In the Metal:
X-Trails of old were never the most interesting vehicles. Slab-sided and rugged, they had a cult following but never really the mainstream success of Nissan's most recent offerings. Cult cars do not equal big profits however, so Nissan has gone back to the drawing board and reimagined the X-Trail as a crossover rather than old-school SUV. There is more than a touch of Qashqai to the looks, so much so that you would do well to pick out an X-Trail when it drives past you; though get the two cars together and the X-Trail is undoubtedly bigger. It rides higher, is a full 100mm longer and has a higher roofline than its more famous brother. Yet despite all that the new car is only marginally bigger than the one it replaces so takes up nearly the same space on the road.
Where it is bigger than before is between the axles; 76mm longer to be exact, which, combined with a reshaping of the seats, means an extra 100mm overall for rear seat passengers. Stick a six-footer up front and the person behind them will still have enough space to stretch their legs. But only if you stick with the five-seat model. Opt for the seven-seat version, which effectively replaces the Qashqai+2 in Nissan's line-up, and rear seat occupants are short-changed. To accommodate passengers in the third row those in the middle have to slide their seats forward to a point where legroom is best described as 'cosy'. Still more generous than experienced by those in the very back though. This is certainly a 5+2 rather than a full-fat seven-seater.
Plus if you opt for the third row of seats you miss out on one of the X-Trail's party tricks, which is its dividable boot. We have seen this in the Qashqai of course but with the extra space offered by the X-Trail (410- vs 550 litres) the clever multi-height floor is more useful. The seats too have multiple configurations including an uninterrupted flat floor from the tailgate to the dashboard, so bigger loads are not a problem.
Anyone who has driven the new Qashqai will feel instantly at home in the X-Trail as the interior has been lifted wholesale from it, bringing both its good and bad sides. The quality and fitment are certainly high, as too is the ambience (especially with the panoramic tilt and slide roof), but the seats are too hard and too flat to offer any sort of support and are may become tiresome over longer journeys.
Driving it:
Unlike the Qashqai, which has to make do with torsion beam suspension on cheaper models, the X-Trail has a multi-link set up. This, in conjunction with the Active Ride Control that uses engine braking to reduce oscillations over particularly bumpy roads, means that the X-Trail dismisses bumps easily, even on the 19-inch wheels of our test car.
Yet in spite of this, and despite the Qashqai-like looks, it does not handle like its little brother. It handles like an SUV with body roll and little engagement or feel through the wheel rather than the slightly-jacked up hatchback feel of the Qashqai. Considering the shared architecture between the two cars it is somewhat surprising - even more so when the road-biased 'crossover' styling is taken into consideration.
Where it does excel however is on the technology front. We drove both the 4x4 six-speed manual X-Trail and also a front-wheel drive version fitted with the 'X-Tronic' CVT automatic and were impressed with both. In normal driving the four-wheel drive car only sends power to the front wheels to cut down on fuel consumption, but should the sensors detect slippage up to 50 per cent of power can be sent rearwards. You can also lock in four-wheel drive for more challenging conditions. The X-Tronic system is one of the best CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) units we have tested from a non-premium manufacturer purely down to its dual personality. Around town it operates as a regular, seamlessly smooth CVT but ask for more power and a series of 'stepped' gears are introduced meaning there is no more hanging around the redline as you get up to motorway speeds, it instead 'changing up' like a regular automatic.
Whether manual, CVT, front- or four-wheel drive there is but one engine to choose from for the moment, a 130hp 1.6-litre DCi diesel. This downsized unit replaces the old 150hp 2.0 diesel offered in the previous generation X-Trail, but fear not towing fans (as the X-Trail has quite a lot apparently) as the unit offers the same 320Nm of torque as before and the car has a towing capacity of two tonnes. Acceleration can feel somewhat lethargic, with an egg-timer rather than a stopwatch used to time its 11-second 0-62mph 'dash' (despite the new car having shed 90kg), but mid-range grunt more than makes up for the X-Trail's tardiness off the line and overtaking present no issue.
If you are interested in a petrol X-Trail a 1.6-litre DiG-T model will arrive next year.
What you get for your Money:
Prices start at £22,995 for the X-Trail Visia, kicking off four trim levels, including Acenta, n-tec and Tekna. Visia models feature 17-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lamps, Bluetooth, heated door mirrors, air conditioning and more. Priced at £495, the Visia Smart Vision Pack adds automatic lights, High Beam Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Emergency Braking, Traffic Sign Recognition and front and rear parking sensors to the standard equipment. The Acenta model starts at £24,795 and adds dual-zone climate control, privacy glass, electric folding door mirrors, an electric sunroof, auto lights and wipers and rear parking sensors. Meanwhile, the Acenta Smart Vision Pack, which costs £450, adds High Beam Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Emergency Braking and Traffic Sign Recognition to the standard specs.
The X-Trail n-tec is based on the Acenta with Smart Vision Pack, but adds 19-inch alloys, keyless entry and start, DAB, a powered tailgate and more for a starting price of £27,295. The top-of-the range X-Trail Tekna (from £29,295) additionally features heated leather seats, Park Assist autonomous parking and bi-LED headlights.
Buyers have the option of front- or all-wheel drive throughout the range, as well as the XTronic CVT automatic gearbox. Emissions on the two-wheel drive X-Trail are as low as 129g/km.