All New Nissan X-TRAIL 2024 Road Test Review – Comes Back to India with a 3-Cylinder Engine but will it be Enough?
When Nissan Motors entered the Indian car market way back in 2005 the X-Trail SUV was their very first model that introduced the brand to us. Since then Nissan Motors have seen some up’s and also a lot of rough sea’s but they have stood strong. In 2024 the Japanese car brand reboots itself restructuring their India offensive and their comeback model for the market again is the latest generation X-Trail SUV. We head to the national capital Delhi to get our hands on the Japanese globally best selling SUV with a question hitting our heads if really a 1.5L Three pot Petrol engine is good enough for a SUV of this class? Read our full review of the New 2024 Nissan X-Trail to find out the answer and more.
Food for Thought
Nissan first introduced the X-Trail in 2000 when it replaced the Terrano globally. Code named as the T30 the X-Trail was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 2000. The X-Trail was built on the MS/M&S/FF-S platform that it shared with the other models the Almera and the Primera. The 2nd Generation of the SUV was introduced in 2007 at the Geneva Motor Show code named as the T31. This is when Nissan & Renault began sharing platforms and the X-Trail shared its with the Renault Koleos. Third Generation X-Trail was introduced in 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show code named the T32. This one used the CMF-CD platform shared with its model the Qashqai and the Renault Koleos. The Fourth generation X-Trail was the T33 that unveiled at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show. This latest X-Trail introduced the three cylinder 1.5L VC Turbo Petrol engine to the world.
Exteriors
Upon first sight the X-Trail instantly lauds its true blue Japanese look, design and styling. Nissan would be importing the X-Trail as Complete Built Units (CBU) from its mother-ship in Japan.
Upfront the SUV flaunts a typical Nissan family face with the thick chrome ‘V’ band grille, rounded yet sharp bumper with integrated faux skid plate, active air dam and air scoops on the bumper edges, stylish flushed headlamps and LED DRL in split style along with a neatly sculpted hood all making up for a attentive looking face.
The side profile comes with a large glass area along with large 20 inch wheels mounted on stylish multi spoked alloys, fiber cladding inserts on the wheel arch, chrome insert highlighting the top of the glass area, roof rails and a cladding on the lower area of the doors.
The extended headlamp & tail lamp styling enhance the side profile along with character lines on the waistline. Wing mirrors get cameras and turn LED lights on them.
The rear profile is as Japanese as the sides and the front with a large spoiler with stop lamp along with a large wraparound tail lamp with sharp design and unique water drop detailing. Large X-TRAIL badging in chrome on the boot lid grabs your attention along with the big rear faux skid plate with stop reflectors on it. The roof gets a shark-fin antenna and a large panoramic roof to finish off the style department.
Interiors
You are welcomed to a dark theme dashboard in dual-tone finish, the top being brown and the lower finished in black made of soft touch material. The crash-pad area gets a faux metal insert along with a horizontal hand stitched line adding some premium appeal. The center dash gets a 7-inch floating style AVN touch screen which does get the connectivity features but misses out on wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto also the display size, resolution and UI is a lot left to desire but what makes up for this is the super crisp and informative 12.3 inch drivers display screen which we loved a lot.
The climate control is a dual zone affair while the start stop button is a tad bit small. You get USB C and regular USB charge port along with a 12V power outlet not forgetting the large wireless mobile charger pad. The center console gets the sleek trendy looking transmission shifter along with the auto hold and electromechanical hand brake. The drive mode shifter is also placed here with two large sized cup holders.
You get a good spacious storage space under the center console that can even accommodate an Apple iPad or a Tab on it. The steering is a three spoke design with flat bottom and sized slightly smaller in size like a sports car, this unit gets leather wrapping and height with reach adjust along with paddle shifters and the usual MFD control buttons.
The centre console also houses a butterfly opening storage bin that doubles up as the arm rest. Seats get fabric upholstery with neat looking grey inlays that also look trendy on the door pads. Front seats offer excellent support and padding with generous under thigh support but miss out on an electric adjust feature. You can manually adjust the reach, backrest angle and height.
Also missed is the seat cooling/ventilation feature. Door pads offer loads of storage space and both the front door pads gets door lock-unlock buttons which is a clever thing to do. There is this brushed metal finish on the center console and door pads that looks catchy and premium too.
The middle row seats get 40-20-40 split type and come with three adjustable head rests. These seats can be manually slided back and forth and also get manual adjust for the backrest angle. Seating here is comfortable with good leg, knee and headroom. Under thigh support is pretty decent and the seating height is also good. Getting into the middle row is a breeze thanks to the 180 degree opening doors. Middle row also gets two AC vents and the USB charge ports along with good spacious map pockets.
The third row seats get long adjustable head rests that also double up as the backrest when extended fully up. Leg room here is not for adults for long distance. There are no AC vents for the third row nor any USB charge ports here. This row folds down fully into the floor extending the boot storage area in a big way. You can also fold the middle row fully down making the storage area into a massive football field. No you don’t get an electrical opening/closing boot lid on here.
Engine – Variable Compression – Drive – Suspension
Powering the New Nissan X-Trail here in India is the 1.5L 3-Cylinder Variable Compression Turbo Petrol engine. This is the Worlds First Turbo VC engine that develops variable compression as and when needed enhancing drivability and power. This engine develops 163PS of power and 300Nm of peak torque matted to a latest generation X-Tronic CVT auto transmission. And yes you also have the 12V mild-hybrid system that boosts power mostly during city traffic usage.
On paper this may seem a small 3-cylinder engine which would make the X-Trail underpowered and we thought the same till we drove it. This technology is actually mind boggling as nowhere does this engine feel out of breath or slow.
You have tons of power at grabs across the power band making it extremely drivable. Power delivery is quick and the CVT shifter also feels rather smooth with near bout negligible rubber band effect that you would relate to the CVT transmission heritage.
The X-Trail does its high speed run if sheer style offering an excellent road and drive manners, feedback on the steering is also good and we did high speeds of 187kmph on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway with the SUV smiling away. In cabin comfort is also good in both the front two rows and the 20 inch tyres and the excellent suspension setup that the Japanese car comes with.
The VC Engine also sounds sweet when you do high speeds adding to the overall drive fun. The all wheel disc brakes also work brilliantly ensuring safe, confident braking all the time.
During our Delhi city run too the SUV behaved very nicely ensuring that we were comfortable even during low speed driving conditions. You don’t get an AWD system or any off roading stuff on this 2WD SUV but you do get three drive modes – Eco, Standard and Sport modes to play with along with the paddle shifters if you want more fun. Overall the Nissan X-Trail offers a very well sorted mature drive that feels very premium to drive.
Safety
The Nissan X-Trail gets 7-airbags, ABS with EBD, 360 degree camera, all wheel disc brake, reverse park sensors with active guidelines.
Competition
The Nissan X-Trail goes up against the likes of the Skoda Kodiaq, Volkswagen Tiguan, Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Meridian, MG Gloster & Toyota Fortuner
Verdict
There is no doubt that the 2024 Nissan X-Trail makes a very strong statement about itself in terms of practicality drive quality, comfort, unique looks and premium Japanese quality. It may miss out of a few features that the competition offers but what you get in its package is a unique technology loaded VC Turbo engine that is a gem to drive, no fuss interiors and a no nonsense Japanese styling which will surely look fresh for a long time to come.
If you want to stand out of the crowd and get noticed with a stylish all Japanese SUV that is fun to drive then the Nissan X-Trail is the one for you.
Words – Ritesh Madhok
