up, you'll either get 565L capacity with the second row in use, or if you fold down the second row, you'll have 945L to store all your goodies.

With child car seats in the second row, that will limit how far you can move it forward, so if you can't move it forward, a standard sized pram will only fit sideways.

One of the best features of the boot is the nifty floor compartments. You can lift the two panels off the floor giving you a deeper boot if needed for long holiday trips, a way to store extra belongings that you don't want rolling around (like umbrellas, a picnic rug, sunscreen, extra nappies and wipes) or you can sit the lid of the compartments upright to create two divided areas.

There are small cubbies which we used for the car key and garage remote, plus space for a wallet and phone, and a sunnies compartment. (image: Dean McCartney)

This comes in handy for grocery shopping, especially if it's a smaller haul. No more oranges or potatoes rolling out of your bags all through the boot as they can sit neatly in the divided compartments.

It's practicalities like this that make the X-Trail great as a family car.

How easy is it to use every day?

This car is going to get you from A to B, hold all your shopping and do countless school runs. As mentioned above, there is plenty of space in the cabin and the boot, but with it missing some of those luxury features that make mum life just that little bit easier.

Alike a motion activated power tailgate, for example. That's a little disappointing. But those features aren't going to stop you from getting your everyday errands done, so unless you want to pay more for those cool tech features, the ST+ will be a great everyday car.

This boot has some really great features. (image: Dean McCartney)

1 / 2

you’ll either get 565L capacity with the second row in use, or if you fold down the second row, you’ll have 945L to store all your goodies. (image: Dean McCartney)

2 / 2

How safe is it?

The X-Trail has the most important safety features including forward AEB, forward collision warning, front and rear parking sensors and six airbags - which is the bare minimum for this class of car in 2022. It is an important stipulation, as some rivals have 10 airbags or more!

There is a surround view camera system, but the downside with this is the screen. It is so small, and the image is split into two; one half is the reverse camera and the other half is the around view monitor, so the image is small and not very clear.

It has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, but it was tested in 2017, and in the past five years the game has changed.

The X-Trail has the most important safety features. (image: Dean McCartney)

There are three top tether and two ISOFIX child restraint points. While it was easy to get the car seat into the back row, hooking the top tether onto the anchor isn't as easy as it's right down the base of the back of the seat.

A lot of other cars have it half way down which I find much easier, especially being pregnant. And the ISOFIX point, that was a huge struggle for my husband. I didn't even attempt that one.

The anchor points are hidden really deep between the seat cushions and aren't aligned directly under the ISOFIX labels, so they were really hard to find and clip into.

I could take marks off for this, but unless you're moving seats on a regular basis, you will only have to do it once, and then it's in there for ages, so it's not a deal breaker for me.

What's the tech like?

When it comes to tech features, this car doesn't have a lot going on. It all feels very 'analogue' and to be honest, a bit old school.

Everything is plastic, which I don't particularly mind, but it reminds me of the cheap-feeling plastic I grew up with in our family cars in the early '90s. Although I feel like the current generation X-Trail can get away with it, as it has been around for some time.

While Nissan has added on some tech features to keep the car up to speed, like a 7.0-inch touchscreen, sat nav, (wired) Apple Carplay and Android Auto and a push-button start system, it feels like it's all been patched on top of an older model car.

All of this is obviously why this car has such an attractive price point, and if the price is your main motivation for choosing this variant, then hand over your money!

But if you're like me, and you like things to look a bit prettier or feel more luxurious, I'd definitely look into the top grades for the X-Trail or hang out for the all new X-Trail coming out later this year.

How much does it cost to own?

The official combined cycle fuel consumption figure is 7.9L/100km - which is incredible! One tank of petrol lasted 10 days before we filled up on regular unleaded, and that was driving mostly through suburbia.

Our average fuel consumption across the two weeks was 10.7L/100km, and I was pretty happy with that.

With Nissan, you will get a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with five-year 24-hour standard roadside assist, just like most of its rivals.

With Nissan, you will get a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. (image: Dean McCartney)

For the first six services, Nissan has capped price servicing which will occur every 12 months or 10,000km - so if you do a lot of driving, just keep that in mind.

The per-service price hits a low of $245 and a high of $498 over that period, and the average is $363.

Pricing & Specs Insurance Quote

Verdict

Pricing Guides

$32,761

Based on 135 cars listed for sale in the last 6 months.

LOWEST PRICE

$21,990

HIGHEST PRICE

$46,990

See all Nissan X-TRAIL pricing & specs