Nissan X-Trail Review & Prices

The Nissan X-Trail is the Japanese manufacturer’s largest SUV, and with that footprint it can offer seating for up to seven inside. It might not be as popular as the brand’s small SUV king, the Qashqai, but it offers more of the same perks and with more space to boot.

It’s the Playstation 5 Slim to the Playstation 5 – not as popular but more stylish and more practical.

The looks of the X-Trail are rather pleasing on the whole, with the SUV styling making for a usable shape, while the rugged cladding around the wheels and rear bumper with the silvery skid plate detailing make for an appealing prospect. 

Similarly, the cabin is rather smart, with the launch-spec tan interior helping to brighten the cabin, while higher spec models come with a 12.3-inch central touchscreen. You also get a clear and easy-to-use screen for the driver, with a head-up display adding the third display.

For those in the back, there’s plenty of room for legs, heads and shoulders, so foot space is decent and three can sit across the back in comfort. 

With the middle bench able to slide, that allows for some extra space for those sitting on the optional third row. But unless you’re only doing a short run, it isn’t particularly comfortable, with head and legroom very tight. 

Folding down the rearmost seats opens up a 575-litre boot space, which is pretty good, but smaller than a Skoda Kodiaq or Peugeot 5008. The floor is flat and there are some useful hooks and tie down points. There isn’t a lot of under floor space though, and there’s no room for the load cover. Folding the middle row down does offer more flat space, but there’s not a smooth floor to the back of the front seats. 

Behind the wheel, the X-Trail proves to be a comfortable and capable family cruiser. The sole petrol engine has enough performance in town to get around and settles down quietly when you're not accelerating too hard.

Once you're up to speed on the motorway, it’s quiet and composed, while there’s only a small wind flutter from the wing mirrors. Under acceleration, though, the engine makes a lot of noise despite not gaining speed particularly quickly, but once you’re cruising you won’t notice it much. 

Twisty roads also show the X-Trail is well-balanced, with little body roll of note. It’s certainly not a sports SUV though. 

You do also get the choice of two hybrid engines called e-Power, which we've reviewed separately. These are quiet and refined at lower speeds when running on electric power and offer slightly better economy around town, but they're similarly noisy under acceleration and cost more to buy.

While there are some areas where the X-Trail doesn’t feel that high-end, the overall finish is great for a family SUV, and the petrol engine's relatively low output doesn't hold this big car back unless it's fully loaded. It could be worth considering the X-Trail e-Power or one of the various other plug-in or self-charging hybrid alternatives, though, if you have a charger at home or at work. 

If you like the look of this smart family SUV, check out the latest Nissan X-Trail deals or browse our stock of used X-Trails. You can also take a look at other used Nissans, and when it's time to sell your current car, Carwow's Sell My Car service is here to help.

If you are considering the jump up to the X-Trail from the Nissan Qashqai, the hike in price isn't too severe at about £5,000 between the base level models, while the gap between e-Power versions is even smaller at just £3,000. With that in mind, the X-Trail makes a compelling case for itself as the more spacious version, even if you don't need the extra seats. We recommend avoiding the entry-level Visia trim, though, because you don't get a proper touchscreen infotainment system, nor Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

When compared against other seven-seat SUVs, it's priced fairly competitively. The SEAT Tarraco and Peugeot 5008 both undercut it slightly, as does the brilliant Skoda Kodiaq. It costs less than both the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento and Mercedes GLB, though.

Don't need seven seats? The Ford Kuga and Honda CR-V are Qashqai-priced five-seat options.

The petrol engine can be very loud and grating under hard acceleration, but around town and when cruising, it's quiet and performs well

In town

Where you’ll find the X-Trail to be rather accomplished is on urban roads. With more refined suspension than the previous version, this new X-Trail is very comfortable in town, soaking up bumps impressively and allows for smooth progress. 

The petrol engine is generally a willing and capable companion, and despite not having a huge amount of power, copes well enough with the low-speed stuff. In normal driving it's quiet, too, but it speaks up when you accelerate hard. If you do a lot of town driving, the hybrid e-Power models are your best bet, because they're quieter, more refined and return better fuel economy.

