By Karl Peskett.
Does a bit of black cladding justify a price increase? According to Nissan it does.
The regular X-Trail in ST-L guise costs $39,200 for the all-wheel-drive version. So what do you get for the extra $2050 apart from the “N-Sport” badge on the tailgate?
Well, you get one of a limited run of 600 vehicles, either with Diamond Black, Gun Metallic, Brilliant Silver or Ivory Pearl paint. The wheels are upgraded to 18 inch black alloys, there are gloss black mirror caps, dark metallic front and rear bumper finishers, black side sills, a dark chrome front grille and black roof rails.
That’s not a bad deal, considering those cosmetic changes would cost a lot more than that if individually added, and it must be said it does make it look a lot nicer than the regular X-Trail. So is an X-Trail with lipstick a good thing?
There’s no denying that the X-Trail, now in its third generation, is a popular thing. It was third in sales for the medium SUV under $60,000 category for this year so far. And its spaciousness puts it right at the top of the medium SUV category for usability.
The front seats have huge amounts of legroom when put right back, and normally that would impede on second row occupants. But with a sliding second row, the X-Trail has enough room back there, as well. In fact, with a long-legged driver up front, the second row is still very comfortable. And open up the boot and you’re greeted with even more space.
The massive tailgate doesn’t have the release button where you think it is (above the numberplate), but rather it sits in a small recess at the bottom, which is handy if you’re not the tallest person around. The space is 565 litres, and when the second row is folded flat, it grows to 945 litres. But there are clever little floor covers that create a flat load area, but reveal more space underneath the boot floor when removed. Also a handy little security device, by keeping everything hidden.
But the issue with the X-Trail’s interior is not one of practicality or space. It’s one of quality. The dash fascia is supposed to have the appearance stitched pleather. But it’s even worse than that – it’s a solid piece of moulded plastic, which looks as bad as it sounds. And yes, it literally sounds bad when you tap it. It’s just acres of hard plastic, and the only soft surfaces are where you rest your arms.
The rest of the interior, although functional, also suffers from this cheap feel. You can see the attempts to make it a bit more presentable, but when competitors like the (admittedly smaller) Mazda CX-5 are around, it makes the X-Trail’s build quality look a bit pale by comparison.
What about how it drives, though? Well, that’s a bit of a mixed bag, too.
The handling has definitely been improved by the addition of the 18-inch wheels, and the ride hasn’t been affected too badly by having the lower profile tyres. But it’s still not what you’d describe as “athletic”. Instead, the X-Trail is far happier cruising around, not wanting to be bothered much by wheel slinging antics. Good for passengers, but not exactly exciting.
The 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol is smooth enough, but at 126kW and 226Nm, it’s crying out for a turbocharged engine to bump up that torque. It’s also saddled with a continuously variable transmission, which wouldn’t be so bad if it used steps like Subaru’s version of the CVT. Instead, it has that typical rubber band feel and needs to rev to get it up and going, which sounds a bit laborious.
Thankfully, there’s an easy switch from two-wheel-drive to both automatic all-wheel-drive and locked AWD. The system is also clever enough to detect slip in the automatic AWD mode, so much so that it will predict slippage on wet roads and supply maximum grip. And it works beautifully on sand as well.
The fact that the X-Trail can also be had in a seven seat version certainly adds to the appeal and being a Japanese brand means that it trades on reliability. But it’s in third place in sales for a reason. With the CX-5 and Hyundai Tuscon both exhibiting a far nicer interior, the X-Trail sells on its space and not much else.
While the black trims and wheels make it look a bit nicer, it’s not selling because it’s a good looking machine, and the extra money for the N-Sport only enhances that. Rather, people are buying it because it’s a roomy and practical machine that can be had in both five and seven seat configurations.
Our advice? If the X-Trail is on your shopping list, put the $2K in your back pocket and save it for filling the tank for the next few months.
