► Mild or full hybrid only
► Five or seven seats
► X-Trail comes with front or four-wheel drive
The Nissan Qashqai is one of the best-selling SUVs in the UK, and the X-Trail is its bigger, more rugged brother. That means an optional third row of seating, hybrid power and the availability of four-wheel drive.
Now around for over two decades, the X-Trail is in its fourth generation – and uses an entirely new platform that’s been designed with electrification from day one. Shared with the Qashqai and Ariya, it ditches diesel entirely and offers only hybridised turbocharged petrol engines.
At a glance
Pros: Good value, improved cockpit, decent straight-line performance
Cons: Infotainment screen isn’t the best, engine noise
What’s different?
As well as the new platform, which we’ll talk about more later, the X-Trail gets updated styling and a more premium feeling interior inside. The entire range has been rejigged for the fourth generation, too.
All X-Trails get a 1.5-litre turbo three-pot with a variable compression ratio to improve efficiency or performance depending on the situation. At the bottom of the range, it gets a relatively simple 12v mild-hybrid boost and powers the front wheels via a CVT gearbox. Alternatively, there’s the full hybrid e-Power.
What are the specs?
Hybrid e-Power models do things rather differently. Here the petrol engine has no direct connection to the wheels, with two-wheel drive models being pulled along by a single 201bhp electric motor on the front axle. This gets power from a small battery that’s charged by the engine and regenerative braking.
Opt for e-4orce (groan) four-wheel drive (the model we’re testing here) and you gain another electric motor on the back axle that generates another 134bhp, although in total both generate a maximum of 210bhp. That makes for a 0-62mph launch in just 7.2 seconds, which is fairly rapid when you consider the sheer size of the X-Trail.
And why bother with the hassle when you could just have a conventional transfer case, prop and rear diff? In a word packaging. Trying to squeeze a 2.1kWh battery pack, a third row of seats and conventional four-wheel drive in a relatively compact crossover would have been tricky, although the larger Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento prove that it’s not impossible.
How does it drive?
Let’s get it out the way, the Nissan X-Trail isn’t a fun car to drive – at least not in the conventional, accepted definition. The steering is easy and predictable if not lifeless, and the dynamics are best suited to the school run rather than a B-road. Of course, you shouldn’t be expecting too much from a car of this side, in this sector.
The four-wheel drive system is able to react in a lightning 1/10,000 of a second, and torque vectoring by braking is there to help turn-in. Even so, you won’t find loads of power being fired at the outside rear wheel when you’re trying to have fun. It certainly helps boost traction, but it doesn’t take much to send the nose washing wide frustratingly early.
Still, the steering has a pleasant enough weight and has plenty of precision to make placing the X-Trail on the road easy, and it keeps excess body movements in check. In other words, it’s fine but in no way shape or form entertaining. Try a Seat Tarraco if you want sharper handling.
However, there is a type of satisfaction to be had when driving the Nissan. Looking beyond the interior, you’re in a commanding driving position with full visibility of the road – and the corners of the car itself. It means the car is easier to manoeuvre than you’d expect in tight conditions – and it also means it’s well suited to motorway driving.
Its straight-line performance is admirable, and you get an almost instantaneous boost from the hybrid part of the e4orce system – ideal for overtaking. It usually gives a loud ‘mooing’ sounds when this happens, too. Still, it’s not the most offensive three-cylinder thrum on the ears, but the vibrations being sent through the steering wheel are certainly noticeable.
The ride is also suited well for the motorway; it has enough pliancy to the suspension and good refinement. It can thump and thud through potholes, while poorly surfaced roads cause some fidget, but our test car was on the biggest 20-inch wheels. A chat to a UK-based Nissan engineer confirms their choice would be one fitted with 18 or 19-inch wheels. So equipped, it could be a much sweeter thing on patchy roads.
And off-road?
