2008 Nissan X-Trail review

By Karl Peskett | January 11th, 2008

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.

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The boot space in the new X-Trail is just excessive. But in a good way. And because the lip is low, loading it up is a cinch. Then there’s the sliding drawer with dividers, in which you can separate various items. This new Nissan is starting to look extremely practical.

What let the previous generation of X-Trail down was its bits-and-pieces interior. The dash sat in the middle, there were a hundred different surfaces, and nothing seemed to integrate well – put simply, there was no feeling of quality. You bought a cheap soft-roader, and you got, well, a cheap soft-roader. This one is different. Very different.

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For starters, the dash sits in front of the driver. It’s a simple readout, although the circular central LCD panel containing the fuel gauge and outside temperature can be a little hard to read, due to glare. The familiar Nissan heater and ventilation controls fall easily to hand, as does the stereo. The centre stack is bordered by subtle matt metallic strips, while the rest of the dash fascia is finished in a nice medium grey. The black dash top contains a huge lidded bin, and the glovebox is sized to be practical.

Speaking of practical, the rear seating (and front for that matter) is generous in both headroom and legroom. It’s also quite supportive, and just a nice place to be. Aircon vents are supplied for passengers too. Visibility from both front and back is excellent, however a reversing camera would be good in this day and age.

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But where the new X-Trail shines is in fit and finish. Everything seems to go together well. Of course, we’re not talking Audi quality here, but for the price, it is deeply impressive. The seat trim could be a little nicer, but it’s built to be durable, and if you option up to the Ti, you get leather trim anyway. The ST-L model we tested also had leather on the steering wheel, which was nicely shaped, and tactile.

Probably the steering is the weakest part of the X-Trail package dynamically. Electric steering doesn’t give you much feel, as you probably know, and this car is no different. It is suitably responsive however, and what it lacks in feedback, it makes up for in smoothness. It genuinely feels like hot-knife-through-butter material, and isn’t too light either. In fact, given its accuracy and ease of steering (as well as a 10.6m turning circle), I’m willing to put up with no feel – and that doesn’t happen often.

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The smoothness carries over to the ride, too. Bump blotting is the X-Trail’s specialty. It does roll a little, as well as dive and squat under acceleration and braking, but it’s not over the top. The suspension tune is perfect for Australian roads, and its all round dynamics are very good. The ESP does take a while to control flick and lift-off oversteer, but we’re talking extreme conditions, and in the dry too. Wet and gravel calibration is a lot better.

The 2.5-litre, four cylinder engine is probably a little underpowered in this market segment, being that it only makes 125kW and 226Nm. But it makes good use of it, and is mostly smooth throughout the rev range, except for just near the redline, where slight roughness is heard. It pulls very cleanly though, and is linear in its delivery.

Plus it’s mated up to a close ratio 6-speed manual, which is a delight to use, with its quick, light and positive action. It gives a light, rubbery click when selecting each gear, and is almost Golf-like in its action. The clutch is easy too, so this would be my pick, rather than the slow CVT.

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The other reason I’d pick the manual is for going off-road. In sand, the CVT takes too long to wind up, whereas your power is instant in the manual. And in such conditions, the X-Trail does quite well. We didn’t really get a chance to push the limits of the All Mode on-demand four-wheel-drive system, but in the little time we had it off-road, it did very well.

Ground clearance could be a little better, and the departure angle is also a bit limited, but for normal scrub, bush tracks and beach work, this is a fine performer. Another huge plus is standard fitment of hill start and hill descent control across the range.

So not only is the X-Trail looking practical, but it’s also excellent value for money. The base model (ST) is $31,990, and has all the features the ST-L has, except for 6-stack CD player, and leather handbrake and wheel. What you are getting, is a roomy, practical, smooth, well built car, which will bush bash if you want to.

It’s not often I would choose a soft-roader for simply doing the family run. But if you buy an X-Trail for just that one, practical role, I won’t hassle you. I’ll applaud you. The bonus is, you can actually use it for more than that.

It’s funny how perceptions can cloud your judgement. The end result is, I approached the X-Trail with negativity, and left with positivity. In my book, that means Nissan has done its job, and done its job very, very well.

