2024 Nissan X-Trail SUV range review

The Nissan X-Trail has always been one of the favourites amongst Aussie buyers. But with the previous-generation model getting long in the tooth, especially amongst fresher rivals, the new model can’t arrive soon enough.

Now into its fourth generation, the T33 2024 Nissan X-Trail has big shoes to fill in one of the country’s most hotly contested segments.

First impression has been good, though. Built on Nissan’s CMF-C platform that employs considerably more lightweight materials including aluminium on most body panels along with more high-strength steel than ever before for increased torsional stiffness.

Nissan has also made significant upgrades to the car’s suspension and steering for a much better driving experience than before.

But the biggest improvement reveals itself behind the doors, for the X-Trail’s interior has been thoroughly revamped and look and feel properly premium.

If you have been in the latest Mitsubishi Outlander, you might even spot a few similarities, as both models are built on the same platform and share common parts, including the infotainment and digital instrument cluster, as well as steering wheel design.

That’s not a bad thing as it’s a significant step up from before. It’s also one of a few in its class, along with the aforementioned Outlander, to be available with either five or seven seats.

We spent some time with the non-hybrid 2024 Nissan X-Trail range to find out whether it deserves a spot on your shopping list.

How much is the Nissan X-Trail?

The five-tier Nissan X-Trail kicks off with the front-wheel drive and five seats ST and ST-L, with all-wheel drive and seven seats available as a bundle for approximately $3,000 extra.

Stepping up to the Ti and Ti-L brings all-wheel drive but only five seats as standard. So if you need seven seats, you’re relegated to the entry-level variants.

2024 Nissan X-Trail pricing (excluding on-road costs):

• Nissan X-Trail ST 2WD 5-seat: $37,250
• Nissan X-Trail ST AWD 7-seat: $40,290
• Nissan X-Trail ST-L 2WD 5-seat: $43,690
• Nissan X-Trail Ti AWD 5-seat: $50,490
• Nissan X-Trail Ti-L AWD 5-seat: $53,490

Nissan has also added the X-Trail e-Power hybrid to the range early last year:

• Nissan X-Trail ST-L e-Power 5-seat: $49,990
• Nissan X-Trail Ti e-Power 5-seat: $54,690
• Nssan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power 5-seat: $57,690

The X-Trail is offered with the following colours with all but Scarlett Ember a $700 cost option.

• Black Diamond – Metallic
• Caspian Blue – Metallic
• Ceramic Grey – Pearl
• Gun Metallic – Metallic
• Brilliant Silver – Metallic
• Champagne Silver – Metallic
• Ivory Pearl – Pearl

Buyers can also opt for a black roof for an extra $1,200:

• Caspian Blue/Black Roof – Metallic
• Ceramic Grey/Black Roof – Metallic
• Sunset Orange/Black Roof – Metallic
• Champagne Silver/Black Roof – Metallic
• Ivory Pearl/Black Roof – Pearl

What do you get?

Like most cars these days, the 2024 Nissan X-Trail is well equipped.

X-Trail ST:

• Auto LED head- and taillights
• High-beam assist
• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Roof rails
• Auto-folding and heated wing mirrors
• Reverse camera
• Rear parking sensors
• 0-inch infotainment touchscreen
• 6-speakers
• DAB+ digital radio
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 0-inch TFT cluster display
• Fabric upholstery
• 2-way power adjustable driver lumbar
• 5 or 7 seats

X-Trail ST-L adds:

• Rear privacy glass
• 18-inch alloy wheels
• ProPILOT with Lane Keep Assist
• Surround-view camera
• Front parking sensors
• Dual-zone climate control
• Power driver’s seat
• Front seats heating
• Synthetic leather accented seats
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Sliding rear seats with 40:20:40 split folding

X-Trail Ti adds:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Adaptive matrix LED headlights
• Digital rear-view mirror
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Panoramic sunroof
• Power tailgate
• Tri-zone climate control
• Leather accented seats
• 10-way power front passenger seat with power lumbar
• 3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Built-in satellite navigation
• Wireless Apple CarPlay
• Wireless phone charger
• 3-inch digital instrument cluster
• 8-inch head-up display
• Ambient lighting on dashboard
• AWD

X-Trail Ti-L adds:

• Remote engine start
• Reverse-tilt power mirrors with memory
• Hands-free power tailgate
• Heated steering wheel
• Driver’s memory seat pre-sets
• Heated second row outboard seats
• Quilted Nappa leather upholstery
• Rear door sunshades
• 10-speaker Bose audio system
• Ambient lighting on doors

What is it like inside?

While the previous generation X-Trail was capable, its decade long tenure mean things are looking a little tired the moment you hop into the cabin.

The new X-Trail however changes all that even on the base ST variant, with features and materials that bring the car into the 2^nd decade of the 21^st century.

