The Nissan X-Trail range is available in front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, with the all-wheel drive version allowing drivers to make the most of the adventure ready features that this mid-sized SUV has to offer while giving them that extra level of confidence for everyday driving as well.
I recently drove the X-Trail Ti, which is powered by a 2.5 litre, four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 126kW and 226Nm and paired with an automatic gearbox. The official combined fuel consumption is 8.3L/100km and for my week I used 9.5L/100km. One thing that I found odd was that there was no indication inside the fuel filler cap to tell me what fuel to use in the X-Trail. As I drive a different car each week I need that kind of information especially in a SUV, but for an owner this may be not as big an issue?
I liked that the Ti defaulted to all-wheel drive with the option to select 2WD or lock in 4WD as this is not always the case with SUVs. It also shows that this X-Trail is up for an adventure whenever you are. Apart from some dirt road driving I only tested the X-Trail on tarmac and I found that the ride was nice and very comfortable thanks to the Intelligent Ride Control system fitted.
There are many driver safety aids that come as standard on the X-Trail Ti including Intelligent Cruise Control, Intelligent Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, Intelligent Lane Intervention, Intelligent Trace Control, Forward Collision Warning, Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning and Rear Park Assist. The rearview camera fitted has predictive path technology with 360o view monitor and moving object detection.
All Nissan X-Trail models have front, front-side and side curtain SRS airbags and X-Trails built from February 2017 have a 5-star ANCAP (2017) safety rating, except 2.0 litre diesel variants which are unrated.
Nissan X-Trail practicality
The interior is practical and the Ti X-Trail comes standard with black leather-accented seat trim, which is easy to wipe clean. Both front seats are heated and the have power adjustment for forward/back and recline. The driver’s seat gets additional power height adjustment and 2-way lumbar adjustment, but neither have memory positions.
There are a number of convenient cabin features including the option to blow hot or cold air from the climate control system on to your drink stored in the cup holders of the centre console that can be turned on/off by a switch at the centre of the cup holder. Under the arm rest there is a hard plastic lined storage cubby with one 12V outlet, while at the front of the centre console there is a storage ledge for your phone with one USB port, one 12V outlet and one AUX socket. Front passengers also get good-sized drink bottle storage in the door cubbies. The one feature in the cabin that I did annoying was the foot operated park brake.
The leather-accented steering wheel is nice looking with a flat-bottomed design and it is also heated, something you will appreciate in winter. The Ti has voice recognition and this is designated on the steering wheel with a masculine silhouette similar to the one used by many other car companies. The voice recognition function can only be used for making calls and changing the audio selection.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard on the Ti trim level as does DAB+ and an 8-speaker Bose audio system. Other media sources include AM/FM radio, CD, USB, Bluetooth and AUX. I thought the colour touch-screen infotainment display was a bit small at just 7.0″, but it is easy to navigate.
The rear seats can be independently moved forward/back, have recline adjustment and the two outer seats are heated. There is ample leg room for two adults to comfortably fit, but headroom is limited. For younger passengers there are two ISOFIX/two rear tether child seat restraint points and the centre seat folds down as an arm rest with two rigid drink holders in it.
There are good sized drink bottle storage slots in the rear door cubbies as well and rear passengers get two central rear air vents with manual direction and speed controls. There are no rear USB ports or 12V outlets and the mat on the floor does not extend over the transmission tunnel even though there is only a small lip between the two foot wells.
The X-Trail is great if you are into dirty sports or have a dirty dog because the carper-covered floor in the boot can be completely removed to reveal a hard plastic covered bay that can easily be cleaned out. The Ti variant that I drove also has the convenience of gesture open and close as standard, along with powered open/close from the key fob, button in the cabin or the button under the boot lid.
With the boot floor in place there is ample room for a small pram and the weekly shop plus the rear seats can be folded down with a 60:40 split or the centre seat can individually be folded down separately to stow longer items while the two rear outer seats are in use. There are four tie down points, a light and a 12V outlet in the boot and a temporary spare wheel is case you get a flat tyre.
If you need assistance changing your flat tyre five years of 24-Hour roadside assistance is included as part of the 5-Year Unlimited Kilometre warranty available on all new Nissan vehicles. Nissan Australia also offers Capped Price Servicing, which means that there is a capped maximum price paid for the first six services according to your vehicle’s service schedule.
Prices for the Nissan X-Trail Ti start at $45,965 plus on-road costs and the only option fitted to the X-Trail I drove was metallic paint which is $595 extra cost. Visit you preferred Nissan dealer for more information or shop from home to purchase your new X-Trail.
| Pros | Cons |
| Permanent all-wheel drive | No indication of fuel type required inside fuel cap |
| Hard plastic lined boot | Foot operated park brake |
| Many standard driver safety aids | Limited headroom for adults using rear seats |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.