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By
EWAN KENNEDY
28 January 2008
Nissan has been vindicated in its decision to stick with a
familiar styling theme when it designed its new X-Trail for 2007.
Though many competitors have gone for a sleeker, lower look in
their alleged 4WDs, Nissan has retained the tough, square
appearance that appeals to buyers in this fast-expanding market
segment.
Even better, Nissan has also stuck with a complex 4WD system
that gives the X-Trail genuine off-road ability. Well, not
off-road in the true sense of that word, you need a Nissan
Pathfinder or Patrol if you want to go right off the track, but
the X-Trail has more than enough off-road ability for the
adventurous family that want to do some serious exploration of a
weekend.
And if you do want a sleeker, lower vehicle, then Nissan
Australia has just introduced yet another model into its SUV
range. Called the Dualis it uses X-Trail underpinnings, but has
less ground clearance, is lighter and comes with a smaller engine.
We have covered the new Dualis in a separate news story.
In the meantime, our road test car for the past week has been
the newest Nissan X-Trail. It’s slightly larger all round than
the superseded model, resulting in an increase in interior space,
particularly in the back seat. Four adults can be carried with no
real compromises, while three children have stretch out space.
The most controversial feature of the original X-Trail, the
instrument binnacle in the centre of the dashboard, has been
discontinued. The instruments are now directly in front of the
driver and, in our opinion, easier to read at a glance. However,
we have a gripe with the use of a digital panel between the two
analog dials. Though it appears to have gentle lighting we found
it really bright and irritating when used at night in dark areas.
The intensity of the light can be dimmed, but we feel an ‘off’
option would be a welcome feature.
Power comes from an upgraded version of the four-cylinder
2.5-litre petrol engine used in the outgoing X-Trail. This all-aluminium
unit generates 125 kW at 6000 rpm with a torque peak of 226 Nm at
4400 rpm. These top-torque revs are misleading as the big-four
develops plenty of grunt at lower rpm so there's strong
acceleration for safe overtaking, as well as the ability to keep
moving up hills without too much gearchanging.
Our test car came with the six-speed manual gearbox. This is a
nicely slick unit considering its location a long way from the
gear lever and it’s most pleasant to use. First is low enough to
give solid pulling power on steep dirt tracks. Sixth is generally
a cruising gear, but the strong torque means you don’t always
have to change down at the first sighting of a hill.
X-Trail uses an ‘intelligent’ four-wheel drive system
called All Mode 4x4-i. It offers three settings: front-wheel
drive, 4WD-lock and automatic. In the latter mode the system
monitors all its sensors to distribute engine torque between front
and rear axles with up to 50 per cent available to the back wheels
if required.
Nissan X-Trail’s has hill start assist and hill descent
control in all models. The hill start assist operates
automatically whenever the vehicle starts off from rest on an
upslope of 10 per cent or more, and holds the vehicle for up to
four seconds to allow the driver to move their foot from the brake
to the accelerator. Hill start assist also works when reversing
uphill.
On downhill slopes the hill descent control system uses the ABS
braking system to restrict the vehicle’s descent speed to a
maximum of seven kilometres per hour. Unlike the uphill function
the descent system is turned on manually and operates only when
the vehicle is in 4WD-lock mode.
Between them, these hill systems take a lot of the mental
strain from inexperienced drivers making their first forays into
adventure driving.
On bitumen X-Trail cruised smoothly and comfortably. There was
only moderate body roll when cornering briskly.
Given that it is more likely to venture off-road than many of
its competitors X-Trail’s full-size spare wheel is a sensible
choice by the importers. It is stored under a clever double-deck
rear storage area that features two compartments, one with a
full-length sliding drawer. The 40/20/40-split rear seats can be
folded flat to provide up to 1773 litres of storage space.
New X-Trail comes in three equipment levels: ST, ST-L and Ti.
All have the choice between the six-speed manual transmission used
on our vehicle, and the latest in continuously variable
transmissions. Nissan is pretty keen on promoting the latter, not
only in the X-Trail, but in several other models as well.
Standard features include air conditioning, cruise control,
trip computer, height-adjustable driver’s seat, power windows
and mirrors, keyless entry, roof rails and a 12-volt cargo area
power outlet.
The mid-range ST-L gets a six-disc, MP3-compatible in-dash CD
player, alloy wheels, leather-wrapped steering wheel, gear lever
and parking brake lever and front fog lamps. The top-of-the-range
Ti model adds leather seat trim, power front seats, rear parking
sensors, and a large sunroof that extends to above the centre of
the rear seats.
Safety equipment includes dual front, front-side and
full-length curtain airbags, ABS brakes with electronic brakeforce
distribution (EBD) and brake assist (BA), active front-seat
headrests, stability and traction control, as well as the hill
control features mentioned previously.
Nissan X-Trail has a nice compromise between reasonably serious
off-road running and on-road smoothness and competence. Teamed
with its new brother, the Nissan Dualis, it makes a formidable
combination in one of the hardest fought of all car segments in
Australia.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
X-Trail ST 2.5-litre five-door wagon - $31,990
X-Trail ST-L 2.5-litre five-door wagon - $35,990
X-Trail Ti 2.5-litre five-door wagon - $38,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: $2000 option in all models
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Stability Control: Standard in all models
Traction Control: Standard in all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Nissan X-Trail Ti-L 2.5-litre five-door wagon)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.488 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 9.5:1
Bore/Stroke: 89.0 x 100.0 mm
Maximum Power: 123 kW @ 6000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 230 Nm @ 4000 rpm
DRIVELINE:
4WD Type: Part-time
Manual Transmission: Five-speed
Automatic Transmission: Four-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 4.428:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4510 mm
Wheelbase: 2625 mm
Width: 1765 mm
Height: 1675 mm
Turning Circle: 10.6 metres
Kerb Mass: 1435kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 60 litres
Towing Ability: 750kg (2000kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Parallel link strut
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Ventilated disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 10.4 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 17.4 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Fuel Type: Petrol 91RON
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 9.4 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000km
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Marque Publishing Company
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