2008 Nissan X-Trail specifications

Engine: 2.5-litre four cylinder
Power: 125kW
Torque:226Nm
Top speed: N/A
Safety: Dual front, side and curtain air bags, – ABS, ESP, TC, EBD, EBA, seatbelt pretensioners
0-100km/h: Approx 10 secs
NCAP rating: N/A
Turning circle: 10.6m
Fuel tank: 65 litres
Fuel consumption : 9.5-litres/100km
Fuel type: 91RON unleaded

Myke

I know its been said before, but Nissan Oz made a mistake not giving us a diesel option. Considering (unlike Mazda) they have both a manual and automatic transmission for the 2.0 diesel engine available in Europe.
They also would be the first Japanese car maker to supply a diesel engine in a soft-roader and that would get them noticed IMO.
Lcat

This is the twin to the Dualis which scored 5 star ncap rating. The x-trail scored 4 stars.
Would be good to have a comparo.
http://www.caradvice.com.au Karl Peskett

Hi Lcat.

A Dualis review will be coming in March.
Lcat

Thanks Karl.
I would guess the Dualis is Nissan’s answer for those that need the X-trail type practicality without the off road ability.
Frugal One

I own a S2 and before that a S1 ST. XTrail, only got good things to say about it.

The fit finish and quality are top class.Have not had 1 issue with it.

Would have liked more airbags, traction control [spins the front wheels in 2wd in the wet], MUCH stronger A/C performance [its pretty much useless, no brake dust up front, more MPG.Well thats about it really.

To the reviewer, before you harp on about audi quailty, yes it good when new, but after a few years it turns to c/rap, they just dont age all that well.Lets not forget to mention about gearbox issues too!

Wont be buying a 3rd, want to maybe get the Mazda CX7, would LOVE if u guys here @ C/A would test one MAY HAVE MENTIONED THAT B4

Cheers

F-0
Carl

I’m in the market for a small to medium soft roader/SUV and am having big trouble finding a decent diesel option from japan! whats going on ? why can’t i find a decent diesel in this category from japan??? So far i have the jeep patriot limited diesel on my short list but am concerned about the build quality and the sticky clutch but other than that it looks great.
Having said that i won’t be forced into buying a petrol one from japan just for the build quality, sometimes we have to buy with our hearts and not our heads after all we only live once. And to the japs i say this, No diesel-no sale!!!
http://www.caradvice.com.au Karl Peskett

Hey Carl. Great name, pity about the spelling

What about the Suzuki Grand Vitara? A diesel is coming soon.
Carl

Hey Karl, dido about your name and yes i would consider a grand vitara diesel lets hope it’s a good torquey motor… but u must agree that the japs are sitting on some very good diesels that they sell to europe and don’t sell to us.
Carl

Slip the 2.5L diesel from the Navara with 403nm of torque and less fuel consumption and this X-Trail would sell it’s self!
http://barina SteveV

Carl, the Hyundai Santa Fe has a Diesel option and in my opinion is equal to anything from Japan at the moment. Build quality is exceptional and has class leading fuel economy.

The Suzuki is an option if you desire the dual transfer case but otherwise the Korean option is the way to go. Forget the Patriot, not worth the risk.
Punko

Hey fella’s, we have had an 01 model since it had 20,000 on the clock it has just ticked over the 208,000 and it hasnt missed a beat. Admittedly I service the thing every 5000-10000 Kms (brother is a mechanic, cheap services) and I am hoping it will cater for our expanding family. Currently have 1 teenager and pre teen sons and expecting another in 3 months. See if we can squeeze in all the stuff that goes with babies.
Failing that, any suggestions anyone???
http://barina SteveV

sounds like you need a bus!
Punko

Thanks SteveV.

Not that bad yet.
Carl

Thanks SteveV, for reminding me about the Hyundai i was in the bad old days mind set for korean quality, I’ve also considered the Captiva but again for the same reasons as the patriot i’m not sure about the build quality that Daewoo is offering nowadays
Phillip

Carl I think the Hyundai will be far far ahead of the Jeep in terms of build quality. This is the company Toyota bosses have admitted to feeling the most threatened by. The Holdwoo is in another (much much lower) league.
Duck

The room behind the rear seats are very impresive it looks as long or longer for room than the back of a current BF Falcon 0r VZ Commodore Wagon. I’m glad they moved the actual dash (speed ometer).

