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Nissan reckons it will have the most carefully considered compact 4x4 yet created when its new X-TRAIL goes on sale in the UK from 1 October at prices starting from around £16,800. The X-TRAIL will fit into Nissan’s 4x4 range alongside the Terrano II, Navara and Patrol GR. The company has 50 years experience in the 4x4 business so although the X-TRAIL may be a late entrant in a sector currently dominated by the Freelander, you can be sure that Nissan has thought long and hard about what these vehicles are really used for. And this utility minded approach shows in every aspect of the car’s design. Only car in its sector with electronic, three-stage, four-wheel drive For example, Nissan knew that the X-TRAIL would spend a lot more time on- than off-road. So it sought to use the four-wheel drive transmission in a way that not only made the X-TRAIL extremely capable off road but as secure as possible on road especially when driving quickly or in tricky weather conditions. Nissan’s own Skyline GT-R provided the answer: electronic four-wheel drive. The X-TRAIL is the only car in its class to have this system which anticipates loss of traction rather than merely reacting after the event. Five-doors and longest wheelbase in class The X-TRAIL has five-doors because Nissan feels its customers will want easy access for family and friends. And a longer wheelbase means superior ride comfort as well as, of course, more interior space. Indeed, the X-TRAIL has the longest wheelbase (2625 mm) in its class. 4x4 meets estate Funky dates fast which is why Nissan chose not to go down that track with the X-TRAIL. Instead, the company’s designers imagined what might happen if a Patrol GR mated with a Primera estate … figuratively rather than literally. So X-TRAIL has hints of butch 4x4 (i.e. don’t mess with me) with some estate car thrown in (to relate to customers who previously lived life closer to the road) while still giving the impression that its driver spends his or her weekends indulging in extreme sports. In reality, though, it’s more likely to be an IKEA flat-packed side-board (rather than a snow-board) that’ll be testing a customer’s endurance. No mud on an X-TRAIL driver’s trousers One of the reasons people buy a car like the X-TRAIL is for its high-mounted
driving position which leads to a feeling of safety and increased visibility.
It also makes the car easier to get into and here again the
Remember drag co-efficients? For the record, the X-TRAIL’s is 0.37 – very low for a car of its type. This has an obvious benefit to fuel consumption but it also gives it – according to Nissan’s tests – the lowest level of interior wind noise of any car in its sector aided by other design elements such as the extension of the engine intake duct forward and a larger exhaust silencer. Snow-boarders can be mothers, too When it came to creating an interior for X-TRAIL, its designers spent time hanging out at extreme sports events talking to potential punters about what they needed in a car. Research gathered in the design of the Almera Tino was used, too, because the X-TRAIL will also be taking all the family on board … and the inevitable abuse that this entails. Space, literally but also airiness are X-TRAIL features and not just for the driver and passengers. There’s room for loads of luggage, too. Unusually the X-TRAIL will take one or even two mountain bikes if their front wheels are removed and the rear seat is folded. Centrally-mounted instruments for the best driving position A high eye point ensures good visibility for all passengers. Everyone also gets a buy-in on the driving experience due to the large centrally mounted instrument binnacle. This wasn’t just installed so that back seat drivers can keep a watch on the car’s speed. It means that the driver can adjust the steering wheel to the best position without fear of obscuring the instruments. Driver’s phone box Putting the instruments in the centre also releases the space where they would usually go for a lidded storage box big enough to take 12 CDs. The box incorporates a 12V power socket so a mobile phone, say, can be stashed and simultaneously charged. Chilled can holders Flanking the stereo are silvered buttons for the four-wheel drive system. Below these are two lidded boxes of which Nissan is particularly proud. They are sized to take a 500 cc water bottle or standard soft drink can though they will also hold a pair of sunglasses or a mobile, say. On Sport and SE+ models with standard air conditioning, they will also cool your water or Coke. If you don’t want your mobile chilled, the cooled air can be shut off. The X-TRAIL’s front seats are much larger than you’d find in its competitors. In fact they’re almost as large as an executive saloon’s. This is to reduce fatigue on long journeys. They also absorb vibrations, particularly those experienced during off-road driving. Uncarpeted boot area An X-TRAIL by definition is going to get all sorts thrown in its boot whether it’s dirty garden rubbish or mud-encrusted Timberlands. So the luggage area is not covered in likely-to-be-ruined carpet. Instead it’s protected by a resin rather like that used on trendy, expensive luggage. The boot floor can be pulled completely free of the car, using a recessed handle, so it can be hosed down. Beneath this is a full-size spare wheel with the space around it available for hiding whatever. There is an additional secret compartment beside it with the jack hidden away under another lid on the opposite side. Open wide The British love their sunroofs. And every X-TRAIL has one as standard, electrically operated of course. Having a glass sunroof is nothing unusual but the size of the X-TRAIL’s most certainly is. When open, the hole measures 0.56 m². That’s bigger, as far as Nissan knows, than any other conventionally opening glass roof. And calling the hole a ‘sun’ roof is always a little ambitious with the British weather so Nissan has renamed this feature the skyroof. The essential X-TRAIL On sale in the UK 1 October – it has been available in Japan since November 2000 where it has comfortably exceeded Nissan’s sales targets, topping its sector’s sales table. Prices yet to be confirmed but will range from around £16,800
for the 2.0 S to £21,000 for the 2.2 Di SE+. The diesel is around
£1000 more than an equally specified petrol and automatic transmission
is a £1000 option on the petrol.
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