Nissan X-TRAIL (2004-) Review

On the road

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For a 4x4, the turning circle of 10.6m is quite tight. The steering is light at manoeuvring speeds, and the gearbox and pedals are all undemanding but progressive. Visibility is mostly fair, if a little constricted to the rear and around the A-pillars. Like many 4x4s, the tall X-Trail is not the most confident car on a blustery motorway, but is no worse than its rivals, and doesn't feel unsafe. Respectable on the road, but still not as 'car-like' as a car, obviously. It's about the measure of a Honda CR-V, but not quite as competent on tarmac as a Toyota RAV4. It turns wilfully, albeit with considerable lean, but never feels precarious - you feel like you'll run out of grip rather than roll the car. Competitive testing of off-roaders' mud-plugging ability is tricky unless you try them back to back on the same route, which we haven't. However, from individual tests, we'd say that the Freelander tackles the dirt best; then it's the X-Trail, then CR-V or RAV4.

Unless you simply must have one, forget the 2.0-litre. It's unchanged from the 2001 model, which is neither very smooth nor really powerful (138bhp, 0-62mph 11.3sec) - but is quite thirsty (30.3mpg). The 2.5-litre four-cylinder (163bhp, 9.9sec) is the premium choice, particularly smooth and hardly thirstier (30.0mpg) than the 2.0; but it's not necessarily the best. Our choice is the 2.2-litre, 134bhp turbodiesel (0-62mph 11.5sec), which is, coincidentally, also the top-selling version. The diesel comes mated to a six-speed manual gearbox while the others get five-speeders. It returns 39mpg on the combined cycle, has a good spread of power and good response above 2,000rpm, and is very quiet at motorway cruise. A four-speed auto is available only on the 2.5.