Nissan X-trial 2.0 Diesel

If some of you are confused as to why we are testing the X-Trail for the second time around, look closer at the  pictures. Though this car may look similar to the earlier X-Trail, it’s actually an all-new car. Every part and every  panel is new and the derived styling, Nissan says, is due to the phenomenal success and almost cult-like following of  the earlier version. Nissan shifted more than 800,000 X-Trails globally with the old model, and customers and fans want  Nissan to retain the car’s unique identity and look. It’s for this reason that you get a similar square-rigged glasshouse, the vertically aligned tail-lamps as well as a  similar nose. Of course, the design differs in these areas as well and is more fleshed out and robust in general, but  look at the car in isolation and it’s easy to get confused. Keen spotters though need only to look at the outsized triangular headlamps to identify the car. The new car also gets Nissan’s SUV grille and a prominent horizontal line or  step in the body that runs along the flanks. Designed to be the automotive equivalent of a trekking boot, the X-Trail looks hard-wearing and as tough as rhino hide, but the boxy and angular shape doesn’t make it a stunner.

The X-Trial is built on the Renault-Nissan alliance C-platform that is shared with the Qashquai. More car like in its basic structure than rock-crawling SUV, it uses a monocoque chassis, all-independent suspension, electric power steering  and transversely located engine that primarily powers the front wheels. But there are special bits that make it suitable for more extreme off-road action. Both the front and rear suspension are connected to the body by a rubber-insulated  sub-frame to mask the cabin from the workings below, there’s a lockable four-wheel-drive system to help when things  really get sticky or loose, and you get a version of hill descent control and hill start too. What you also get are  dampers that adjust automatically or frequency selective damping. They go soft on a bumpy road, triggered by the sharp  frequency of the bumps but firm up if they detect longer waves, such as when the car is rolling. There’s also ESP and  six airbags.

The X-Trail’s robust look is carried over to the inside of the car as well. There’s a hard-wearing quality to the  plastics and the surfaces you come in contact with all feel like they will not age or begin to rattle in any great  hurry. Also, many of the interiors’ moving parts have that damped, rubberised feel that lends them an air of longevity.  Sure, there are some ordinary bits like some of the switches ahead of the gear lever and the quality of the central  console-mounted box, but these are more the exception. Compared to the earlier car that had the centrally located  instrument cluster, the design of this dash is more traditional. A clear and legible instrument pod, Nissan’s  beautifully crafted steering wheel with a dimpled leather grip and faux aluminium inserts, a massive glovebox and clever 
cooled bottleholders behind the vents.

You get a proliferation of pockets behind the passenger seat, a massive sunroof on this version and rear seats that fold flat to create a huge 1773-litre loading bay. You can also take out the entire  plastic and rubber loading floor and hose the entire thing down, making it easy to keep clean. And there is even a very  practical drawer in the boot that helps prevent loose objects from sliding around at the rear.

Passenger comfort is also very good. The seats have just the right amount of give in them, generous amounts of thigh  support and since both front seats are powered, convenience levels are very high too. There’s a good amount of legroom  at the rear as well, and the seats are similarly supportive and comfortable, with a rear air-con vent cooling the back seats quicker. While the rear of the X-Trail is more comfortable than the Chevy Captiva, tall passengers will find headroom a bit tight at the rear. And lateral support isn’t great either, so the seats don’t hold you easily during spirited cornering. Also, the front door pockets are shallow as well and there are none at the rear. What will keep you 
humming along though is a six-CD changer and audio system that displays impressive clarity and punch, even at high volumes.

Don’t go by the specification sheet as 150bhp and the 32.7kgm don’t provide the full picture. To really understand just  how rapid the X-Trail is, you have to climb behind the wheel and run the motor through its six gears. Only then will  you fully understand the frenzied performance that this Renault-Nissan-developed diesel is able to muster. Unlike most  diesels that feel strained from around 4200rpm upwards, this diesel just loves to rev. The tug starts from 2500rpm and  then it just builds and builds, until it reaches a high of 5200rpm. The X-Trial leaps towards the horizon off the blocks, and you can keep this charge going by snapping through the six-speed gearbox. Each shift puts you directly into the explosive part of the power band and performance is startling,to put it mildly. At full charge, 100kph comes up in  10.8 seconds and 140 in 21sec. Not only is that easily faster than the similarly geared Chevy Captiva, it’s also faster than the 2.4-litre petrol CR-V, which also has a six-speed manual. And the X-Trail is faster in-gear than the Captiva as well. Another indication of the pace of the X-Trail is the fact that we timed it all the way to 180kph and got a top  speed of 201kph. With its really tall sixth gear, the X-trail also  cruises very nicely. High speeds can be sustained with very little engine speed and the car really feels special in this mode, fast and effortless. 100kph in sixth needs just 2000rpm.

What aids the X-Trail’s performance is its relatively light kerb weight which, at 1630kg, is almost 200kg lighter than the Captiva. And that’s despite the fact that the Nissan has a four-wheel-drive transfer case and extra driveshafts that the Chevy lacks. Also very impressive is the six-speed manual gearbox, one of the best we’ve tested. It has a  short throw, engages precisely and can be engaged with a mere flick of the wrist. An absolute gem.

But the strong top-end performance means that there is also some turbo lag, despite the X-Trail using a variable geometry turbo. There’s some amount of lethargy below 2000rpm and this can sometimes be a bit of a pain in stop-start traffic. Despite using piezo injectors for high pressure, multiple injections of diesel, this is not one of the most refined diesels around. This is especially true at start-up where a considerable amount of clatter comes filtering in. 
However, once on the move, this quickly evaporates, the sweet-sounding motor now far less obtrusive.

With its comparatively light weight and a modern diesel engine, the X-Trail is very efficient. It needs only a litre of  diesel every 11.3 kilometres in the city and on the highway, the tall sixth gear helps give it an advantage as well. It  goes 14.8 kilometres on a litre of diesel at highway speeds.

At home on city streets, the highway or off-road, the X-Trail is truly comfortable in any and all driving environments. 
Nissan’s inclusion of frequency selective dampers means this car both rides well over poor roads and handles securely at high speeds. Though ride quality can get a bit lumpy at times, especially over poorly patched up roads, ride in general is pliant enough. The suspension is relatively silent in operation and most surfaces are swallowed up without any complaint. With its light steering and good agility, the Nissan is also a dolly to drive in traffic. You aren’t intimidated by the size of this SUV because it can be steered so easily and the high bonnet and fenders are visible from the driver’s seat, making it easy to place the car – always a hit with women drivers. The slight lumpiness disappears once you are upto speed and straightline stability is very good too.

The steering may be an electric unit, but it’s direct and there even seems to be some amount of feel. The X-Trail rolls a bit as you turn into a corner but soon settles down and sticks to its line. It’s an enthusiastic handler if you push it and takes well to being driven with a bit of verve and energy. Though the brakes are good and grip is plenty, it’s no CR-V. But then nothing really ever is.

The X-Trail, however, is more effective off-road than any of its soft-roader cousins. Though it is not in the league  of the Pajero and lacks much of that car’s serious hardware, the chassis may not be able to cope with some extreme drops, still the X-Trail will manage a good 60 percent of what the extreme brigade can. There’s a hill descent control, the lockable four-wheel-drive system takes you through a lot and don’t forget it has a very favourable torque-to-weight ratio. Whichever way you look at it, this is a great all-rounder.