2020 Hyundai Tucson vs Nissan X-TRAIL

What's the difference?

The only thing you should really consider is this: does the Highlander do more than the Elite? The answer is probably no. Most of the stuff in the Highlander is cosmetic or nice to have and as the car moves inexorably toward its end, the compelling reason for a petrol Highlander is the prosect of a hefty discount. Get one and you've got a ripper motor.

But, sometimes, you just have to have the top-of-the-range and I completely understand that. So if that's your motivation, there is nothing in this package that should give you pause for thought. As I said, it has held on very well over the past four or five years with lots of little tweaks keeping the Tucson well and truly in the game.

The Nissan X-Trail N-Trek costs a grand more than the ST-L it’s based on but you’re getting a premium stereo, larger wheels, floor mats and the weather shields which does provide better value. Don’t expect that to pay off when it comes time to sell again, however, because research shows special editions don’t command any more money than the models they’re based on when sold second hand. You’re best off enjoying the extra value now and the great practicality this family favourite offers.

The MY20 update slapped a new nose and tail on the Tucson. I'm not entirely convinced by the really chunky bit of chrome on the inner corners of the headlights and what was once a quite balanced and restrained design has been blown out a bit. The new grille is an overall improvement but, to my eyes, could do with less shiny chrome and a slightly lighter hand.

The interior update is better, with a lot more i30 goodness added in, including a new central strack with a much nicer touchscreen and a general lift of the quality of the materials. The Tucson's interior is one of the lighter ones in the segment and does it without resorting to the coloured patches in the Mazda that always look a bit cheap. If you go looking you'll find some hard plastic but there's a lot less of it these days.

The X-Trail lost its boxy looks when this new-generation model arrived in 2014 with its curvy exterior, and even six years on its design has aged well and is still pleasing.

The N-Trek adds accessories such as larger wheels, the bonnet protector and the weather shields but these are the only outward signs that this is a special edition, apart from the N-Trek badge on the tailgate, that is.

While the exterior styling has stood the test of time superbly, the X-Trail’s interior is showing its age with the 7.0-inch touchscreen looking a tad small now and the dash is busy with buttons as opposed to the cleaner designs we’re seeing in newer models.

That said, the fit and finish appears excellent and the standard leather upholstery lifts the quality to a premium feel.

Inside, the N-Trek edition kit includes door sill scuff plates and luxurious-feeling floor mats. 

While the Tucson doesn't look very big, it seems to pack a fair bit in, something we discovered since our stewardship of one for six months. With a 488-litre boot that expands to 1478, there's a fair chunk of space here, bettered only really by the slidey-seat Tiguan and five-seat Honda CR-V.

For smaller items, there are four cupholders and the same number of bottleholders. You can also get some bits and pieces into the spare space in the spare wheel.

Back-seat dwellers will appreciate the reasonably generous legroom and headroom unless they're sitting in the middle seat, which isn't a great place to be unless you're quite thin and short. The front seats are very comfortable and while the driving position is very hatchbackey – Hyundai is excellent at getting everything right – you still have a good view out.

If you were to get a group of parents of young children together to build an SUV the X-Trail is probably what they’d come up with. That’s because family practicality seems to have been at the top of the priority list.

There are the rear doors that open tall and wide at almost at 90 degrees, large cupholders in the front and back (four in total), giant door pockets, a theatre-style second row that seats the kids high so they can see out, dark-tinted rear windows so you don’t need a shade cloth, directional air vents in the back, plus a big boot (565L) that has under floor storage and a low load lip.

If you’re tall or large you’ll be happy with the space up front – the seats are wide, while shoulder and elbow room is great. Those in the second row will be pleased with the X-Trail’s roominess, too. I’m 191cm tall and can sit behind my driving position with about 30mm to spare.

The N-Trek is only available with a five-seat configuration. If you’re looking for a third row of seating the ST-L seven-seater X-Trail will do the job nicely.

The Nissan X-Trail N-Trek special edition lists for $38,700, which is a grand more than the mid-spec ST-L grade it’s based on.

What do you get on the N-Trek that you don’t on an ST-L? There’s the larger 19-inch alloys wheels, an eight-speaker Bose stereo, bonnet protector, weather shields for the front and rear side windows, kick plates for the door sills and carpet mats.

That’s on top of all the standard equipment which the ST-L brings such as a 7.0-inch screen with sat nav, digital radio, heated front seats, leather upholstery and dual-zone climate control.

Is it good value? Well the Bose system is good, and the larger wheels look great, but rivals such as the Toyota RAV4 are offering more equipment and newer tech such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for less money.

The RAV4 GXL 4x2 for example is $35,640. Be sure to check out the front-wheel drive versions of the Renault Koleos Zen X-Tronic and Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport, which are also more affordable.