Combined with clever traction control and an off-road mode, the X-Trail is able to keep going even with a wheel or two dangling in mid-air. Just to be awkward, we ignore the instruction to keep going at 10km/h on a particularly tricky stretch and come to a dead stop. Even then it’s able to brake the airborne wheels to get us moving again.
A large mound of dirt confirms it won’t fall over on a 30-degree tilt, and e-4orce provides good traction when accelerating albeit with a definite front bias. Hill descent control skilfully tweaks the ABS to make steep downhills far less nerve-wracking than they should be, and it’s able to haul itself up a steep incline from a standstill even with the left-hand tyres on a surface even more slippery than loose dirt.
In other words, it’ll probably be more capable than you ever really need but is still limited by relatively meagre ground clearance and suspension travel.
What about the interior?
It’s certainly a big step on from the old X-Trail, with a greater spread of soft-touch plastics, sharper digital displays and a classier feel all round. Harder plastics are evident on the doors and lower down the dash, but it’s par for the course in this class. A Peugeot 5008 is posher still, but the Nissan does at least come with actual physical controls for the heating and stereo. Hurrah!
The infotainment, as seen in the ID.7, Golf and Tiguan is much better than before – and now features a row of shortcuts that make life much easier. The screen hardware, though, leaves a lot to be desired; it’s nowhere near as crisp or vibrant as other cars at this price point. Crucially for a family car, there’s plenty of easily accessible storage and flexible rear seats that both slide and recline if you opt for a seven-seater. There’s also a useful 40/20/40 split fold which makes carrying all your long lifestyle items (skis, anyone?) a doddle.
But what about space?
Front space is plentiful, and with the rear bench slid all the way back you’ll get a couple of six-foot adults in without complaint. It’s even alright for three abreast thanks to a wide, flat centre seat and minimal transmission tunnel. This does all mean the rear chairs are a bit flat and shapeless, although they are easily accessed thanks to rear doors that open to an impressive 85 degrees.
However, the X-Trail shouldn’t really be considered a seven-seater, more of a five-seater with two occasional chairs in the boot. Nissan says they’re best for those under 160cm tall, but you have to slide the middle row forward quite a bit to get any legroom in row three.
As for the boot, that entirely depends on spec. Mild-hybrid models get the most space with 585 litres, with e-Power dropping this to 575 litres. Want a seven-seater? That’ll drop boot space to 485 litres, none of which are particularly amazing for the class, but are by no means bad.
Before you buy
We’ve tested the X-Trail for hundreds of miles – and we’ve tested the competition too. So, what’s it up against? Its third row of seats puts it in direct competition with some real heavy-hitters when it comes to value. The Skoda Kodiaq is the most obvious competitor and combines Skoda practicality and style with the fit and finish of the VW Group. Starting at £36k, it undercuts, the Nissan too and is its most obvious competition.
Then there’s the Hyundai Santa Fe and Peugeot 5008 to consider. The former is arguable more stylish – certainly more of a statement – and inside it’s similarly futuristic. After all, it benefits from Hyundai’s retro modern design trend. At £52,000 it moves to the more premium side of family SUVs, though.
As for the Peugeot 5008? It’s quirky, stylish but fits very much in the same bracket as the Santa Fe when it comes to price. For a list of other competitors check out our list of the best hybrid seven-seaters here.
We can’t comment on the other models within the X-Trail line up, as we’ve only driven the e-4orce so far.
Nissan X-Trail e-4orce: verdict
There’s no doubt the X-Trail makes for seriously sensible family transport, and it’s managed to shuffle slightly closer to the pointy end of the class. While we could complain about the tight third row, rivals such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Skoda Kodiaq offer similar space back there, while you’d need to jump to a larger Hyundai Santa Fe or Kia Sorento to get an electrified seven-seater with the option of four-wheel drive.
In summary, the X-Trail is a perfectly pleasant family wagon with the option of some four-wheel drive ability. Don’t expect too much from the driving experience and you’ll be totally whelmed.
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