We had the chance to test the hybrid version of the Nissan X-Trail recently at the international launch, but today it's all about testing the Japanese-built Nissan X-Trail (Rogue) destined for Australia. Paul Maric gets behind the wheel to see if it's any good!
Hardness tester, noise and lane keeping results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/121Auf6HGvaBqRToYcuAz94alin7Sw55SpOPECBDlnKE
Read the full review: https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-reviews/2023-nissan-x-trail-review
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior: 00:54
Interior: 02:53
Infotainment: 04:07
Safety Tech: 05:20
Practicality: 06:00
On the Road: 09:23
0 - 100 km/h: 12:45
Verdict: 16:53
We review every new car on the market, bust car myths, cover the latest car tech and answer your burning questions.
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#nissan #xtrail #review
Hardness tester, noise and lane keeping results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/121Auf6HGvaBqRToYcuAz94alin7Sw55SpOPECBDlnKE
Read the full review: https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-reviews/2023-nissan-x-trail-review
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior: 00:54
Interior: 02:53
Infotainment: 04:07
Safety Tech: 05:20
Practicality: 06:00
On the Road: 09:23
0 - 100 km/h: 12:45
Verdict: 16:53
We review every new car on the market, bust car myths, cover the latest car tech and answer your burning questions.
Whether you need new car advice, purchase validation or simply love learning more about new cars and technology, we are your car experts.
Subscribe to Car Expert: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DvMhvy3H7ntEgn9n3xQcQ?sub_confirmation=1
You'll find us dropping new video content three times a week. If you'd like to ask a question about one of our videos, simply leave us a comment. If you'd like to give us any feedback on our content, feel free to email us, or alternatively, hit us up on social media.
Finally, we want this channel to grow with your support and feedback. If there's anything you don't like or would like to see us change, we'd love to hear from you!
Follow us on social media to see what we're up to and to ask any questions!
CarExpert:
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Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CarExpertAus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carexpert.com.au
Paul Maric:
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Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/PaulMaric
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PaulMaric
#nissan #xtrail #review
Category
🚗
MotorTranscript
00:00 G'day, I'm Paul.
00:00 The Nissan X-Trail has finally landed in Australia.
00:04 We actually reviewed the hybrid,
00:06 the e-power version of this recently in Slovenia,
00:10 but now we actually have this one here in Australia.
00:13 This is priced from just under $53,000 here
00:16 for the top spec TIL version.
00:18 But if that's too expensive,
00:19 the entire range kicks off at just under 37 grand.
00:22 So this competes with things like the Toyota RAV4,
00:26 the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson,
00:29 it's that size of vehicle.
00:31 Now, this is a little bit different to the X-Trail
00:33 and the Rogue that you see overseas
00:34 because this is actually built in Japan.
00:37 Today we're gonna do a detailed review of this car.
00:39 So if you do wanna skip ahead to other parts of the review,
00:41 you can use the time codes on the screen,
00:43 or if you're on YouTube,
00:44 you can scroll down and use the chapters below.
00:46 And if you haven't done so already,
00:46 subscribe to our channel and press the bell icon
00:49 so you can find out when we drive the new Nissan X-Trail.
00:53 So let's talk exterior.
00:56 You have eight colors to pick from.
00:58 All but red is gonna set you back 700 bucks.
01:00 They also do two-tone colors
01:01 that are slightly more expensive.
01:03 Just on the design,
01:04 I've mentioned previously that this shares a platform
01:07 with the Mitsubishi Outlander,
01:08 but looks kind of totally different to it, which is good.
01:11 So if you're gonna platform share,
01:12 at least give them a unique look.
01:14 Under here, you've got a naturally aspirated
01:16 two and a half liter engine,
01:17 again, the same as the Outlander.
01:18 So we'll see how that performs when we go for a drive.
01:20 But big grill there,
01:22 Nissan logo with chrome around the outside edges there,
01:25 and then this black section down the bottom.
01:28 Over here on the headlights,
01:28 you have a set of adaptive matrix LED headlights.
01:32 The actual headlight cluster is down the bottom.
01:34 Fog light down here, and then over here,
01:36 a little bit of aero as the air flicks through to the side.
01:39 Now, around here, you're gonna find yourself
01:41 a set of 19-inch alloy wheels,
01:44 machined finish on the outside,
01:45 and then that graphite finish on the inside.
01:48 It's actually quite a nice looking wheel.
01:50 Wheel arch cladding.
01:51 The X-Trail was kind of the original go-anywhere SUV,
01:55 and they've tried to maintain that design
01:58 with all of that cladding and stuff like that.
