2008 Nissan X-Trail review
January 11, 2008 by Karl Peskett
2008 Nissan X-Trail review
CarAdvice rating: 
(4.5)
Model Tested: X-Trail ST-L
Recommended Retail Price: (Manual models) $31,990 – ST, $35,990 – ST-L, $38,990 – Ti
Options Fitted: None
- by Karl Peskett
Several years ago, at school, there was a young guy named Bradley. Now Bradley was about 6-feet tall, was fairly lanky, and was as white as photocopy paper. Yet somehow he managed to be blacker than Fiddy Cent. You see, his cap was always backwards, his musical repertoire comprised every rap song ever written, and his jeans were baggier than a mouse wearing a tuxedo.
Bradley’s problem was image. He just couldn’t accept what he was, and several years later, he was no hip-hop music producer. No, he was just another white guy again, and was back to normal. Which is why it annoyed me at the time, that he couldn’t just be himself. Why did he have to try to impress everyone?
The same goes with the Australian car market. What is it with people buying four-wheel-drives when they’re clearly not going to ever go off-road? I have several friends who have bought soft-roaders and refuse to even take them down to the beach. “I might scratch it” was one of the responses, and what scared me even more was that they were dead serious.
I approached Nissan’s new X-Trail with the same viewpoint I always have. If you’re not going to take it off road, then there’s little reason to buy one. Put it this way – I own a 2001 Holden Astra hatch. The pram we use for my son fits in with no problems. A Commodore has trouble fitting it in the boot though. I’ve yet to come across a soft-roader under $40K which would swallow it as easily. Until now.
Hi David
I know how you feel. I similarly bought an XTrail in 2005 as it was the cheapest Japanese 4×4 in its class. The plastic dashboard and doorpanels were, well, plasticky. It scratches easily and it was used to ferry kids, not animals with sharp claws. Although the engine was reliable, the suspension is starting to creak. No, it has gone anywhere no covered by tarmac.
I’m now in the market for another mid size 4×4 and I’m looking hard at the new X-Trail but my past experience keep making look elsewhere. I think the Tiguan is sharp in terms of its build quality and performance but pity the boot is a tad too small. Else, the Santa Fe 2.2 crdi looks inviting. The search continues…
How does the xtrail compare with jeep patriot? Fuel consumption of the patriot and compass looks efficient! And the patriot has the classic ‘boxy’ jeep look as well. Any one with more experience with the patriot?
I don’t know where CA got the rear seat picture on page 4 from but it’s not an X Trail – maybe a Tiguan. It’s a fairly hideous combination of colours and patterns too.
The new Grand Vitara shits all over the x-trail!!!
CRAIG^^
The X Trail is not years but a good generation in front of the Suzuki.
The Suzuki sells in tiny numbers, the X Trail is a huge seller, superior resale, qaulity, name, reputation etc
Its not c/rap but its MUCH better and more modern than small players Suzuki
Cheers
FO
Great review, but of little help as Nissan Head Office in Australia just confirmed that I have to wait at least 2 months for a Twilight X-trail as the company has a formal ‘production slow-down’ in operation. I don’t want white, I don’t want a dark colour, I just want a Twilight and can’t get one anywhere! Looks like a subi after all.
My X-Trail has done 66,000 kms, mainly on road but with some bush tracks, and the clutch has started slipping. The local Nissan dealer, where the car has been serviced since new, says there is no adjustment in the hydraulic clutch and a replacement will cost $1300 for parts alone. It seems very low milage for clutch failure but the Nissan dealer just shrugged and said it was “normal”.
I just got T31 petrol,CVT for 3 weeks and very happy with it. Just got back from Albany (done 1100 KMs in two days) and she runs like a dream, very very quiet not a single squeak or rattle even on some poor road surfaces. Excellent on petrol also,yesterday, before went back to perth, filled her up and the trip computer read 760 Km to empty. A lot of people don’t like its look, but I think she look much better than the RAV4,CR-V and Forrester.
