Following established industry tradition, Nissan’s T32-series X-TRAIL SUV is dimensionally larger than the T31 model it replaced.
Its wheelbase is stretched 75mm, its length 5mm, width 30mm and height 10mm. That’s all great for passenger amenity and cabin flexibility, but there’s a couple of added dimensions which hint at Nissan putting a capital ‘S’ in the term ‘soft-roader’.
Yes, a 5mm drop in ride height is barely worth mentioning, but an obstacle approach angle of 24.8 degrees is 3.2 shallower than its predecessor. Worryingly, the departure angle of 17.3 degrees is 6.7 inferior to the outgoing model. The X-TRAIL’s braked towing capacity is now rated at 1500kg, even for the 4WD model, such as this one.
Underneath the controversially-styled exterior (I quite like it in comparison to the T31, but appear to be in the minority), perhaps the most significant addition to the T32 X-TRAIL is the adoption of independent rear suspension.
At launch, colleague Ken Gratton suggested the X-TRAIL’s upgraded suspension has made it a better car on gravel roads, and that’s a good thing, because that’s what I’m headed for.
The drive up reveals that the X-TRAIL has reasonable highway cruising manners, riding smoothly with decent cabin NVH insulation. The CVT is curious, though in the X-TRAIL Nissan has made it more convincing than ever. At times, it allows the engine to be unleashed, the large-capacity four-cylinder petrol unit displaying effective punch as it works to maximum torque effect, though at other times you can almost feel the CVT acting reactively and slowly, restricting initial forward motion and making overtaking a task that requires even more forward-planning than usual.
As for the other major controls, the steering is fingertip light and feel-free; good for the urban jungle, but a little floaty at 100km/h. Similarly the brake pedal is sensitive, allowing a small application of pedal pressure before suddenly ramping up the retardation. It’s better than before, but it’s no Mazda CX-5.
Moving onto the swept gravel of the Kinglake region in Victoria, I had flashbacks to my mother’s early X-TRAIL, which was so feel-free and high in the nose that you lost all contact with the road surface the moment there was less traction than on smooth bitumen.
Thankfully the new car is vastly improved, providing more assured progress, without feeling that the chassis is trying to overtake the driver – from either end, at any moment. The light steering and jumpy brake applications are exacerbated on the loose, but there is new composure here, the X-TRAIL soaking up the multitude of corrugations found into gravel braking zones.
It’s even better with the three-mode all-wheel drive system in AUTO mode, the drive split continually monitored to distribute torque in the most grip-effective way. Left in 2WD, ostensibly used for the most efficiency, drive is sent by default solely to the front; however it can be diverted should the system sense a requirement to do so.
So, the latest X-TRAIL does soft-road better. Can it handle the harder stuff?
My chosen track is immediately more slippery than expected; time to ‘lock’ into four-wheel drive. The LOCK setting permanently engages the rear axle, splitting drive 50:50 front to rear in all situations. The setting remains in effect until 40km/h is breached, where the system will revert to its AUTO mode.
No chance of us clearing 40 clicks today, though. This track is narrow and rutted; overhanging trees sheltering hidden sections of deep sludge. Fortunately, recent training at the Land Rover Experience has my mind ticking over, searching for the grippy sections, allowing the car to follow the ruts without trying to over-correct and, mostly, trying not to bog the thing.
Over a slow-speed, lumpy, belly-bottoming section, the lack of approach and departure angle is felt, forcing me to seek alternatives rather than risk running out of ride height. Pausing for a moment to consider options, the hill start assist eases the burden of a wheel-spin free getaway, allowing a more deliberate throttle application.
In fact, the traction the X-TRAIL is finding on the slippery surface is impressive, particularly because, through the controls, everything feels so light that it gives the impression of the tyres floating, rather than biting, into the surface. Quick applications of steering lock over bumps also reveal another issue – the column stalks are just in the right place to be nudged out of position.
A typically sludgy, but thankfully open, section of track offers an opportunity to sample the X-TRAIL’s hill descent control. Applied via the simple means of a console-mounted button, the hill-descent control system is tied into the anti-lock braking system, and will hold the Nissan to 7km/h, pedal-free, for better, erm, descent speed control.
In practice the system clamps quite abruptly, sometimes exceeding 7km/h, sometimes barely allowing forward movement at all, despite there being full traction. It does help take your mind off the pedal controls, to focus on obstacles and pick the best path out, but even with it disconnected I discover the CVT will provide some natural resistance via selecting a low ‘step’ in manual mode. It’s certainly superior to the Pathfinder in this regard.
Streaked with mud for the return leg, the latest Nissan X-TRAIL has proven its versatility. On-road, it’s a big step up, and while off-road it may lack the ultimate attack angles of its predecessor, it is still more than capable off-piste, especially when compared to the far more road-biased Mazda CX-5 and Ford Kuga.
Overall, when you throw in its vastly improved gravel road manners, you can only conclude the X-TRAIL is a clear step up on its predecessor.
2014 Nissan X-TRAIL ST AWD pricing and specifications:
Price: $33,980 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 126kW/226Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable
Fuel: 8.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 192g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: TBA