Nissan X-Trail and its capabilities

SUVs are your go everywhere vehicles, correct? However, few of them are specialists in their departments. For example, a Land Rover will be quite at home wading in slush and the likes, whereas the CR-V will be happy on the road. Another example of an SUV which is equally skilled at doing both was the Nissan X-Trail. Now, why did we mention “was” and not “is”. This is because we are referring to the first-gen car that was a rage here in Malaysia. So much so that the policemen used it too. The second generation mellowed down a bit and became even more usable on the road while not being half bad where the road ends. Now comes the third generation car. It is based on an all-new lighter platform and promises to give the best of both the worlds. Today we take a quick glance at its capabilities or the lack of it thereof.

It’s a seven-seater now. While the first-gen was a 7-seater, the second reverted to the five-seat formula. With the third-gen car, Nissan has got it back to its 7-seater mould. The car has an increased wheelbase of over 100 mm from the first-gen model, and while it may seem all compact from the outside, the new Nissan X-Trail is quite spacious inside. In its higher-spec trim, the X-Trail boasts a powered front passenger and driver’s seat. This lets one select the most comfortable driving or sitting position down to the last mm. The second row gets their individual AC vents while the third row is best suited for those below 5ft height. There are power sockets available for each row, thereby taking care of the charging requirements. This is something which the first and second generation lacked. Perhaps because at that point of time, the technology was still being developed.

 

The all-wheel-drive system is also new in the 2018 X-Trail. The older car used to have a proper 4x4 system that one could actually use to move around in the muck. The present-gen X-Trail has a fly on the wheel system that will transfer power to all four wheels or stay in front wheel drive mode all the time. One can also opt for the auto mode that detects the level of traction available from each wheel and individually sends power to them. Personally, we prefer the older hardcore system that had a lock and could pull you out of any tricky situations. The new one can send power to all four wheels up to speeds of 40 kmph.

Engines on the X-Trail have changed over time as well. Most of the cubic capacities have been retained, but the company says that makes it easier for the audience to connect with the car. In this case, the 2.5-litre engine has fuel injection, is naturally aspirated and produces 177 PS of power and 233 Nm of torque. Its smaller sibling, the 2.0-litre motor gets direct injection and has 144 PS of power on tap and 200 Nm. Both the engines come with a refined CVT gearbox. They also have a manual override function. The older transmission was a 4-speed torque converter that was too heavy on fuel. The newer one claims an efficiency of 14 kmpl with the 2.0-litre motor while the more powerful 2.5-litre engine does 12 kmpl.

This X-Trail has a rated towing capacity of 1,500 kg whereas the older one did 200 kg more. That being said, the new X-Trail is considered as a soft roader and something which can occasionally go off-road too.

That being said, safety is paramount in the new X-Trail'sconstruction and that shows. There are six airbags, ABS, traction control, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Vehicle Dynamic Control, Active Engine Braking, Active Chassis Control, Active Trace Control, Active Brake Limited Slip, Advanced Hill Descent Control, Hill Start Assist and more. The older car had twin airbags and ABS for company.

All in all, in terms of capability, the new Nissan X-Trail is far refined and polished than the generation that passed away. It is your everyday runabout, and when the time comes to a head out to the rocky trail for the weekend, it is up for that as well.