Does anybody agree, that the interior dash pics. are the exactly the same as the Nissan Patrol Single Cab Review (recently). What, do they share the same interior, or is that a mistake for the patrol?
Carl

Yes Phillip i’ve read some good things about the hyudai’s i30 hatch back specially the diesel but with a growing familly it’s just a little bit too small but i’m going to put the santa fe on my test drive list and i want to see the new Mazda 6 wagon before i make a decision.
http://barina SteveV

Phillip, I’d second your opinion with your assessment of the korean makes V the jeep. Initial assessments of the Kia Sorrento (diesel) have been reasonable however, but still a bit behind Hyundai.

Not including a diesel option for the X-trail is a serious error on the part of Nissan. I feel their outstanding sales record will start to wain as time goes by. The current shape is already dated and will do so further very quickly. A diesel option would have kept the X-trail in the game a bit longer.
No Name

Hey Karl/Carl Don’t wait for the Suzuki diesel, its not rated well here (UK). Its an old noisy Renault engine, with lousy performance, noisy, uneconomical, and really noisy with added noise. Apparently the 2.0 petrol is just as economical. If you want a review try http://www.whatdiesel.co.uk there are test in there, possibly one for the vitara.
Comegetsome

Owned a Series 1 Xtrail Ti, loved the car. Got rid of it mid year for a Mitsubishi Outlander V6. Looked at the new Xtrail in November, a couple of things I noticed:
- the boot is too deep, they should have increased cabin space, especially leg room in the rear or had a sliding rear seat (like the Outlander)
- needs ALR (auto-locking retractor) seatbelts in the rear for baby car seats
- modernised the design at least slightly
- given it more power or the diesel
- I think the Dualis will compete against it

Still will sell over a 1000 per month though.
CGS
binladen

The backseat of Dualis is disappointing. It is too small. It is a bit overpriced I think.
Ian

The biggest problem with X-Trail is that it looks crook and dated. I wonder whether this had something to do with its lower than usual sales numbers in December, or whether lack of supply or Dualis taking sales away from it contributed?
Frugal One

Dualis is made in UK, i dont care what anybody says, the quality will be less than a Japanese built one.

The Dualis WILL have a price cut, its nowhere price wise BUT far to high, just as i predicted for the Marano and Maxima, both have had large price drops, Dualis will follow

Cheers

F-0
Frugal One

Forgot to mention, if you can afford $34k for a ST X Trail, you would be starking mad not to pay $5k more and buy the BEST SUV on the market at the price, the mighty Mazda CX7.

Here at C/A they will be testing one soon! Mentioned that before i believe!

Cheers

F-0
Lcat

^ workmate just bought cx7 – looks good in black.
Traded his wrx for it. Likes it apart from A pillar blind spots (annoying more than dangerous) & is a bit dissapointed with the fuel economy. But it is definitely a looker!
dlr1

Typical… just like toyota no diesel version for OZ. Both are available overseas with Turbo diesel power. The rav has 2 models in europe… on with around 130kW and 400 Nm!!!!
Yet we get served up 2.4 / 2.5 petrol 4′s (ok not every one wants a diesel) and V6 (3.5 Rav and 3.0 Mits Outlander)

Wake up Nissan ,Toyota and Mitsubishi. Are you blind to rising oil costs US $100 per barrel and $1.50 per litre ULP.

Wouldn’t a fuel efficient Diesel with no performance loss compared to the 4 cyl petrols be a top idea! have some vision for the future, what will the resale value of a v6 be when ulp is $2.50 per litre. We need economy not 160-200kw.

Shame about their lack of vision other wise it probably not a bad thing.
dlr1

Frugal One…
A CX-7 with 16+ L/100km city cycle doenst make a lot of sense either.
Carl

If Mazda gave us in OZ a diesel option in the CX-7 it would be a cake walk in that category for them, but a lot of Australians are still ignorant about the benefits of modern diesels and these companies play on that ignorance to stick us with the pertol cars that europeans reject!!

