Nissan X-trail 2.0 dci 177 Tekna Revised crossover
Family SUV gets a raft of useful upgrades, but excess noise detracts from its appeal
The X-trail is the biggest-selling SUV in the world, according to Nissan. A remarkable 750,000 examples of the X-trail (badged as the ‘Rogue’ in some overseas markets) found owners in 2016.
This family crossover also finds itself right in the UK new-car market sweet spot. According to the car industry number crunchers at JATO Dynamics, in the first half of this year the SUV segment accounted for 31% of new car sales in the UK. That’s a meaty 435,971 sales and way ahead of the supermini sector (20.2% and 282,500 sales) or the hatchback sector (20% and 280,995 sales).
This third-generation X-trail was launched in 2014 and now is clearly a good time for it to be refreshed. On the outside, the nose has been remodelled – it’s more aggressive, distinctive and chromed – and the rear bumper also re-worked for a similar result. Inside, Nissan makes much of the new ‘premium’ steering wheel, which is bigger, thicker to hold and has more fingertip controls than the one it replaces.
The centre console has also been restyled to provide more storage space and there are various other upgrades in materials and finishes. Top-end versions now have seat heating for the front and secondrow seats and a hands-free electric tailgate. A (child-sized) third row of seats is still available and the boot size in the two-row versions has increased in capacity to 565 litres.
Nissan is heavily pushing driver assistance technology, so the X-trail gets a raft of options. In early 2018, Nissan will offer the option of PROPILOT, a system that can control the X-trail’s steering, acceleration and braking – within a single lane – on a motorway during both heavy congestion and high-speed cruising.
At the launch in Austria our sample car was a range-topping Tekna, equipped with the 2.0-litre diesel, a six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive. The CVT ’box is now also available with all-wheel drive.
The X-trail hits something of sweet spot. The car is imposing and looks like it could handle a dusty trail, but not at the cost of being reasonably wieldy in urban areas. But the X-trail asks very little of the driver and there are few drivers who will be minded to try to ask very much of the X-trail. This car is a good way of making the monotony of rush hours and busy motorways as liveable as possible. It runs straight and is easy to wind along a country lane.
With that in mind, it’s a shame that Nissan has not done more to address refinement. This X-trail is too noisy at motorway speeds, suffering from general engine noise intrusion and more wind flutter around the A-pillars than it should have.
The X-trail is a million miles from being a hot rod and will hold little interest for anyone who wants to be engaged with their mode of transport. But it looks good, can handle light off-roading (it was pretty effortless on mountainous fire trails in Austria), has a very useable cabin and luggage space, is comfortable, and pleasurably undemanding.
You can see why it has become the world’s biggest-selling crossover, offering an impressive amount at a discount to premium brand rivals. But it’s frustrating that Nissan failed to offer the same upgrades in refinement – especially for this diesel version – that did so much for the most recent version of the Qashqai.