The only negative things I could find are there’s no audio control on steering wheel (even mine is a Ti model) and it’s quite hard to reach the audio control on the central dash while driving. The headlights could have been better,and the seats are little high. I also don’t like the digital petrol and temp gauges, I prefer the needle ones.
Hi all, just like to share my opinion on the new X-Trail ST petrol.
Admittedly it was a hire car; was on holiday in Melbourne for a week with wife and daughter. I reckon the previous model is generally a good car (my inlaws have one). It’s zippy, comfortable and practical although interior quality is a let down. So I was keen when picking up the keys.
I wanted to like this car, but I just couldn’t; I hated it.
Throttle response from standstill is so sudden. Brake feel is horrendous, I have never driven anything with a brake that is like an on/off switch. It takes full concentration just to drive the car smoothly. A manual turbo diesel 80 series Land Cruiser is easier to manage methinks.
Handling doesn’t inspire confidence; the car never feels planted on the road. Body roll was so bad, a corner taken at 20 kph would throw the pram and all our stuff in the boot sideways. What made matters worse, boot was all plastic. Steering had no feel whatsoever, the wheel just wanted to go dead straight everytime. I shudder to think what it would feel like driving along winding roads like the Black Spur. Comfort on straight roads is pretty good albeit crashy at times.
Cruise control buttons on the steering wheel are awkward, nothing like the easy-to-use traditional toggle switch. Having an on/off and set display on the dash helps a little.
From the moment I moved the lever from neutral to reverse, CVT takes about 3-4 seconds to fully engage reverse, I got honked at everytime I parallel parked on a busy street. Not that my parallel parking skills suck, mind you, the transmission just took too looooooooong.
Trip computer was showing 11 km/l in mixed city / freeway driving, I expected better given the use of CVT. Kept the 4×4 switch glued to 2WD.
Now it’s not all bad with the car: Cabin comfort is up compared to the previous model. There’s heaps of legroom and headroom as well as luggage space. I managed to fit 3 large suitcases and a pram on the back. There are also lots of storage space on the dash. I liked the glovebox with its nifty with dividers. Removable ashtray is a nice touch, but I kept grabbing it everytime I tried to reach for the handbrake!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I will not comment on looks, I think the driving experience is more important.
Overall, a major disappointment from Nissan. Or possibly the car’s had a hard life as a hire car, I’m not sure.
I’ve driven and owned a variety of cars from a Jazz to a Land Cruiser, and others in between, manual and auto, turbo and N/A, petrol and diesel. Owned a 98 Forester, which I loved to bits. Lost out only on interior space, but otherwise a much more enjoyable experience than the X-trail.
Just bought a Suzuki Grand Vitara 5 Door 2.4 after testing both cars.
Price-GV 10% cheaper (GV auto vs XT ST CVT)
Warranty- GV 5yrs XTrail 3 yrs.
Handling- GV edges X-Trail.
Looks-this is personal. I’m put off by the current XTrail.
Transmision-GV 4 sp auto vs CVT of XTrail. Although CVT is more advance, I’m indifferent to both.
Ride- the GV is slightly unsettled over bumpy roads.
Space- the GV loses out to the X-Trail. Boot size of X-Trail is almost 50% deeper than the GV (rear seats folded up)but the GV boot space has slightly better height.
Interior trim-both comparable.
Suzuki may be selling the GV in small numbers but it’s more than a match for the X-Trail, all things considered.
if i want to calculate the inside the volume capacity of the Nissan X-Trail how can i know it?
The petrol X-trail is a better bet than the new diesel version. I own a diesel X-Trail and it has an oil leak which continuously contaminates the EGR valve and air filter, affecting performance. Nissan has been trying to fix the problem for 8 months, but no permanent solution on the horizon.
The Diesel X-trail is a lemon.
My T31 X-Trail Ti has just been flat bed trucked back to Nissan with a CVT failure. 48,000 kms on the clock, hardly ever off road, and driven carefully. Seems to me that this is problem for Nissan according to the X-Trail discussions on the web.