I would be willing to wait and buy the new Mazda 6 diesel wagon if it’s as good as it sounds over a petrol CX-7
troy

DAMN!!

that thing is hideous!
Gibbo

It needs either a V6 or a good Diesel.
Myke

Carl if there was a diesel option for the CX-7, Mazda Oz would without a doubt bring it to Australia. But even in Europe there isn’t a diesel option for the CX-7 as its main market (along with the CX-9) is the US, where there isn’t a demand for diesel.
Mazda actually seem like one in few Japanese car companies interested in investing in diesel engines in Australia.
Carl

Myke, i agree with you that Mazda is trying harder than all the other japs to bring us diesels and they should be commended for it. Infact i’m nearly sure that i will end up buying the new Mazda 6 wagon in diesel form because it promises to be a classy wagon and theres a lack of choice in that price bracket, but what i really want is a CX-7 diesel.

All i want is that when a car company comes up with such a good looking car like Mazda has with the CX-7 it deserves a good torquey diesel option along side the usual petrol options.

Cos this X-Trail isn’t exactly what you’d call a looker.
Regie

Diesel why the hype?

The only unfortunately thing about diesel is that its price per litre is always dearer than RULP and every time petrol goes up so does the diesel. So the extra km’s you get out of a diesel are nearly lost buy the cost per litre, so its almost not worth the bother.
We are the highest taxed country in the world and which ever direction the masses of our people turn to regarding fuel choice, the government are just gunna keep robbing us blind. Look how the gas price shot up 12 months ago, when alot of people panicked with petrol price and got gas conversions done….. I noticed the gas price rising faster than usual.
So if the masses turn to diesel cars then the price of diesel will sky rocket. Diesel being a bi-product of petrol they should be paying us to use it for them. I have been told that the price of diesel in Africa is 5 cents/litre……go figure that!!!!
Looks like im just gunna have to keep working on my self powered generator…..
Steven Hambleton

I think we should stop concentrating on the better fuel economy as the extra you pay for a diesel model actually makes it less economical (unless you keep it for a lot of years or do about 40,000 kms per year!).

Instead we should be concentrating on the far superior torque which equates to better overtaking and towing ability.

I guess it is great to not have to refuel as often but if one of the Japanese manufacturers took the plunge and actually shipped one here then I would like to see it at a price that would make the economic advantage an actual selling point.

Hyundai have done it right with the i30 with a $1,000 premium. Easily clawed back afer 3 years of motoring.
Chris

I’m a ford Falcon driver for many years. Looked into the Territory compared it to the Xtrail keeping in mind 6 cyl to a 4 cyl. The accessories and the 6 air bags far out way the territory’s only 2 air bags. Comfort and safty in the x trail is much better for my family than the
territory.
How ever Towing is my concern? I need to tow about 1200 Kgs any thoughts on the matter?.
Also spoke to a x trail 07 owner informed that it sucked fuel overly for the first 20,000 k’s then settled down. Has any one else experienced this?
At this point the x trail is winning our purchasing asperations.
Hoping to keep it for at least 10 years am I dreaming?
Is it possiable?.
slammer

I have been umming and arrring about the x-trail since it was released, like most others I wish it would come in the diesel variant that seems so popular in the UK, but I also have some concerns about its off-road ability – namely at the beach with no low range.

Does anyone have some experience with driving this thing off road? I would like to know how it performs.

Thanks
graham

I am one of the diesel supporters for the nissan xtrail but relented as I needed to upgrade from my 2003 xtrail.
I believe the earlier ones like mine had 132kw, a little more than some of the later model Euro emission ones.
I tow a 1350kg+ boat with the old xtrail and refused to buy the new one until I could tow my boat with a demonstrator.
Towing the boat with the new model fitted with the cvt auto transmission far out excelerated the old 132kw 2003 model.The cvt seem to keep the revs in the middle of the torque band and does not bog the motor down as much.
The old one only had 70,000 klms on the clock and was in top condititon.
I have just about run in the new one and will soon tow the boat up the highway and see how it goes. I will keep you posted.
If you are worried about towing, put pressure on your dealer to give you the use of a demonstrator with a tow bar.
Chris

I own the model that came before this. Yes, the quality of the interior isnt that good and yes, its not as good as this one off road but judt look at the new one. ITS UGLY, the one before is so much mor better looking. Part of the reason you buy a soft-roader is if it has good looks. The new one is one of the UGLIEST soft-roader Ive seen. What were they thinking when they put the back up lights on the bottom, the back bumper is just wrinkled and so is the front. UGLY UGLY UGLY UGLY UGLY
Darren

