Look what we have here… in between all the newbies and start-up brands, an O.G. of the Crossover SUV section shows its handsome face.
You should know: The first generation of Nissan’s popular X-Trail (lovingly named T30) appeared at the year-2000 Paris Motor Show. This rather square and no-frills city 4×4 quickly established itself as a sales hit – also in southern Africa – because it offered great value, that aforementioned boxy simplicity; with a decent hint of off-road abilities.
Gen two appeared in the industry-standard seven years later and was probably my favourite, mostly because it was a soft evolution from the winning concept. And it had spotlights in its roof racks. My report of the press vehicle back then even mentioned that I shuttled wedding paraphernalia to my buddies’ wedding in Swellendam.
More info: I’d like to gloss over the third (T32) iteration because, although it was a fairly accomplished vehicle, Nissan carelessly discarded the X-Trail’s signature boxiness. Gen three is not bad looking, it just resembled its smaller Qashqai sibling too much; or the endless hordes of rival crossovers out there.
What else? So this fourth generation (yup, codename T33) didn’t have to make excuses for adopting the global Nissan design language and aligning tech and spec with current trends. Turbo-petrol, petrol and petrol-electric hybrid now make up the line-up, following Europe’s sudden dumping of anything involving diesel.
Why you shouldn’t: Nissan is struggling a bit in our market, so much so that they just sold their South African factory to the Chinese, and it also reflects in their poverty product line-up. The X-Trail is just one of three (yes, 3!) vehicles on offer and it only comes with the big 2.5-litre naturally breathing 4-cylinder petrol motor with 135kW or 244Nm.
On top of that, only this top-level Acenta Plus model offers four-wheel drive and seven seats, while every new X-Trail uses the stretchy CVT as a gearbox. Hand on heart, it wasn’t at all annoying or whiney in daily traffic, only screaming its guts out during our performance testing. 0-100km/h took 9.54 seconds, Nissan claims 10.4!
They also claim average consumption of 7.4L/100km from the 55L tank.
Why you should: Have I mentioned the three rows of seats or big boot yet? How about its agreeable ride and handling, or the 12.3 inch infotainment system, wireless charger, auto and powered everything, a self-locking system, 19 inch wheels, 11.1m turning radius, loads of cameras and active driver aids?
A new Nissan X-Trail 2.5 Acenta Plus 4WD costs R813,000 and comes with a 6-year/150,000km warranty and 3-year/90,000km service plan, in your choice of eight exterior colours; three of which can be had with a contrasting black roof. Oh yes, there are two cheaper models and quite a few aftermarket accessories available too.
FULL SPEC LIST
| Engine: | 2,488cc i-4 petrol |
| Transmission: | CVT, 4WD |
| Max. Power: | 135kW @ 6,000rpm |
| Max. Torque: | 244Nm @ 3,600rpm |
| Avg. cons.: | (claimed 7.8L/100km) |
| 0-100km/h: | 8.98 seconds (claimed 10.4) |
| Top Speed: | 195km/h |
| List Price: | R812,900 |
