Nissan X-Trail review

Driving position

The Nissan X-Trail feels every bit the SUV you’d expect it to – whereas we found the smaller Qashqai’s seating position to offer lower and sportier setups, the X-Trail has a more authoritative quality about it.

It’s no Land Rover Defender, but it’s noticeably higher than Nissan’s other SUVs.

And the fact that it’s not the biggest in its class actually helps, because all-round visibility is quite good thanks to expansive glass and an optional digital rear-view mirror, which is perfect if your view might otherwise be blocked by the heads of up to six other passengers.

In terms of cabin ergonomics, the steering wheel and seat have plenty of adjustment – possibly more than many other SUVs in our experience.

A big shout out to Nissan for keeping physical buttons throughout the cabin too, which is perfect for on-the-go usability, though they don’t quite have the premium fit and finish of some European brands like Audi.

Tech and features

Nissan X-Trail trim levels

– Acenta Premium

– N-Connecta

– Tekna

– N-Trek

– Tekna+

As with most cars these days, even entry-level models come with plenty of features, and the X-Trail Acenta Premium is no different, with all-round parking sensors, a reversing camera, a wireless phone charger and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.

You don’t get wireless smartphone mirroring until you’re at N-Connecta or above, which also adds a powered boot lid and a 360-degree parking camera.

Our test car was the mid- to high-spec Tekna, with an opening panoramic sunroof, heated front and rear seats and digital rear-view mirror.

In terms of actual in-car tech, most users will interact solely with smartphone mirroring and the physical climate controls anyway, but we think Nissan’s infotainment system does let it down.

It’s not the most responsive and the graphics look like they’ve come straight out of a previous-generation car.

When compared to the dashboard-mounted tablet you get in the VW Tayron, they’re worlds apart.

Engines and power

Nissan X-Trail performance stats

– Power: 163 to 213hp

– 0-62mph: 7.0 to 9.6 seconds

– Top speed: Up to 124mph

– Driven wheels: Front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive (e-4ORCE)

Nissan sells two petrol-based engines in the X-Trail, but there’s one clear winner in our mind.

It starts with a 163hp 1.5-litre mild hybrid, which is the slowest, least powerful and least efficient. It’s the cheapest, but it might not actually be the cheapest to run over the long run.

Our pick would be the 1.5-litre e-POWER hybrid, which works unlike most other types of hybrids out there.

The wheels are driven solely by an electric motor, which gives you an EV-like feel to acceleration and performance.

Acceleration feels smooth and linear, there are no awkward gear changes or transitions between petrol and electric, and it can be much quieter inside the cabin.

The petrol engine only serves as an on-board generator to top up the battery that goes on to power the wheels.

All models are automatic, and both engines are front-wheel-drive as standard, but the e-POWER hybrid can be optioned with four-wheel drive (branded e-4ORCE) for added grip. It gets a slight power boost (213hp vs 204hp) which also shaves a whole second off the 0-62mph time.

This is the one we tested, and it’s probably the exact configuration we’d go for, being that it’s such an improvement over the two-wheel-drive e-POWER.

Handling and ride comfort

For a tall and practical SUV, the X-Trail does ride well. Around town it’s slightly more comfortable than the Qashqai, with extra stability likely coming from the slightly longer wheelbase.

Our model has the standard 19-inch wheels, and we don’t have any major complaints about ride quality. Thankfully, Nissan doesn’t sell massive optional alloys, so the ride shouldn’t get any worse as you climb the trim levels (which is the case with many cars).

Take it into country lanes and the X-Trail will feel slightly bigger than the likes of the Qashqai, but the ride is comparable.

Boot space

Nissan X-Trail boot space

– Boot space: 485 to 585 litres

– Incl. Rear seats folded: 1,298 to 1,424 litres

Boot space in the X-Trail varies by which engine you pick and whether you go for a five- or seven-seater.

As a quick overview, five-seaters have 585 litres of space for the mild hybrid and 575 litres for the e-POWER.

Seven-seat variants have 485 litres regardless of powertrain, with the third-row seat mechanisms taking up some valuable space.

Nissan doesn’t quote the boot space of seven-seat models with all seats in their upright positions, but it’s really enough just to stuff a few shopping bags into.

If you need more space, a Peugeot 5008 is a huge upgrade, with a 916-litre space in five-seat mode and a still-impressive 348-litre space in seven-seat mode, which is about the same as a small hatchback.

With its two rearmost rows of seats folded, the 2,232-litre boot is nearly 1,000 litres more than the X-Trail’s.

If you compare it to five-seat SUVs like the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid (580 litres), then the X-Trail starts to make more sense.

Rear seats

You should really think of the Nissan X-Trail as a five-seater, where middle-row passengers will have a comfortable ride thanks to sliding seats and ample headroom.

With the seats slid all the way back, there’s no legroom for third-row passengers, so you’ll want to slide them forwards, which means legroom becomes a bit of a problem for passengers there.

If you intend on using the third row, then the second and third rows are only really suited to children and teenagers. If you’re using it as a two-row car, then adults will have no complaints.

Storage solutions

Nissan hasn’t done a bad job cramming storage into the cabin, with a floating centre console design hiding a fair amount of space beneath it.

The split-opening armrest is also sizeable, and there are plenty of other cubbies dotted around the cabin too.

All in all, nothing revolutionary by today’s standards, but a really good effort.

Nissan X-Trail dimensions

– Height: 1,725mm

– Width: 2,065mm (incl. mirrors)

– Length: 4,680mm

– Weight (kerb): Up to 1,886kg

Safety

Euro NCAP independently tested the X-Trail when it came out in 2021 and awarded it a full five-star rating, with fantastic scores across occupant protection and safety assist systems.

All cars get automatic high beams and adaptive cruise control, as well as collision prevention systems like cross traffic alert and autonomous emergency braking.

As per European laws, all cars built after 2024 now have a speed limit warning system fitted as standard that defaults to ‘on’ every time you turn the car on.

In essence, a good idea. However, faulty data from sat navs and cameras, or the odd occasion where a speed limit isn’t suitable, will cause the car to beep aggressively.

Turning this off is about four layers deep in the instrument cluster’s menu, and that’s after you’ve found settings which might be another few clicks away.

Most manufacturers acknowledge that drivers don’t always want this system on all the time and fit a shortcut to disable it. Why could Nissan not have done the same?

Fuel economy

Official figures are around 40mpg for the mild hybrid and 50mpg for the e-POWER hybrid, as a rule of thumb.

Lots of time around town caused fuel economy to dip to 35mpg in our e-POWER e-4ORCE model, which in theory claims 44mpg.

We got very close to that figure on a 400-mile motorway running, averaging around 42-43mpg, so not bad at all.

Reliability

Don’t expect to have any major issues with Nissan’s mechanicals – the X-Trail shares a lot of parts with the renowned Qashqai, which sells in its thousands.

Even the e-POWER system has proven durable, despite being vastly different to most other mainstream hybrid setups.

The three-year/60,000-mile warranty is simply average, but for extra peace of mind you can add cinchCover to your car purchase.