Has anyone got feedback on performance in terms of offroad ability (beach) and towing (campertrailer)?
Darren

your wishes have come true, looks like a turbo diesel is on the way!

http://www.nissan.com.au/xtrail/turbodiesel.asp
George yerou

im George yerou and i love the nissan x trail
fatboy66

I have a 1900kg boat to pull. I am very glad that Nissan have decided to bring the Diesel version of teh X-trail to Oz, 360nm is not bad for a 2ltr. I don’t like driving autos so want to get the manual, does anybody have any feedback on pulling heavy loads with the X-trail? Also, is 1st gear on these things ok for reteiving boats from a steepish boat ramp? Pity they don’t put a low range on the X-trail.
Sharon

Hi,

We bought a new ’08 X-trail at the beginning of the year. As you can imagine, quite excited as it is our first ever brand new car.

I’ve been quite shocked and very dissapointeed by the Nissan company. We have found out that a frequent fault of the Nissan is a speedo that is out, inaccurate. I am not talking just a kilometre or two (this you could live with)…… I am talking that ours is out by 10%!!!!! And nobody gives a tinkers about rectifying this.

Believe me, it is not much fun to be continually guessing what speed you are actually doing. You either worry about going too fast and the police or stick to the spedometre and get continually abused by other drivers for drivng too slow. Neither are things you want your children to witness. Some days I wish I could afford to just park it up and not use it!!!!!!

If we had been told prior to pickup of this fault (as we were told so nicely after finding the fault), we would have checked its accuracy prior to handover signature and refused to take that particular car.

Hind sight is 20:20!

I bet their executives would not be happy if they had to live with a car with this fault!
http://www.caradvice.com.au Lightbulb

Sharon: There is a web-site where you might be able to get some information on how to try & fix the inaccurate speedo. The site is: http://www.australianxtrail.com.au & then go to their forums section (which you can join & become a member if you like) which deals with your problem. I can recommend this web-site for anyone who is interested in Nissan X-Trails as it contains a lot of useful information. I hope this will help you.

Cheers !
metric

Like Darren I am interested in the towing capabilites of a van around 1400kg,, whats the fuel consumption, but more important how does it handle hilly terrain, does it rev highly with a load on?
http://www.caradvice.com.au Lightbulb

Hi Metric:
I am not sure if you were referring to the new turbo diesel X-Trail coming out this month but if towing & fuel consumption are your main concerns than I would recommend the diesel model over the petrol one. The diesel X-Trail has more low down torque which should be good for towing & hilly terrain plus it does not rev as high as the petrol model with better fuel consumption. Price wise, I think the diesels will be around $1000 dearer than equivalent spec petrol versions. Overall, the new T/Diesels are the best buy but it depends on personal preferences & you should have a test drive in both the diesel & petrol models first before you decide to buy.

Cheers !
Lindsay

Bought a new Ti Auto after months of research and agonising. Up to the last day the Forester was in the lead but the smoothness of the CVT sold me. I prefer the new shape of the Forester but the interior looks a bit cheap. Also Forester gives 4 alloys and steel spare.
ChrisJ

Just test drove the new Diesel X-trail… the TL. Awesome car, with an awesome engine. Same as Lindsay, like the shape of the Forrester better, but the X-trail with it’s diesel is the better package. If only they were bringing in a few of them….

Cheers,

Chris
Bill Calkins

I just bought a x-trail 2008 but here in Mexico they dont offer a towbar. i would like to know how or where i can get an email for a nissan dealer to ask price and delivery to the
usa. Thanks for any response at all as i am getting no help from nissan Mexico
Thanks Mate
David Elmer

BEFORE YOU INVEST IN AN XTRAIL, SUGGEST YOU INVEST 2 MINS TO READ THIS:

I am writing this so that maybe one other person will avoid the disappointment and expense of owning an Xtrail that I have experienced. Maybe the newer models are different – but my 2005 model showed that they are not up to it. They are really, really poor off road – try doing anything more than a 30 second sprint through soft sand and you will find out why… first the 4wd warning light turns on, then 4wd disengages and then you are stuck up to the axle. This happened to me every time I went near the sand. Trust me – I wasn’t doing Kakadu!

