Looks familiar, doesn’t it? But this X-Trail is based upon a platform shared with the capable Qashqai and inherits the MacPherson strut front suspension and rear multi-link set-up used on that car. Both ends are connected to the body by a rubber-insulated subframe to mask the cabin from the workings below.
A glance at the figures backs up the initial impression that the X-Trail has grown over its predecessor. It’s 5mm longer in the wheelbase at 2630mm and 175mm longer overall (4630mm). It’s taller and wider too; height is up by 10mm (1685mm) and there’s 20mm extra across the beam (1785mm), not including the sail-like mirrors.
Three out of the four engines in the X-Trail are new and Nissan has placed its biggest hopes behind the two new diesel powerplants – the growth area in the marketplace. Both are based upon the 1995cc four-cylinder engine from Renault, with common-rail fuel injection and a turbocharger.
The entry-level unit makes a respectable 148bhp with 236lb ft of torque, but add an intercooler and you’ve got the substantial 171bhp and 266lb ft of torque of the high-power variant – the engine we’ve tested here. A 139bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine from the Qashqai is the alternative, along with a lightly revised 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol motor from the old car.
Nissan has really thrown its marketing weight behind the four-wheel drive system on the new car. For the base Trek model the drivetrain is a revised version of that found in the old car, but in the Sport and Aventura models the electronic safety and control measures are combined with the transmission under the title All-Mode 4x4i.
Although this tag might conjure visions of old hot Fords, it means the system can react – and even predict – how to distribute the torque between the axles.
