Nissan X-Trail Review (2014-2021)
Nissan X-Trail cars for sale
3.0
Expert review
Pros
Roomy interior with five- and seven-seat versions
Comfortable ride
Generous equipment, even on lower trim grades
Cons
Not as much fun to drive as a Mazda CX-5
DPF prone to clogging
Don't expect to chase Land Rovers off road
The CarGurus verdict
Attractive, roomy, versatile, well-equipped and comfortable, the Nissan X-Trail makes a strong case for itself as an accomplished family workhorse that has the benefit of an optional seven-seat configuration. And although it’s not really up for a serious off-road expedition, the car’s optional four-wheel drive system is handy for negotiating muddy paddocks at your local gymkhana, or for staying mobile during those occasional snowy winter days.
Some of its rivals have the edge for dynamic performance, interior space and fuel consumption, and yet if you admire the X-Trail’s styling and have a nearby Nissan dealer to look after it, then you’re unlikely to feel short-changed if you choose one.
The X-Trail is spacious and comfortable, and while adults won’t want to travel any further than back from the pub in the third row of seats, they’re just fine for kids.
The middle-row seats split 60/40, rather than all three seats folding independently as they do in some seven-seat rivals, which reduces flexibility, though the rear seats do slide, so that you can increase boot space or legroom in the third row, at the expense of that of the second row.
The boot itself is an average size with the rearmost seats folded down, and very small with them flipped up. On the plus side, the boot’s false floor can be lifted up and slotted in vertically, to form a divider, preventing smaller items from sliding around or bags from colliding with each other.
Engine- and road noise are well suppressed, while the suspension is calibrated to favour ride quality over pin-sharp handling: after all, this is a family wagon.
Available with both front-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive transmissions, and manual and automatic gearboxes, the X-Trail was initially available with just one engine, a 129bhp 1.6-litre turbodiesel. In July 2015, a 1.6-litre 161bhp petrol turbo motor joined it, and then a 2.0-litre turbodiesel with 169bhp completed the line-up in November 2016.
Official consumption figures say that the 1.6-litre dCi turbodiesel engine is capable of 57.6mpg with a manual gearbox and front-wheel drive, and although this isn’t a figure many owners will regularly achieve, several claim that 48mpg is perfectly feasible in everyday motoring. The 2.0-litre turbodiesel isn’t quite so miserly with fuel, but its 50.4mpg isn’t bad: the 1.6 petrol turbo manages 45.6mpg. Most X-Trails cost £145 annually to tax, but the spread ranges from £125 to £200.
If you run a diesel model almost exclusively in an urban environment then the Diesel Particulate Filter may choke up. Getting a dealer to perform a ‘static regeneration’ of it costs about £300, and this has been known to be required at 8,000-mile intervals.
Insurance groups range from 15 to 23, which are lower than those of key rivals. Nissan dealers run fixed-price servicing packages for the X-Trail and they’re in the region of £17 per month for a petrol model, £19 for a diesel, both on a two-year contract and excluding wear-and-tear items. Nissan also pledges to match competitors’ service quotes if they’re lower, and you get free roadside assistance with every service.
Fixed-price repair packages are available, too, and include front discs and pads for £260, a stop/start battery for £120, and a pair of front wiper blades for £25.
The biggest and most consistent gripe about the third generation X-Trail concerns its Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) and its propensity to clog up at comparatively low mileage when the car is being driven around town more than on dual-carriageways and motorways. See if you can discover how the car you are considering was driven by its previous owner, as dealers charge around £300 to purge the DPF.
DAB radio reception is sometimes poor, and there have been instances of a radio fault that causes the system to reboot itself, which simultaneously reboots the satnav mid-trip: have a play with the radio and satnav to be sure both are working as they should. Some cars built between April and June 2016 suffered from an electrical short on the rear oxygen sensor causing its failure, leading to rough running and the engine management system switching to limp-home mode with greatly reduced power.
Although not exactly commonplace, there are several reports of warped front brake discs at mileages as low as 10,000, so on your test drive feel for wobble through the steering as you’re braking. Premature clutch failure – at as little as 13,000 miles – has also been reported, as well as intermittent hesitation from the CVT automatic gearbox, an issue that should, by now, have been addressed with a software update. Rattling trim has exorcised some owners, but if the problem was bad enough then it should have been sorted under warranty.
- Four-wheel drive versions are reasonably capable on mildly muddy tracks and snow-covered back roads, but they’re not really ‘off-roaders’.
- The X-Trail’s panoramic glass roof – monoroof, in Nissan language – eats up some of the headroom, but unless you’re way over six feet tall, it shouldn’t be an issue.
- Active Ride Control (it reads the road surface and adjusts the damper settings accordingly) and Active Trace Control (automatically reduces understeer slides) are extra safety features worth keeping an eye out for.
- Best of the bunch: The 129bhp 1.6-litre dCi turbodiesel engine is just about punchy enough for most folk, and its 57.6mpg capability is compelling. Team it with Acenta trim, which has plenty of goodies and smaller 16-inch alloys for better ride quality.
- If most of your miles are urban: Any model with the 1.6-litre DiG-T petrol turbo engine. The Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) on diesel versions is prone to choking up if all your trips are short ones.
- For people who tow: The 2.0-litre turbodiesel derivative has 169bhp and 236lb ft of torque at 1,750rpm, yet is still capable of a claimed 50.4mpg.
- If your kids like to bring friends home for tea: The seven-seat option cost £700 when the X-Trail was new, and is worth seeking out should you occasionally need to accommodate a couple more (small) bodies in the rear.