All that is something you could cope with and probably just live with, as I haven’t been on the beach for more than 1.5 years …. but my Xtrail has also recently required $3000 for a new clutch after just 66,000 km’s. I complained to Nissan – they sent two pretty ordinary letters, saying it was just out of the 3 year warranty period, therefore – bad luck, they basically didn’t give a toss. It was out of the time warranty, but 34% under the distance warranty, which is surely the most relevant indicator of usage anyway? Also, a new clutch after that number of km’s? For a car made in 2005 – maybe you could expect that from a cheap 1980′s car? Ironically, I was loyal enough to get it serviced by a Nissan dealer, even though it cost more to me. Amazingly, they even said to me in terms of the warranty we “give the customer the benefit of any reasonable doubt”. So, they may not of even fixed it anyway! “reasonable doubt” quoted to you by a multi-national car company – that’s hardly reassuring!

Don’t be fooled by the type of marketing that puts crocodiles on top of cliffs in the advertisements like I was – in my experience – maybe I was a one off… but my advise is keep looking.

If all you are doing is sealed road, then your test drive around the block is approriate for you, and what they want you to do. See what they say when you ask to give it a test on the sand….

MAYBE THE NEW MODEL IS DIFFERENT … BUT THE APPLE NEVER FALLS TO FAR FROM THE TREE IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN ….
James L

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…
witchka2by?

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?
Dadd

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.
Craig

The new Grand Vitara shits all over the x-trail!!!
vafangulo

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
robere

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.
Arco

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”.

David Mortimer

Comment removed at the request of author.

maximark

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.
blunardi

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.
Milkyway

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.
sergio

if i want to calculate the inside the volume capacity of the Nissan X-Trail how can i know it?
Gabriel

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.
Chris H

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.
Iain Trainor

I am sold on the XTrail. I have just bought my second! The seat comfort for a medium to long trip is good. The steering light enough for my wife to park it with ease and good on the beach. I did purches a manual the second time as the CVT appeared to be sluggish and slow to respond on the first.

Hope you enjoy your exy as much as me.
Tim

I’m considering an X-Trail Diesel which seems to rate well in recent mag. reviews against GV and Tiguan. I previously owned a CX-7 which has received some support from reviewers here. I sold it after 18 months as I found the turbo lag positively dangerous, as well as the 14.8l/100km being dangerous to my wallet (and I’m not a Boy Racer). You’d have to really love the look to put up with CX-7 performance and excessive fuel consumption.
Joe Milner

My experience with the current Xtrail petrol has all been bad. The car has a bad vibration at around 80 – 100km/hr. The interior plastics are terrible, the instrumentation is hard to see in bright light and the speedo has an unacceptable 10 percent error. The CVT transmission is very slow to engage and the brakes cannot be smoothly applied. I could go on but you get the impression!! Nissan Australia have provided no support and the local dealer hates them! Stay away from Nissan.
Olol

208,000KM without problem is good. Assuming its a manual, how much did you pay for what clutch kit and how long did the first one last please? SMS 0403006561
Olol

Sorry that last contribution is for Punko to answer .. my x trail has done 120,000km on its first clutch. I’m actually pretty happy with the car except for minor factory settings for emission control in the EMU.

I’ve always used heel/ toe method of changing gear so i’m only just happy with the clutch wear but not the prospective replacement cost. I had a 4.2L cortina which did 290,000 km on its first clutch. There should be a class action against Nissan when they’ve clearly given the car a sub-standard clutch … its a design fault of their making. There’s too many clutches going below 100,000km to blame driving styles.
Smurfy

I have a 2008 x trail. When it’s been sitting in rain and I open the boot water flows down into the boot cause a large puddle ? Does anyone know if this is normal or fault? I’m not happy I lost some expensive papers yesterday that were in the wrong spot in the boot!!
Gary

My 2006 X-trail 40th anniv edition ST-S has under 50000km and the clutch is starting to slip. My wife is the main driver around Sydney Eastern Suburbs (up and down tarred road hills – no sand!). Is this normal wear and tear? Sounds like I got a raw deal. The dealer says I need to replace the clutch – ($3000 from reading above?) do I have any other options? The car has only been serviced by the dealer every 6 months since I bougth it from them in 2006!
And whats this oncar fuel injection service they hit you with at each service ($50)?