Nissan X-Trail (2022 - ) review

Some buyers, especially those that tow heavy loads regularly or cover significant distances on a daily basis, will rue the lack of a diesel version in the Nissan X-Trail range. However, those who drive shorter distances, especially in urban settings, will benefit from the introduction of Nissan’s e-Power hybrid system, which is expected to be the most popular powertrain choice. While this isn’t potentially as economical to run as a plug-in hybrid (or indeed an electric car), there will be some who prefer a cable-free motoring life. A total of five equipment levels are available with a sensible progression up the range although, regardless of which you choose, adding the third row of seats is a further cost.

When it comes to reliability surveys, Nissan tends to perform well, and this new X-Trail should do little to buck that trend. Nissan’s e-Power hybrid technology has been used in Japan for several years already where it has become immensely popular, and the system has been further enhanced in this iteration. All new Nissan models come with a standard warranty of three years and 60,000 miles. That’s not as long as what you can get from rivals such as Hyundai or Toyota, but Nissan does offer an option to extend the warranty after those initial three years.

As the X-Trail is built on a new platform, Nissan has been able to fit it with many of the latest safety and driver assistance systems. Even the entry-level model gets a comprehensive package of safety assistance features, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot warning and a lane departure prevention system. There’s also adaptive cruise control and rear cross-traffic alert to help when backing out of a parking space. All versions include front, side and curtain airbags, while a central airbag between the front seats - to prevent front-row occupants from making contact in the event of a side impact - is also available. Other assistance features include a rear-seat alert to remind you of any little ones still in the car when you exit and, from Acenta Premium grade, a reversing camera and trailer sway assist, which is helpful when towing.

Nissan’s engineers have done a pretty decent job making this high-riding SUV drive comfortably — a task that isn’t always easy, especially with 19- and 20-inch wheels and relatively low-profile tyres. There are extra features on higher grade models, such as acoustically optimised front glass, that help enhance the refinement. There’s plenty of adjustment in the steering wheel and the front seat, so finding a suitable driving position shouldn’t be too difficult for most people. Passenger space in the rear seats is generous and helped by the ability to slide the seat bench forward or back by up to 220mm, to either create more legroom or more boot space according to your needs. The floor is almost entirely flat across the rear, meaning the centre passenger still has plenty of legroom. Being able to open the rear doors to a wide angle is especially useful for parents when strapping in smaller children. Nissan does offer a third row of two seats as an option across the range but, as is often the case, these are on the smaller side and are best viewed as temporary seats for shorter journeys.

There’s a good degree of digitisation across the X-Trail range, but you need the N-Connecta trim grade for the more impressive equipment. This includes a 12.3-inch digital instrument display and a 12.3-inch touch-screen system that also runs Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, though those smartphone mirroring features are available on the lower level Acenta Premium grade, too. There are plenty of USB ports for charging devices and a wireless charging pad is also available. The N-Connecta spec adds a useful 360-degree camera system to make parking even easier and help to see your surroundings in tighter confines. A colour head-up display is optionally available and relays all the vital driving data right into your line of sight. Nissan’s ‘ProPilot’ driver assistance system can handle driving in traffic jams and takes some of the strain out of motorway driving by managing safe distances to surrounding vehicles. It also uses navigation data to manage its speed more comfortably.

Only petrol or hybrid powertrains will be available in this generation of X-Trail. The 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine includes mild-hybrid technology to extend stop-start periods and provides some engine-off coasting, too. It is available only with front-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox. That same turbocharged petrol engine is used for Nissan’s e-Power hybrid system, although the engine doesn’t directly drive the wheels in that car. Instead, it acts as an onboard generator for the hybrid battery, providing power to an electric motor driving the front wheels. In cars with the e-4orce dual-motor set-up there’s another at the rear for, effectively, all-wheel drive. The power delivery is impressively smooth thanks to those electric motors and, unlike some other hybrids, when you put your foot down the petrol engine doesn’t begin to rev excessively, resulting in a smoother and quieter driving experience. It’s not exactly like an electric car, but it is much closer than other hybrids have managed to date. A small battery means it can only cover short distances without running the petrol engine, though. Still, it does perform well in urban or city settings and returns decent fuel consumption figures for an SUV of this size.