02:00 But in terms of ground clearance,
02:01 there really isn't a great deal.
02:02 It's just over 200 millimeters.
02:03 You're not really gonna be doing
02:04 any huge off-road driving in this.
02:07 Back here, you've got piano black up the top there
02:09 on the wing mirror, indicator built into there,
02:11 and a camera here for the 360 camera.
02:13 Down the bottom, that chrome garnish
02:15 runs all the way along the side there.
02:17 You've got privacy glass, a little bit more chrome here.
02:20 Roof rails with a panoramic glass roof.
02:23 Come around to the back.
02:24 Now, around the back here, you have part LED taillights,
02:27 so still incandescent in part of that,
02:30 which is a little bit disappointing.
02:31 You've got a brake light integrated into here.
02:33 Shark fin aerial up the top there.
02:35 I like this new Nissan logo with the white elements.
02:37 I think that actually looks pretty cool.
02:39 X-Trail lettering along the back here,
02:41 and then more of that chrome garnish there as well.
02:44 So let me know what you reckon
02:45 about the design of the X-Trail.
02:46 I think the old one was around for such a long time
02:49 that it is nice to see a refreshing new design
02:52 finally landing here in Australia.
02:53 So we are inside the X-Trail.
02:55 Let's kick off with the key.
02:57 New key, look at that.
02:58 So Nissan up the top there.
03:00 Remote start for the engine.
03:02 Lock, unlock, boot.
03:05 Love that metallic finish on the edge of the key as well.
03:07 It's a proximity sensing key,
03:08 so you can leave that in your pocket.
03:10 Once you're inside, you have a push button start down here.
03:12 How much better does this look than the old X-Trail?
03:14 My goodness, it is really nice.
03:16 So these brown highlights along the top there,
03:19 there's even this wood grain material along here
03:21 and the piano black through there,
03:22 which I don't love, but it's minimal.
03:24 It really is quite surprising.
03:26 This does share a platform with the Outlander,
03:28 but it looks and feels completely different.
03:31 This looks a whole leg more premium than the Outlander,
03:34 despite them sort of being the same underneath.
03:35 So yeah, really nice to see
03:37 they've actually put a bit of effort into this,
03:39 including that big infotainment screen there as well.
03:41 Now, what about your touch points?
03:42 So soft but firm there and soft on the door as well.
03:46 How soft are they?
03:47 We've got our durometer.
03:48 We've tested the main surfaces in this cabin.
03:51 If you wanna see how this car compares
03:52 to others that we've tested before,
03:54 have a look at the link in the description below.
03:55 Build quality.
03:56 Yeah, it doesn't feel too bad.
04:01 Door test.
04:03 Yeah, it sounds very nice and solid.
04:07 Let's talk infotainment.
04:08 So you have a 12.3-inch widescreen display there
04:12 and a 12.3-inch display ahead of the driver.
04:14 So I'll run you through that one in a second,
04:16 but in terms of the infotainment,
04:17 this is a huge leap forward over the previous generation.
04:20 And it is actually a huge leap forward for the segment too.
04:23 It's a giant screen and a lot of functionality,
04:26 nice and quick and really sharp as well.
04:29 Like that resolution is sensational.
04:31 It's just really, really high res.
04:33 So very impressed with that.
04:35 In terms of audio, it comes with AM/FM/DAB digital radio,
04:40 and that's all plumbed through a 10-speaker
04:42 Bose-branded sound system,
04:44 wireless smartphone mirroring in the form of Apple CarPlay.
04:47 I'll show you what that looks like.
04:49 So there it is there.
04:50 Let's look through a couple of those menus.
04:52 Again, really high resolution,
04:54 nice and quick and easy to use as well.
04:56 And this is what Android Auto looks like.
04:59 So full screen integration there.
05:01 And then when you go to the main menu,
05:02 that's full screen as well.
05:03 So really nice setup.
05:05 So screen ahead of the driver,
05:07 that is the same size as the infotainment screen,
05:09 really high resolution too.
05:11 You can configure everything that is displayed in there.
05:14 There's a stack of different options as well,
05:15 which I really like.
05:16 And finally, ahead of the driver,
05:18 you also have a head-up display as well.
05:20 What about your safety tech?
05:21 You have autonomous emergency braking
05:23 with pedestrian and cyclist detection,
05:25 works forwards and reverse.
05:27 Rear cross traffic alert.
05:28 You have a digital mirror here, which I like.
05:30 Blind spot monitoring built into the wing mirror,
05:32 lane departure warning with a lane keeping assistant.
05:34 You have a semi-autonomous steering function,
05:36 which we will test later on.
05:38 Now, parking.
