Nissan X-Trail - Japanese off-road heritage
Thinking about Japanese cars over the past few decades, one can recall several "pearls" that have become an integral part of the history of world motorization. Japan and cars - this combination is reminiscent of models such as the Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7, Lexus LFA, Nissan Skyline and Subrau Impreza. However, manufacturers from the Land of the Rising Sun became famous not only for drifting, tuning and sports cars - they created many off-road legends. It was the Japanese who created the Hilux, Land Cruiser, Samurai and Patrol. It was the crews on Japanese cars who won the most difficult off-road rallies in the world. Today, in the offer of manufacturers of the Far East, available on the European market, we fundamentally do not find rough, simple and incredibly durable structures known from the nineties, which were not afraid of any errors from frost, snow, sand or ford. The growing popularity of SUVs and crossovers, often offered with symbolically increased ground clearance and just one axle, clearly shows that real SUVs will soon become more popular every year ... will go down in history. However, there are some cars on offer today that either try to carry on the heavy burden of a model legend (such as the Land Cruiser or Hilux) but become civilized and elegant SUVs, or manufacturers decide to release beautiful and polite cars that follow current trends that , except for an asphalt road, should not dishonor either the owners of such cars or their designers. Is there a chance for the updated Nissan X-Trail to continue the tradition of Japanese SUVs?
New but old
The Nissan X-Trail is selling very well around the world, and its current generation, slightly updated this year, has every chance to continue its series. It's hard not to notice that Nissan has become an SUV and crossover expert: both the Juke and the Qashqai and the X-Trail stand out from the crowd, satisfying performance, ... driving fun and offering a wide range of features straight from the standard trim level. It looks like the Japanese manufacturer has found a patent to create models that will appeal to a really huge group of drivers around the world. Given the specifics of individual continental markets, this can be considered a huge success. Since the X-Trail and its smaller siblings are basically good cars, was a facelift necessary? Of course! Even models that have been on the market for only a year feel the heavy breath of every new competitor on sale, so in order to keep up, after only 4 years, it was necessary to carry out modernization and stylistic corrections.
The composition of the championship does not change?
As with this year's rejuvenated Qashqai, no revolutionary changes have been made to the X-Trail, and only the "diamond polishing" method has rejuvenated the exterior and interior of the car. What's the news? LED daytime running lights have changed the “texture”, from a broken line consisting of luminous dots, a single segment has been created - this change has already appeared in many cars from other manufacturers, and ™ modern trends have been followed in this matter. At the rear, the shades are darkened compared to the pre-facelift version. As for the front bumper, the grille is slightly taller and the decorative chrome section around the Nissan U-shaped logo has been widened. Fog lamps from round became quadrangular, emphasizing the more aggressive line of the front of the car. If we want to see visual changes, we should mention the new body colors that have joined the metallic paint palette: dark red, blue, brown and orange is the last color that sets the X-Trail apart. stand out from the crowd of gray, black and white SUVs on the road. Is it enough to talk about the "New X-Trail"? Not necessary. However, the car still looks fresh and stylistically indistinguishable from competing models from other manufacturers, and the facelift is intended to remind potential buyers that Nissan has an attractive SUV offering.
Inside, the biggest change is the redesigned steering wheel already known from the Micra and Qashqai models - it looks much better than what has been used so far, and it is this element that represents the X-Trail these days AND‡. The rim of the steering wheel has the shape of the letter "D", fits very well in the hands. Controls, including cruise control, telephone and radio, are easy to read, conveniently located and easy to get used to. The change in the interior is that more elements are upholstered in leather (on the top TEKNA trim), and the door panels are adorned with elements painted in a carbon fiber structure - an unnecessary “pretense” in our opinion - piano black. it would be enough. The shape of the dashboard and the arrangement of instruments, multimedia system and even deflectors and switches remained unchanged. In this matter, it is not bad, but in some places the finishing materials could be changed to better ones. One of the clarifying changes is the height of the manual transmission lever - it is unnaturally long.
