All-New 2024 Nissan X-Trail SUV in CarToq’s First Drive Review [Video]
Nissan is on the move. After a quiet two years, spent in figuring out where the company had to go in the Indian market, the Japanese automaker is back in the reckoning. It’s just brought in the X-Trail global mid sized SUV, as a brand builder, through the completely built unit (CBU) route. We drove it last week at Gurugram, and here’s what we think about the all-new X-Trail.
Butch Yet Sophisticated
That’s what would probably strike you about the 4th-generation X-Trail on first glance. It’s a handsome looking SUV, with a high-set bonnet, and a large, prominent grille up front – made as flat as possible to give it the traditional I-Mean-Business look.
With the trending split-headlamp design, Nissan has decided to go with the flow, and this adds a splash of style to the X-Trail’s front.
It remains unmistakably a Nissan though, with the chromed V-Motion grille giving it the traditional Nissan-family look.
The profile of the X-Trail is where the SUV bloodline really comes alive. The X-Trail rides on tall, 20 inch alloy wheels – the largest in segment.
The tall wheels, all-black cladding, minimal chrome, character lines that run right from the edge of the bonnet to the rear haunches, and the 210 mm ground clearance come together to give the X-Trail the stance of a true-blue SUV.
At the rear, the hatch-lid sees plenty of sculpting, and the tail lamps seamlessly meld into the rear windshield.
The rain-drop pattern on the tail lamps looks particularly fetching at night, and this is a very nice touch, indeed. Finally, the high loading lip and the satin bumper insert round off the SUV-stance of the X-Trail.
Getting into the SUV…
You literally walk into the X-Trail’s high set seat and the driving position is commanding. The doors open wide. With the driver’s seat set at its highest level, the edges of the bonnet are clearly visible, and this makes maneuvering the 4.7 meter long SUV effortless.
Visibility all around is excellent, and the panoramic sunroof adds to the airy feel of the cabin. The cabin feels quite premium with soft touch materials cocooning the driver and front passenger. There’s a brown-black-beige trim that’s quite tasteful.
The dashboard, door trims, the gear lever, the steering wheel and the arm-rests are all leather-wrapped, and this adds to the feeling of luxury. The dashboard is driver oriented.
A bummer though are the fabric seats, which while being very comfortable feel out of place. All-leather/art-leather seats would have really given the interiors a classier feel.
The steering has a flat bottom, is small, sporty and feels good to hold. A slightly thicker wheel would have felt even better though. The paddle shifters feel chunky and are a delight to use. Very, very tactile.
Moving on, all ergonomics fall into place. The seat is manually adjustable while the electric adjust is only for the lumbar support. Once you get used to the sheer comfort that lumbar support gives your back, there’s literally no going back. Excuse the pun.
The steering wheel itself is adjustable for rake and reach, and in seconds, nearly everyone will be able to find a good driving position on the X-Trail. Yes, nearly everyone, for the X-Trail’s narrow-ish cabin could be a slightly snug fit for heavy-boned people weighing close to a quintal. For all others, the SUV offers more than adequate space.
Now, onto the driving experience
Thumbing the starter button, placed in the middle of the car, produces an nearly imperceptible idle. In fact, at idle, you’ll have to look at the digital tachometer to figure if the engine’s running. Yes, the X-Trail is really that quiet and refined despite using a triple cylinder turbo petrol engine.
Releasing the electric parking brake and shifting the AMG-style gear lever in drive mode makes the X-Trail glide ahead, and the slightest of throttle inputs sees the large, heavy SUV leap ahead with an urgency that belies its size. Closing quick gaps in traffic? No problem sir, the X-Trail will be more than happy to do it for you with just a just a stab of your right foot.
Now, two big revelations in the X-Trail come in the form of the 1.5 liter turbo petrol engine that’s packed with cutting-edge variable compression ratio technology, and the outstanding 3rd generation X-Tronic CVT automatic gearbox.
The combination is literally a match made in heaven, and all misgivings of a large SUV like the X-Trail running a 1.5 liter turbo petrol mild-hybrid engine (160 Bhp-300 Nm) paired with a CVT automatic will be put to rest once you give it the beans. Drive it to believe it!