05:39 Front and rear parking sensors and a 360 camera.
05:42 I'll show you what that looks like.
05:43 So the vision's actually not too bad.
05:45 It's a big enough screen,
05:46 and you can see clearly out the front there.
05:47 That's the top down view.
05:49 And then you can also have a look at your tire view there,
05:52 and then do a wide screen out the front as well.
05:54 So not a bad setup.
05:56 We forgot our suitcase,
05:57 so we'll overlay some footage
05:58 of what that looks like here on the screen as well.
06:00 Moving on to practicality,
06:01 and we'll start off with your connectivity.
06:03 So you've got a USB-C port down here,
06:05 USB-A port, 12 volts outlet,
06:07 wireless phone charger.
06:08 And in terms of storing your phone,
06:10 you can pop down on that wireless charger
06:12 or in the cup holders, there's plenty of storage here.
06:15 What about your coffee cups?
06:16 So, it doesn't really work that well
06:18 because there's no teeth in there and it's quite deep,
06:21 so you will lose the lid potentially.
06:24 In terms of bottles though, they fit in there,
06:26 but again, same thing.
06:27 They kind of move around a little bit.
06:29 Try the door as well.
06:30 So a small bottle fits in fine.
06:32 Big bottle fits in too, which is good news.
06:35 Other storage, you have this center console,
06:37 which is nice and deep.
06:38 That's great.
06:39 You've got a glove box over here,
06:41 which is pretty reasonably sized.
06:43 And I love this.
06:44 Stacks of storage down here with a little Easter egg there.
06:46 Nissan 1933 established, Yokohama.
06:50 And then a sunglasses holder up the top.
06:52 Finally, comfort.
06:54 I love these quilted seats.
06:55 Really nice and sort of hug you in nicely as well.
06:59 Up the front here,
06:59 you have dual zone automatic climate control.
07:01 You have heated seats, a heated steering wheel.
07:04 In terms of seat adjustment,
07:06 both the driver and front passenger seats
07:07 can be electrically adjusted.
07:09 You can go forwards, backwards,
07:10 backrest can go forwards, backwards.
07:12 Lift the front, you can lift the back,
07:14 and then you have lumbar adjustment as well
07:16 with memory for driver and front passenger.
07:19 Steering offers both tilts and reach adjustment manually.
07:22 On our reach test,
07:23 all of this stuff is easy to reach while you're driving.
07:26 So second row of the X-Trail.
07:28 Before I show you the inside here,
07:29 have a look at this door.
07:30 It opens almost 90 degrees.
07:32 That means getting baby seats and stuff in
07:34 is significantly easier.
07:36 Now, what's our legroom like?
07:37 So knee room is excellent.
07:39 Toe room is great.
07:40 Headroom is really good as well.
07:42 This is a really spacious place to be seated.
07:45 So the seats have similar design to the front there
07:47 with that quilting.
07:48 You get mat pockets over here, air vents.
07:50 You have seat heating for the two outboard seats.
07:53 You have a third zone of climate control, USB-C, USB-A.
07:57 Seats also move forwards and backwards.
07:59 So that gives you a bit more boot room if you need it.
08:01 Center section folds down as well for two cup holders.
08:05 Again, no teeth in that,
08:06 so it doesn't move around a little bit,
08:07 but you can fit your bottle inside the door as well
08:10 if you need to.
08:11 You have two ISOFIX points on the outboard seats,
08:14 three top tether points as well.
08:16 Look at this, window shades too to keep the kids happy.
08:20 What about our window test?
08:21 So it's auto up and down.
08:23 So close.
08:25 Cargo space.
08:27 Let's have a little sticky bake in here.
08:29 So power tailgate, also made of plastic to save weight.
08:33 You've got just under 600 litres of cargo space
08:36 available here, but it is a pretty clever space.
08:38 So 12-volt outlet up the top here.
08:40 You've got cargo hooks around the joint,
08:42 but what you can do is adjust the load height
08:45 of this entire area, depending on what you want to achieve.
08:49 And then if you do take all of this stuff out as well,
08:52 you then have underfloor storage there
08:54 for a space saver spare tyre.
08:56 And you've also got room for the subwoofer as well.
09:00 Show what it looks like with our bags in there.
09:01 I'll just pop this stuff back.
09:03 All right, there it is there.
09:04 So bags, laptop bag in first,
09:07 and then we can throw our suitcase in as well.
09:10 There you go, so plenty of space in there.
09:11 You can also then expand the space
09:14 by dropping your second row out of the way.
09:17 Just push that down, and then this side as well.
09:20 There you go, you have a pretty flat
09:21 and big old space there.