The equipment of the TEKNA version we tested, equipped with the most powerful diesel engine with 177 hp, all-wheel drive and a six-speed manual gearbox, corresponded to the list price, that is, PLN 169 with metallic paint. Although the price is not low, it is comforting that for this price we get a fully equipped car. Onboard you'll find, among other things, Lane Keeping Assist and Blind Spot Assist, 150-degree cameras, power seats with leather upholstery, sunroof, FULL LED headlights and a BOSE® audio system. Was there anything you just missed? Nissan doesn't offer a ventilation option for the front seats, and the full leather without perforations is noticeable on hot days. Active cruise control is also not available at the moment - it will debut in a few months with a new semi-autonomous driving system called Nissan ProPILOT, although buyers looking to take the plunge on premiere examples should forget about such niceties. Passengers traveling in the second row cannot complain about the lack of comfort - there is really a lot of legroom, the back of the sofa has an adjustable angle, and the outer seats have a heating option. For an additional fee of PLN 360 6500 in the N-CONNECTA version (also includes a sunroof) and PLN 4000 in the TEKNA version, the X-Trail can become a seven-seater. The two boot seats, like most cars in this segment that offer this solution, should be used occasionally and can be used comfortably by younger passengers. The additional two seats reduce the luggage compartment volume (raised floor) from liters to liters - of course, in the -seater version.
Good on pavement, great on gravel
Diesel engine with 177 hp power. The two-liter engine comes from the Renault stable, as evidenced by the letters dCi in the specification. This unit, with a torque of 380 Nm, seems ideal for this car. The car responds surprisingly consciously to the throttle, giving the driver the impression that the acceleration and agility provided by the powertrain are exactly as they should be. The operation of the gearbox does not attract much attention: that is, it is not very pleasant to use, but does not cause any complaints. The gear ratios, especially first and second gears, are quite short. This characteristic is inconvenient when driving on more difficult and less smooth surfaces: it often happens that the engine gets tired in first gear, and after engaging 8000 there is a problem with smoothness because the speed is too low. Therefore, for all those who plan to drive the X-Trailem on asphalt more often, we suggest choosing a version with the Xtronic automatic transmission (PLN extra compared to the manual version).
On the pavement, the Nissan SUV behaves quite predictably. Even when more dynamic we overcome closed, allows you to firmly hold the caterpillar. UThe steering wheel doesn't help but doesn't interfere with precise steering, and the power steering itself is great, especially when parking maneuvers on nineteen-inch rims. The body, as for an SUV, does not roll dangerously to the sides even with faster maneuvers, and the traction control system "intervenes" rather late and not too abruptly. The suspension is set up comfortably but not too soft, making it easy to overcome deep bumps (even on 19-inch wheels) while maintaining driving confidence. To sum up, the X-Trail is very pleasant to drive, and the top D enginediesel seems to be the minimum and the optimum at the same time.
What happens when driving on dirt roads? First, it would be nice to turn off the traction control to feel the 4X4 drive. When we tested the car on a fairly long stretch of off-road in the mountains near Vienna, the fast route with many sharp turns and climbs, as well as loose rocky pavement, perfectly confirmed the actual suitability of the drive on both axles. Interestingly, you can fully rely on the automatic transmission control system (4X4 drive lock is possible up to a speed of 40 km / h), which optimally and instantly transfers power and torque to where you need it most. A great surprise was the observation of the electronic circuit, which shows in real time which axis the drive is transferred to. Surprisingly, even in subjectively difficult conditions, almost 90% of the power was transferred to the front axle, and yet the X-Trail courageously managed to recover from any oppression.
Retail SUV on wspóÅ‚czesnÄ… miarÄ™
According to the manufacturer's statistics, the X-Trail is the best-selling vehicle in its segment in the world. This is another confirmation of the theory that Nissan can create an objectively good crossover or SUV. Updated models have a great chance to continue expanding into new markets and consolidate their positions where they are leaders. The price list of the new X-Trail starts at PLN 102 - for this price we get a 000-liter turbocharged car with 1.6 hp. and a torque of 160 Nm - available only with a manual transmission ... Gears. The cheapest diesel in the VISIA version is as much as PLN 240 more expensive than gasoline - it is also 8500, but the power drops to 1.6 hp, and the torque increases to 130 Nm. Both configurations are only available with front axle drive. The cheapest version with 320X4 drive is the 4 hp diesel. with ACENTA manual equipment as standard, and its price rises to PLN 130. A fully equipped version of TEKNA with the most expensive two-tone upholstery can cost more than PLN 129, but for a fully equipped SUV with automatic, all-wheel drive and the ability to carry 300 people, this does not seem excessive. amount.
Will the new-old X-Trail become a bestseller in Poland? The competition is fierce and the Skoda Kodiaq is emerging as a seven-seat SUV star. In similar amounts, you can consider buying a larger Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe or Mitsubishi Outlander. Nissan convinces that it is good in every way: it looks good, drives well and has a good price. Certainly not ideal, but you might like it.