The 10.8-inch widescreen head-up display, claimed to be one of the largest in the segment, is impressively crisp and colourful, while the Ti and Ti-L’s massive 12.3-inch touchscreen and similarly sized digital driver’s display are equally eye-catching with smooth graphics and crystal-clear clarity.

Away from the pre-requisite and high-tech screens, the interior itself oozes premium feel, especially in the top-spec variants with leather upholstery, LED mood lighting and panoramic sunroof. The soft-touch brown dash top – standard on all variants – is particularly smart and contrasts well with the dark grey colour scheme elsewhere.

Piano black is so last decade and thankfully, Nissan has wisely chosen a black faux timber trim instead which looks and feels great. All switchgear and dials have a quality feel to them and are a big step up from before.

The interior is well thought-out with plenty of bins and storage compartments dotted around the cabin along with intuitively laid out switches and dials. The floating style centre console provides space underneath for things like handbags or iPads and is hidden from prying eyes.

All variants benefit from two USB ports (one USB-A and one USB-C) up front, while Ti and Ti-L also get wireless phone charger and wireless Apple CarPlay (wired for Android Auto).

The rear doors open conveniently wide at an 85-degree angle which makes it easy to climb in and out (especially to the 3^rd-row of seats if equipped) and loading small children in the child seats. There are three child seat tether points along with outboard ISOFIX anchors which allow a centre child seat position.

The rear seat, which can slide back and forth, can accommodate three adults in relative comfort with adjustable backrest recline angle. Leg and headroom are good even with the headroom pinching sunroof installed.

Those with longer limbs might find under-thigh support a little lacking, however.

Rear passengers enjoy amenities such as rear air vents, map pockets behind both front seats, a USB-C and USB-A port each, door bins with bottle holders, and if the middle seat isn’t in use, two cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest.

Ti and Ti-L also provide rear seat climate control.

Moving further aback, five-seat variants get 585L of boot space, while the seven-seat configuration sees capacity shrinks it to 465L. The clever ‘Divide and Hide’ storage system (5-seat only) takes no time to set up and allow up to 16 different configurations to hide valuables or store lengthier items.

Ti and Ti-L variants also come with power tailgate although there are no bag hooks or seatback release handles whatsoever in the X-Trail.

What’s under the bonnet?

All non-hybrid variants are powered by a revised version of the old model’s 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine producing 135kW at 6,000rpm and 244Nm at 3,600rpm.

Outputs are up 9kW and 19Nm compared to the superseded model.

The engine is married to the same CVT carried over from before but retuned to provide better response.

Combined fuel consumption is officially rated at 7.4L/100km for front-wheel drive variants, and 7.8L/100km for AWD models.

How does the Nissan X-Trail drive?

The latest Nissan X-Trail shares its platform with the Mitsubishi Outlander and thanks to a complete revamp of the suspension and chassis tuning, drives and rides significantly better than before.

The new platform is also more rigid, with torsional stiffness improving by 27 per cent. As a result, body roll is well contained and turn in more responsive. Along with a more direct and sharper steering, the X-Trail feels confident.

It’s comfortable around town with notably low road noise and a compliant ride quality. However, the Ti’s larger 19-inch wheel, while filling the wheel arches better, does bring with it a more jittery ride over low-amplitude corrugations and road imperfections.

It’s not as dynamically accomplished as a Mazda CX-5 but for most buyers, the X-Trail’s balance of ride and handling is a good one.

CVTs have come a long way and while I’m still not a fan of them, the new generation ones like those fitted to the X-Trail tend to behave much like a conventional transmission if you don’t ask too much of them but can still be drony during sustained acceleration.

And while the carried over engine is mostly adequate, a turbocharger would definitely make the most of the new and capable chassis.

How safe is the Nissan X-Trail?

The new X-Trail gets five-star ANCAP safety rating based on testing of its partner model, the Nissan Qashqai which shares its platform.

For the full assessment report, head over ANCAP’s officlal page here.

Safety features on all variants:

• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with
  • Pedestrian and cyclist detection
  • Junction assist
  • Reverse AEB with Pedestrian detection
• 7 airbags, incl. front-centre airbag
• Blind-spot assist
• Lane departure warning
• Lane keep assist
• Traffic sign recognition
• Automatic high-beam
• Adaptive cruise control

ST-L and above gains:

• ProPILOT with active lane-centring function

Ownership

The X-Trail comes with Nissan’s five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty and five-years roadside assist.

Its servicing interval is slightly shorter than some rivals at 10,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first. For comparison, the related Mitsubishi Outlander which shares the same engine offers 15,000km.

Servicing cost average $498 per service for the first 6 years for the X-Trail 2WD and $509 for the X-Trail AWD.

Verdict

2024 Nissan X-Trail Pricing and Specification