09:23 We are on the road in the X-Trail.
09:28 Let's start off with the engine under the bonnet here.
09:30 So two and a half litre,
09:32 naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine.
09:35 It makes 135 kilowatts of power
09:38 and 244 newton metres of torque.
09:40 And that's all paired to a continuously
09:43 variable transmission.
09:44 So that means you don't have any stepped gears.
09:46 When you do step on the throttle,
09:49 it just sort of climbs into the peak torque band
09:51 and sort of gives you that thrust.
09:54 You can then manually select gears
09:55 just by using the steering wheel here.
09:57 So you can see the gear counter down the bottom there.
09:59 So it's artificially stepping through those gears.
10:01 So kind of gives you the best of both worlds.
10:04 The only downside being that it can be a little thrashy
10:07 when you do get on it.
10:08 Now, what does it actually feel like when you get on it?
10:11 So if I give this a little punch here.
10:13 It's not as bad as you think something
10:19 with this much power would be.
10:21 Given that it isn't overly heavy,
10:22 it's around that 1600 kilo mark.
10:24 It actually gets along okay with that two and a half litre.
10:27 The only downside is that it sounds a little bit thrashy
10:29 when you get up it,
10:30 but they've actually put a whole stack of insulation in here.
10:32 So from an engine noise point of view,
10:34 it really isn't the end of the world
10:36 in terms of engine noise
10:37 when you sort of stand hard on the throttle.
10:39 And that's all routed through
10:41 a part-time four-wheel drive system.
10:43 Well, it's an on-demand system.
10:44 So whenever you need that extra torque at the rear,
10:46 it'll then send it to the back.
10:48 Nissan claims a combined economy of 7.8 litres per 100 Ks.
10:53 We're currently sitting on 9.7,
10:56 which has included a mix of highway driving
10:58 and also some driving here at the proving ground.
11:00 So that's actually not too bad
11:02 when you consider this being a family SUV.
11:04 It's obviously not hybrid good.
11:05 They do have a hybrid version of this coming.
11:07 If you do want to watch our review of the hybrid X-Trail,
11:10 you can click up here,
11:11 but this is where you're going to land,
11:13 probably around that marker there
11:15 for the naturally aspirated version.
11:17 So let's talk drive modes.
11:18 You have off-road, snow, auto, eco, sport.
11:22 Let's pop it into sport.
11:23 Yeah, I can feel that's becoming a little sharper
11:26 there on the transmission.
11:27 I'll get onto the throttle here.
11:29 Oh, that's interesting.
11:30 I can actually feel,
11:33 it has some kind of a torque vectoring system there
11:37 on the rear axle.
11:37 I can feel it kind of tucking us in a little bit
11:39 as we go around the corners here.
11:41 It's actually not too bad.
11:45 Helps tighten that turning circle when you turn in
11:48 and just makes it feel a little lively.
11:50 It does have a degree of body roll,
11:53 and I think that is kind of inherent to this platform.
11:57 We did notice that with Outlander as well,
11:59 but it's actually very communicative
12:02 and predictable as well.
12:05 So when you're placing it in these higher speed sections,
12:07 you actually know what it's going to be doing the whole time
12:12 and there's enough sort of feel through the steering wheel
12:14 to make it engaging.
12:15 Sport mode could be a little sharper on the gearbox.
12:18 Let's roll onto the throttle for our back straight here.
12:21 I feel like it's sort of getting up okay there.
12:24 That's not too bad.
12:25 Yeah, look, it's actually not the end of the world there.
12:30 I thought it was going to be significantly slower
12:32 than it is and probably not as sharp on handling,
12:35 but it's actually quite impressive.
12:36 You're getting the best of both worlds here.
12:38 You're getting ride comfort
12:39 and then a little bit of handling dialed in there as well.
12:42 So it's a good compromise between those two.
12:45 So we don't have an official zero to 100 time from Nissan,
12:48 but we are going to put it up against our stopwatch.
12:50 I've got it in sport mode there.
12:52 Let's see how we go.
12:53 We're also going to do 80 to 120
12:55 just so we can see what the overtaking time is like as well.
12:57 So here it goes.
12:58 (ENGINE REVVING)
13:00 Getting there.
13:07 OK, there's 100.
13:10 Let's run through to 120.
13:11 All right, we'll come to a stop.
13:16 So zero to 100 came in at 9.7 seconds,
13:21 so fairly leisurely,
13:23 and 80 to 120 at 6.6 seconds.
13:26 So not a terrible number there for the overtaking speed,
13:29 but it took a little while to get us up to 100km/h.
13:32 And most importantly, how quick is it in reverse?
13:35 So here we go.