The Tucson leaves South Korea with a 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder engine dishing up 130kW and 265Nm. It's found all through Hyundai's and Kia's range and while its outputs aren't startling, they're pretty good, 8kw and 60Nm more than the 2.0-litre in the lower models. It's a fair way off the 400Nm of the diesel, though.

Power gets to all four wheels via Hyundai's own seven-speed twin-clutch automatic. The all-wheel drive system is, obviously, not a hard-core off-road version.

The Tucson is usefully quick off the mark, cracking the 9-second mark for the sprint to 100km/h – not bad for almost 1700kg of mid-size SUV.

The X-Trail N-Trek has a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine making 126kW/226Nm. You won’t be able to have it with a manual gearbox as only a continuously variable automatic is available with this grade. I’m not a fan of CVTs because they seem to make the engine’s torque disappear, resulting in lackluster acceleration.

The official combined cycle figure of 7.7L/100km looks a little high compared to some of its rivals, but I've always found Hyundai's testing to be a bit more honest than many others. We got 8.2L/100km in mostly suburban driving, which I reckon is good going.

This figure also comes without any stop-start cleverness, which – weirdly – Hyundai still doesn't do.

Nissan says the 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and CVT auto in the front-wheel drive X-Trail N-Trek should use 7.9L/100km after a combination of open and urban roads.

I drove exactly 100km of open and urban roads and used 13.8L, measured at the bowser. In the X-Trail’s defence there were only 500km on the odometer, and vehicles generally use more fuel when they have less than a couple of thousand kilometres on the clock.

When the Tucson landed it instantly became – as far as I was concerned – the benchmark, particularly in front-wheel drive form. I know it's getting tired, but the local team who tweaks the steering and suspension before the cars go on sale here are absolute guns. None of this Nurburgring nonsense, but a sensible balance of ride and handling to get you through the trials and tribulations of Australian road design and maintenance.

The turbo models with the bigger rims are not quite as successful on the ride and handling front as the 2.0-litre front drivers. I'd still take it over the CX-5 for ride and handling, but it's a much closer-run thing. The steering is really positive and the car does go where you point it, something that's been a hallmark of Hyundai's locally-tuned cars.

On that subject, the Tucson has, by and large, held up pretty well over the years of its current existence. It still feels pretty good, the only real blot being the hesitation from the seven-speed twin-clutch transmission. You need to have the car in Sport mode to get it to respond which rules out turbo lag and rules in a dithering gearbox. It will be interesting to see if the next-gen Tucson will have Hyundai's new eight-speed twin-clutch or the eight-speeder in the Santa Fe.

On the move, the Tucson is quiet and composed, for the most part riding really well on the big 19-inch wheels. When the road gets a bit crusty, the bigger rubber and lack of compliance from the sidewalls does count against the Highlander. Rear-seat passengers might be a bit unsettled by the way the rear can crash a bit into large potholes but, other than that, everything is fine. 

Once you wind it up, it moves aong very smoothly and happily indeed, the small-ish numbers from the engine pushing the Tucson along without fuss. It's still a very impressive package, really, with just the mildly annoying seven-speed dither.

The driving experience of the X-Trail N-Trek in a single word is, easy. Easy around carparks with its light steering, easy to see out of with the ride height and big windows with thin pillars, and easy in terms of the placement of controls and configuration of the seating position.

It’s not perfect though. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a driver in the sporty sense, the CVT and lackluster acceleration won’t impress you. And if you’re looking for a super comfortable experience then the jiggly ride on less-than-great roads will leave you a bit disappointed.

The Nissan X-Trail was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2017 and the N-Trek comes with the same standard safety features as the ST-L. There’s AEB, rear cross traffic alert and blind spot warning.

Along with the advanced tech there’s ABS, traction and stability controls and a hill hold function.

You’ll find two ISOFIX mounts across the second row along with three top tether points for child seats.

Under the boot floor is a space saver spare wheel.

Hyundai offers an impressive 5 year/unlimited kilometre warranty that is dragging other marques into the 21st Century. Only sister brand Kia is better. You also get roadside assist for the duration, as long as you keep servicing the car with them.

Which is probably not a bad idea because you also get lifetime capped price servicing. You can also pre-pay servicing for a three-, four- or five-year period (maximum 10,000km per year) for $885, $1290 and $1585 respectively. 

Service intervals are 12 months or 10,000km – de rigeur for Hyundai turbo engines, sadly – and cost $295 for the first three, $405 for the fourth and back to $295 for the fifth. Look, it's not cheap, but you know what you're up for.

And it's cheaper to service than a turbo Vitara, for example.

The Nissan X-Trail N-Trek is covered by Nissan’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

Nissan provides a servicing price guide on its website which covers the first six services. Servicing is recommended every 12 months or 10,000km and you can expect to pay $234 for the first, then in subsequent years, $348, $244, $459, $254 and $377.