You won’t be wanting for visibility, as the rear window is large and wing mirrors provide a good side view. Add into the equation light steering, and the X-Trail is easy to manoeuvre – even if it is still a large SUV. Cameras on higher spec models and standard-fit parking sensors make getting in and out of spaces simple. 

On the motorway

For families, long-distance driving can sometimes be difficult if the car isn’t up to the task. But the X-Trail manages to be a great car to cruise in, and intelligent cruise control fitted as standard helps to take some of the strain out of longer journeys. 

The more advanced ProPilot assist, which comes as standard on Tekna models, provides full traffic assistance by keeping you in lane, follows the car in front at a safe distance and controls the X-Trail to a stop in heavier traffic, setting off when the car in front does. If longer journeys are standard practice for you, this is a must. 

Continuing the comfort theme to the motorway, the X-Trail soaks up bumps and imperfections well. That makes it a very comfortable car on the whole, with the open cabin feel means you don’t feel cocooned or cramped. 

Much like in town, the petrol engine likes to make its presence known when you're accelerating hard, but it's more noticeable on the motorway. Getting up to speed on a slip road or away from a roundabout is accompanied by a raucous sound, though forward progress is far from brisk.

On twisty roads

The noise issue with the engine rears its head again when you take on hillier roads. On switchback countryside Tarmac, the X-Trail’s engine sounds like it's working hard to keep the pace up. The hybrid version isn't much better.

Nissan hasn’t built this to be a performance SUV, and you can feel it has a more comfort-based setup. Its light steering is direct enough, but doesn’t inspire the most confidence at higher speeds. Sport mode does sharpen the throttle response and adds extra weight to the steering, but it’s not necessary nor that focused. 

Off the beaten track and on looser surfaces, the X-Trail isn’t going to blow you away, but it does cope well. Engaging off-road mode in the drive selector does provide you with confidence to take on a gravel road, but don’t expect it to go completely off-piste as well as the likes of the (much more expensive) Land Rover Discovery.

There's a decent amount of space and touch points higher up feel of a good quality. But it's not as spacious in some places as you would like

Despite being based on the same mechanical bits as the Qashqai, the X-Trail feels significantly bigger inside and easier to live with. You can easily find a comfortable driving position, with lots of adjustment on offer, while the full length sunroof on higher spec versions helps the cabin feel bright and open. 

There’s a decent amount of storage up front as well, with the centre console having a ‘floating’ look to it. The upper section has the rather large cupholders, drive mode selector, gear selector and parking brake, with the wireless charge pad fitted on more expensive models at the base of the dashboard. Underneath is an open, additional space that means you can place less essential items there. 

The door bins are also fairly substantial, fitting larger water bottles and other things. They aren’t lined on even top-spec cars though, so things can rattle around.

In the back seats

If your key concern with the back seats is spaciousness, the X-Trail delivers. There's loads of kneeroom and headroom is great, even with the electrically operated sunroof that can be found on the two top trims.

Being a larger SUV means that shoulder room is good, too, so it's not much trouble to carry three across the back. The middle seat isn't raised too high, but we found the seatbelt plugs for the outer seats were too close to the middle, so they could dig into your bottom.

Another minor complaint is that while the front feels pretty plush and premium, that hasn't been extended to the rear seats quite so much. For example, there's no soft materials on the door tops to make it more comfortable to rest your arm.

Rear door bins are big, though, which is useful if you have a large water bottle for longer trips. And if you don't have a person sitting in the middle you can fold the central hatch cover down to reveal a slot for a phone and two cup holders.

Boot space

In five-seat mode, the X-Trail has a 585-litre boot and it comes with a flat floor. This is a usefully large space, but it's considerably less than the 720 litres you get in the five-seat Skoda Kodiaq. In seven-seat versions, fold the rearmost seats down and you have 485 litres on hand, which is less than the Kodiaq's 630 litres, but the Peugeot 5008 is top of the pops here, with a massive 952 litres.