The CVT-automatic gearbox has 8 stepped shifts and the layman is going to mistake it for a torque converter automatic. Yes, it’s that smooth and responsive. Sweet work there, Nissan. In fact, even when you stomp the throttle, the X-Trail’s transmission responds quite sharply after only a minor delay. Crucially, there’s very little of the rubber-band effect that CVTs are infamous for.
Drive gently, and you’ll feel that you’re in a super refined, quiet SUV that’s happy to shift up for you. You’ll love driving relaxedly in town, and when you’re in the mood for some rapid acceleration, push the little toggle button on the center console to Sport mode.
This is when the X-Trail’s engine-gearbox combination really comes to life, and a heavy right foot sees triple digit speeds on the digital TFT console come up very quickly. Using the paddle shifters makes the engine and transmission really shine, and feel quite sporty. It’s a lot of fun, too!
Before you know it, you’re at 140 Kph, and the best part of accelerating hard is the fruity engine note. The triple cylinder turbo petrol gets quite vocal past 4,000 rpm, and is an aural delight. This is probably the best sounding petrol motor on a mid-sized SUV, and there’s absolutely no harshness despite the triple cylinder layout all the way up to the 6,000 rpm red line.
Disc brakes on all four wheels, 7 airbags, ABS, ESP, traction control, hill hold assist, brake differential lock, and 360 degree camera make for key safety bits on the X-Trail. The ARAI certified fuel efficiency figure is 13.7 Kmpl, and this is something we feel can be achieved with a mixed city-highway driving cycle. In the city, getting double digits may be tough because this is a big, heavy SUV.
We saw about 6 Kmpl on the console but that’s because of hard driving nearly all the time, and then hours of idle time with air conditioning at full blast in a very sultry Gurugram. On the highway, putting the X-Trail in cruise control sees the engine spinning at a lazy 1,500 rpm in the 8th step (not gear because this is a CVT). Getting a mid double digit under such circumstances seems eminently achievable.
Then, there’s the ride quality!
This is another aspect of the X-Trail that’ll impress a lot of people. This SUV rides beautifully. The now omnipresent rumbler strips are dispatched like they don’t exist and broken roads are handled very well by the absorbent suspension. There’s no crashing on bad roads, and the suspension does its job quietly, and efficiently. All this, despite riding on 20 inch wheels.
The X-Trail is rock solid even at higher speeds and quick direction changes are not a problem at all. Yes, there’s a bit of body roll that’s understandable in a SUV that rides this high, but nothing to really put anyone off. Even those with motion sickness will be at home in this SUV as there’s absolutely no tossing around even on undulations at highway speeds.
As for handling, the steering weighs up really nicely and is confidence inspiring even on high-speed corners where the body does roll but the steering makes the SUV very confident. This is a very enjoyable SUV on the highway: the engine loves to be revved and sounds very good, the gearbox is responsive and very eager in sport mode, and finally the ride and handling package is very mature.
There are three driving modes: Eco, Normal And Sport. Sport is what’s fun. Eco is great for tootling around in the city while the normal model is probably what most people will generally be in, for it’s smooth and very refined.
Now, is it really a 7 seater?
Yes, and no. Yes, because you indeed get 7 seats: 2 up front, 3 in the middle and 2 in the third row. No, because the third row is nearly unusable for adults. Getting in an out is not an enjoyable experience despite the super wide rear doors that open nearly 90 degrees.
Even if you manage to be a contortionist and get into the third row, it’s a hard squeeze. Keeping the third row essentially means that the second row is also compromised. Our suggestion is to use the X-Trail strictly as a five seater.
In this mode, the SUV is very comfortable. The folks sitting in the rear seat also walk into the SUV thank to the super wide doors. They then get the option of reclining the seat, turning on the air conditioning and charging their phones, all while reveling in the smooth ride quality and the airy cabin of the X-Trail.
Should you need to move houses, the rear seats will collapse to make for a massive boot. The boot in itself, with the third row of seats down, is ample, but the loading lip is quite high. You may need assistance for larger objects.
