Nissan X-TRAIL 2014 Review

Nissan has taken its latest generation (T32-series) X-TRAIL in a different marketing direction after years of promoting earlier series as practical, go-anywhere compact SUVs with plenty of load space and towing capacity. This new model is softer, more family-oriented – with some variants now offering a seven-seat capacity – and its form is now fair, rather than square. The particular car joining our long-term test fleet is an ST four-wheel drive variant with five seats, priced from $33,980 (plus ORCs).

Interesting counterpoint: Our long-term test X-TRAIL lobbed just a week before a Jeep Cherokee of similar specification. I say similar, but the Nissan had all the requisite drivetrain mechanicals for off-road motoring, while the Jeep – a brand with a long-founded reputation for off-roading – featured no drivetrain components further south than the firewall.

It's a crazy, mixed-up world in which we live.

And adding to the craziness was the continuously variable transmission (CVT) fitted to the Nissan – which turned out to be a far more sensible device than the ZF-designed nine-speed automatic in the Cherokee.

Perhaps I'm getting a bit ahead of myself though...

After spending a week behind the wheel I found the X-TRAIL to be more likeable than our previous long-term Nissan SUV, the Pathfinder. The smaller Nissan offered commensurate comfort and roominess, but arguably looked better, used less fuel, and didn't blot its copybook in any other way during its time with us so far.

While the interior design was a little more to my liking than the Pathfinder's, the X-TRAIL stylists appear to have gone overboard with what seems like an excess of piano black gloss veneer for the centre fascia. And the infotainment system was not easy to use when it came time to pair a smartphone. Once the phone was paired, however, it automatically reconnected on start-up – something not always guaranteed in other cars.

The seats were quite comfortable and the driving position was practical, with easy-to-read instruments and well-located controls. Probably the one exception was the foot-operated parking brake, but that was not a major impediment. It may deter some buyers, but it was easy to use and didn't detract from the X-TRAIL's ease of operation, since there was no clutch pedal sharing the same space.

There was storage under the boot floor for wet items. Unlike the previous model's counterpart, this stowage facility doesn't look like an injection-moulded rat's maze. The overall presentation throughout the new model's interior is a significant improvement in fact, although the colours and tonings can still look a little understated. At least there's a better than even chance the fabrics and plastics will resist scuff marks and general wear and tear over many years.

As mentioned in the launch review for the new model, rear-seat accommodation is more than adequate for adults, and the rear seats will not only fold flat, they will also slide forward or back and the squab can recline – all of which will either enhance comfort or boost load-carrying capacity.

Unless buyers need a third-row seat or the towing capacity to haul big boats out of the water, the X-TRAIL makes more sense than the Pathfinder.

As I also observed in the X-TRAIL's launch review back in April, the 2.5-litre engine offered strong performance that was easily accessible when required, but it wasn't the sort of powerplant to stir the soul. It was quiet though; no complaints about NVH. The X-TRAIL received a unanimous thumbs-up from the entire family in fact, although the CVT did hold the engine to very low speeds when cruising, and that did lead to some labouring as the revs slowed to just above 1000rpm with load applied.

The east/west engine drives via the CVT to all four wheels by means of Nissan's All-Mode 4x4-i final drive system, which allowed the driver to opt for three different modes: front-wheel drive only, auto 4WD and locked 4WD. There was negligible slip from the front wheels, even though I left it in front-wheel drive over the duration of the week to see how economical the X-TRAIL could be around town. Fuel consumption for the week – with about 40km of freeway travel – was 10.3L/100km.

While it wasn't in the same league as some conventional automatic transmissions, the X-TRAIL's CVT was one of the better examples of the kind, 'changing up' and occasionally even holding a higher ratio on the run down hills. It didn't creep from a standing start; that's either a strength or a weakness, according to one's personal point of view. I found that it delayed launch slightly in practice. That may be a consideration for those who like to stay ahead of the traffic away from the lights. Hill Start Assist served to make the day-to-day chore of driving the X-TRAIL even less onerous. The Nissan was pretty easy to drive even without a feature like that, it must be conceded.

In tight inner urban laneways and car parks the X-TRAIL never felt excessively large and was relatively agile when pushed. There was a reasonable level of communication through the wheel and the seat – and certainly the new model proved more communicative than its predecessor – but rapid changes of direction did call for a fair amount of wheel-twirling.

So it's looking positive for the X-TRAIL so far, but we'll revisit the new Nissan in subsequent updates – and see how it fares off-road as well as in the suburbs.