The gap widens if you fold the middle and third rows down. The X-Trail has 1,298 litres (1,424 litres in the five-seat model), compared just over 2,000 litres for both the Peugeot and the Skoda.

Regardless, the X-Trail's boot shape is good, and with additional pockets at the side, you’ve got a decent amount of space to use. Folding down the three seats does also provide a flat floor, but there isn’t a cover for the folding mechanism, so that means there’s a channel that things could get trapped in or lost down. You can slide larger items forward fairly easily though. 

With the help of a 60/40 split, you can fold down either one, two or three seats, while the central backrest folds down so you get through loading, while also revealing the rear cupholders.

Lighter optional trims help make the X-Trail feel more spacious, but there's a fair amount of scratchy plastics throughout the cabin

While Nissan may not be the last word in style, it’s done a pretty good job with the X-Trail. There are simple lines, with chrome effect detailing around to highlight the shapes, while there’s also a bit of piano black plastic, which can get smudged and covered in fingerprints pretty quickly. 

On the top-spec Tekna+ model, you can get a really nice tan leather to brighten up the interior, while the top two specifications get the full-length sunroof to make it feel even more open. The rest of the trim options are grey or black, which are less likely to show up grime but don’t look as fancy. 

Although there are scratchy plastics to be found, especially lower down the cabin, the overall quality is pretty good and it all feels solid. The doorbins aren’t felt-lined, so smaller things may rattle around inside.

The infotainment system is also pretty solid. It may not be the most premium-looking design, but it’s smooth and simple to navigate. Alongside the large configurable driver’s screen, and head-up display on Tekna and Tekna+ models, you have all the information you’ll need at your disposal. Entry level models get an old-school TFT display, so we'd avoid this unless your budget won't stretch any further.

There are two USB ports to connect your phone to the infotainment, and you get wireless Apple CarPlay but only wired Android Auto.

Offered with three power options, the X-Trail starts with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine driving the front wheels. That offers 163hp and 300Nm, which will be enough pull for most, but it does feel strained when you need more power and could struggle with the weight of seven people on board. Nissan is betting on most people choosing from the two hybrid options.

Both of those use the same 1.5-litre turbo petrol, but rather than driving the wheels, it works more like an on-board generator to charge the 2.1kWh battery pack, which in turn powers the electric motor – or motors in the case of the e4orce top-end version.

With the three power options on offer, there’s a clear step in efficiency between the entry-level mild-hybrid and the full hybrid versions. The mild hybrid will do 39.9mpg, or 39.2mpg in the seven-seat form. We actually saw 36mpg during our time with the latter, which is impressively close to the claimed figures. Emissions are 161-164g/km CO2 depending on the seats you choose. 

For the full hybrid options, there’s not a huge step in efficiency, but it’s enough to make more of the 55-litre fuel tank. For the 204hp full hybrid option, you can get up to 47.3mpg with emissions of 134g/km CO2. 

If you’re after all-wheel drive, the dual-motor e4orce version can get returns of up to 43.8mpg. Emissions are increased over the front-wheel drive model, at up to 148g/km with the third row of seats.

Although you don’t get the full ProPilot suite of technology as standard, Nissan still fits the X-Trail with good safety equipment from the entry Visia level. Cruise control, front emergency braking, blind spot warning, driver alertness, lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition are all included, making each version of the X-Trail very secure. 

More premium versions of the X-Trail get the ProPilot system, which includes traffic jam assist, ProPilot with navigation assist (basically adaptive cruise control using the navigation system) and ProPilot park that will park the car on its own while you’re checking the surroundings behind the wheel.

Although it hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP, the X-Trail has the same platform as the Qashqai, and that scored five stars – majoring in adult safety, child safety and assistance systems. 

Nissan hasn’t performed the best with reliability surveys in recent years, and the brand also doesn’t do as well when it comes to warranty. 

The X-Trail comes with Nissan’s three-year, 60,000-mile assurance, but that’s much less impressive than Hyundai’s five-year warranty and Kia’s seven-year, 100,000-mile promise. That makes the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento automatically more appealing.