With the third row in place, the boot is quite small, and suitable only for two small suitcases and little else.
Now, for the hits and misses!
Hits
Sophisticated yet butch looks.
Fantastic, responsive turbo petrol engine whose note is simply oh-so-sporty.
Terrific CVT automatic gearbox that feels more like a smooth torque converter.
Ride quality that’s very comfortable yet firm when needed.
Easy-to-drive nature with great all-round visibility.
Fun-to-drive character.
Airy cabin with a massive sunroof.
Lovely, butterfly-style arm rests for the driver and front passenger.
Misses
Unusable third row: The X-Trail is a great five seater. It should’ve been kept that way instead of loading the extra row of seats that nobody’s likely to use. No spare too, again probably because of the third row seat.
Leather/Art Leather Seats: Considering the fact that the X-Trail’s a CBU, fabric seats – although very comfortable – are a dampener.
No electric adjust/ventilation for the driver/front passenger seats: Again, a CBU should have had this given the fact that the X-Trail’s being launched in a single trim.
Then, there’s the small-ish wired Android Auto infotainment system that’s similar to what’s on the Nissan Kicks. We would have liked something larger, one that completely covers the center of the dashboard. We’d have also liked a sharper resolution.
No ADAS: Why Nissan, why? The greyed out blind spot indicator in the wing mirrors is a constant reminder of the missing ADAS. Remember, the X-Trail does get a very useful nice 360 camera.
All these factors make the X-Trail feel like a mid-trim than a top-end trim, which is usually what’s expected of a CBU.
The elephant in the room…
Pricing. Now, given the fact the all-new X-Trail is a brand builder, and also the fact that Nissan is likely to import very limited quantities of this lovely SUV to India, a high price tag is what the grapevine anticipates.
A price tag that’s too optimistic could make the X-Trail not realize its full potential. Let’s have a cracker of a price and make the X-Trail ‘Outdo’ its competition, shall we? The ball is in Nissan’s court now.
Where does Nissan go from here?
To understand this, we’ve got to get a sense of where the X-Trail is coming from, and how the SUV is inextricably tied with Nissan’s Indian operations. Well, this isn’t the first time that the X-Trail badge is in India. Way back in 2004, the X-Trail came along, again as a brand builder, just as Nissan began setting shop here in India.
20 years later, Nissan finds itself in a similar situation, with a single offering. Nissan’s Indian portfolio needs expansion, and urgently. They seem to have figured it out for the X-Trail will be followed by 4 more new SUVs, all in the next 2-3 years.
Right after the X-Trail and before 2024 turns into 2025, Nissan will bring in another completely built unit, in the form of the Ariya. The Ariya is an electric crossover that’s likely to be the range-topper in Nissan’s Indian range for the time being. We expect it to be priced between 50-60 lakh rupees.
The action will then shift to 2025, when the Magnite Facelift is expected to make an appearance in the first half. The second half will see more fireworks with a big launch in the form of the all-new Terrano, which we think would be the name of the C-SUV that Nissan plans to bring in.
This C-SUV will rub shoulders with the Hyundai Creta-Kia Seltos, and will be a badge engineered version of the 3rd generation Renault Duster. Remember, Renault and Nissan are in a global alliance, and badge engineered cars are a part of this deal. It’ll be a five seat model initially.
A year later, in 2026, Nissan will bring in the 7 seat version of the all-new Terrano just like Renault. In between the 5 seat and 7 seat SUVs, the electrified version of the Magnite will be launched. The Magnite EV is very important for Nissan as some kind of electrification is mandatory to meet the upcoming CAFE norms that come in during 2027.
So, there, the all-new X-Trail is more than just a CBU launch for Nissan in India. It’s meant to set into motion a whole set of events that’ll see Nissan transform itself into a SUV-first company in the Indian market.
On how the X-Trail actually does in terms of sales numbers will boil down to that one critical part: Pricing. We’ll know that soon, on the 1st of August, when the official launch happens. Bookings are open starting today. To ensure immediate availability, Nissan has already shipped in 150 X-Trail SUV, which are ready for dispatch from its Chennai factory.