13:36 Put that in reverse. We're in sport mode.
13:38 (ENGINE REVVING)
13:40 Now the throttle.
13:45 All right.
13:47 I can feel a little speed limiter coming up.
13:50 I know, we're still gaining speed.
13:53 OK, there it is there.
13:55 53km/h in reverse.
13:58 OK, so let's get up to 130 for our sine waves here.
14:03 We'll just jack up the speed a little bit.
14:06 See what this feels like in a typical overtaking situation
14:09 on a choppy country road.
14:11 I was actually driving in the country the other day,
14:13 and, yeah, we do have some shockingly bad roads in Australia,
14:16 so this is an encounter you're probably going to run into at some point.
14:20 So there's 130.
14:24 It's actually not too bad.
14:25 So, look, the ride in general is actually pretty good.
14:29 It feels more resolved and better tuned than the Mitsubishi Outlander,
14:33 especially here on the 19s.
14:34 I was expecting it to be a little choppier like the Outlander is.
14:38 This is actually a really great setup.
14:40 So over the sine waves there,
14:41 had really good body control at the top end.
14:43 It did get a little lazy at the top end,
14:46 but that's where your ride comfort comes in,
14:48 and in and around the city when you hit potholes, speed humps,
14:50 that kind of thing, this is actually going to be nice and smooth
14:53 and comfortable, and then when you do head out into the country,
14:56 you will still have that level of body control you need when overtaking.
14:59 And what about your visibility?
15:00 So down the front there, it's fine.
15:02 Big wing mirrors with blind spot monitors built into them,
15:05 and then visibility out the back is good
15:07 'cause you've got the camera vision,
15:08 or you can just flick down to see directly out the back too.
15:11 Now, what about your road noise?
15:13 Look, they have added insulation here,
15:14 but I am still getting a degree of tyre noise coming into the cabin,
15:17 especially on the coarse chip surfaces at highway speeds.
15:20 It's not terrible, it's just not amazing,
15:23 and I think it could be a little quieter in here.
15:25 And our turning circle comes in at 11.1 metres.
15:29 OK, it's time to test our lane support systems
15:32 and the semi-autonomous steering system here.
15:34 So, check this up to 70km/h, and we'll set our cruise.
15:38 So that is set.
15:39 You can see here the steering wheel icon.
15:41 It goes green when we've got a lock,
15:43 and it's able to recognise all the lines there on the road.
15:46 We can use the three outer lines here on our circular track,
15:49 and we'll see how it goes.
15:51 So there we go. On the least intrusive setting,
15:54 it's doing a really good job there.
15:56 No dramas at all. We'll jump up to the next lane.
15:58 OK, so wait for that to go green. There it is.
16:05 I'm lightly holding the steering wheel here,
16:08 but in theory, you're meant to actually have full control of this
16:10 if you're using it on a public road.
16:12 It's actually doing a pretty good job here, holding that.
16:14 We're staying central to the lane, which is great.
16:17 OK, pass there for our second lane.
16:19 We'll jump up to the third lane.
16:21 OK, let's see how this goes.
16:24 This is the hardest one for it to get.
16:27 Not only a lock, but for any car to really just hold the steering in position.
16:30 Let's see if it manages to find anything.
16:33 No, not getting any steering lock at all here.
16:38 Just wait a little bit more.
16:40 A little closer to the outer edge here.
16:43 No, nothing.
16:46 So it's a fail for lane three, but a pass for the first two lanes of our testing.
16:51 It's not even getting a lock here at all.
16:53 So, the new Nissan X-Trail.
16:57 Look, this feels very different to just being another car on the Outlander platform.
17:01 This actually feels significantly different to the Outlander, but in a better way.
17:05 I think this is much nicer inside.
17:07 It drives better, thanks to the right-hand handling tune.
17:10 Yeah, I don't know. I just think it's a more resolved car,
17:12 and it is a huge leap forward ahead of the old X-Trail as well,
17:15 which is pretty good.
17:16 I think the engine could use a bit more punch.
17:18 The 2.5-litre is okay, but it can be a little thrashy at times.
17:24 So, the hybrid version of this, when it finally lands, will fix that.
17:28 But I think they probably need something in between there as well.
17:30 Maybe a small turbocharged four-cylinder to get it moving.
17:33 So, have you bought one of these? Has it arrived?
17:35 Are you enjoying it so far?
17:37 Let me know your thoughts down in the comments section below.
17:39 As always, if you did enjoy this video,
17:41 please make sure you like it and you share it with your mates.
17:43 and if you haven't done so already, subscribe to our channel and press the bell icon.
17:46 But until next time, take it easy.