Nissan X-Trail (2014 – 2022) Review

Think of the Nissan X-Trail as a Nissan Qashqai that’s more capable off road and you’re on the right track. It feels more rugged than the Qashqai and you have the option of four-wheel drive with some versions, plus a decent diesel engine. Seven seats give it the same practicality as a Land Rover Discovery Sport, but a Hyundai Santa Fe or the good-value Skoda Kodiaq are better all-round bets. Read on for our full Nissan X-Trail review.

If you want a Nissan Qashqai, but you find the interior a bit too small for your growing family, the Nissan X-Trail could be the car that you’re looking for.

It’s just as comfortable and easy-to-drive as its smaller sibling, but with much more back row space, a bigger boot and the option of seven seats. 

If size is what you’re after, then you’ll find plenty of it in this used SUV. There’s more than enough space for adults in the middle row and you can get a third row of seats.

These are really for occasional use and will fit only smaller kids, but they give the Nissan X-Trail added practicality – just remember to try the Skoda Kodiaq, too. 

If you go for a five-seat Nissan X-Trail, you get a spacious 550-litre boot, which has a two-part adjustable load floor for extra flexibility. This is further enhanced by the fact the middle row of seats are mounted on runners, so you can pick between more legroom or load space.

Alternatively, you can fold the seats entirely to maximise carrying space.

The engine range includes a 163PS petrol, which is a good fit for the Nissan X-Trail and provides ample performance, plus a 130PS 1.6-litre dCi diesel.

It might sound too small for such a large car, but it’s more than capable thanks to peak torque of 320Nm. If you do need more go, there’s a 2.0-litre dCi with 177PS and 380Nm of torque.

Two-wheel drive is standard, but for those who live in areas with a tougher climate there is an all-wheel-drive option. There’s also a CVT transmission, which is smooth and quiet for the most part, only droning when accelerating hard. 

With seven seats and a reasonable 2000kg braked towing weight, the Nissan X-Trail is capable of all sorts of family tasks, including caravan holidays.

Some might think it’s too similar to the Nissan Qashqai to spend the extra money on, while rivals including the Skoda Kodiaq are plusher and more upmarket, but it’s certainly worth a look if you demand a comfortable, easy-to-drive car with plenty of space. 

If you’re looking for the newer version, you need our latest Nissan X-Trail review.

Over potholes, ripples, lumps and bumps, the Nissan X-Trail’s cabin is serene, with the car absorbing everything but the most severely damaged roads.

The level of comfort is further helped by good visibility and lightly-weighted, easy-to-use controls. There are extra niceties like the electronic parking brake with hill-hold function, which makes stopping and starting simple. It’s a very easy car to drive. 

The excellent ride quality comes at the expense of handling, though. The Nissan X-Trail isn’t a car that revels in being driven hard – pushing into bends with any pace causes noticeable body roll.

However, in town, on the motorway and at more sedate speeds, the Nissan X-Trail has impressive road manners and is very relaxing and comfortable.

Unlike the previous model, the latest Nissan X-Trail is offered with two-wheel drive as standard. A 4x4 version is optional and it drives more or less exactly the same as the front-drive car, but with an automatic all-wheel-drive system for slippery conditions, or the option to lock the differential.

It’s useful for snowy areas or loose surfaces, but most drivers will find the front-wheel-drive car more than adequate.

The engine range kicks off with a 163PS DIG-T petrol engine. This is up to the task of propelling the Nissan X-Trail, although it can get loud when accelerating hard.

And, while it does the job around town and on the motorway, you’ll have to pick a diesel if you live in a rural area and need all-wheel drive, or if you require an automatic transmission.

The cheapest diesel choice is a 1.6-litre dCi with 130PS and 320Nm of torque. Emissions are 129g/km with official fuel economy of 57.6mpg for the most efficient front-wheel-drive manual model.

In 2015, a 163PS version of the 1.6 diesel was added, with 230PS. As you might expect, economy drops with the hike in power, with a claimed 149g/km of CO2 and 45.6mpg.

A 1.6-litre engine in such a large car might set alarm bells ringing, but technology has moved on since the last Nissan X-Trail was introduced. This has since been replaced by a 177PS 2.0-litre dCi and it’s a better choice all round, with more punch and flexibility, if you can afford to pay the extra over the 1.6. 

The standard transmission is a smooth-shifting six-speed manual, but a CVT automatic is offered and it’s designed to behave more like a traditional seven-speed auto, with steps programmed in rather than the usual infinitely variable gear ratios.

This improves refinement under full throttle acceleration – although it still drones a little when pressing on hard.

Usefully, for a family car, there is a comprehensive range of safety gadgetry on offer.

Auto emergency brakes, lane departure warning, auto high beam, traffic sign recognition, automated parking assistance, a 360-degree birds-eye parking camera, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert are among the technologies available.

But they’re not standard, so be careful when choosing your used Nissan X-Trail.

On the plus side, all have ESP traction control and plenty of airbags, which was enough to earn the car a five-star Euro NCAP score in 2014.

Every Nissan X-Trail of this generation can hitch up to an unbraked trailer with a maximum weight of 750kg.

Connect a braked trailer and the larger-engined four-wheel-drive diesel model can haul up to 2000kg, while others are limited to a more modest but still useful 1650kg.

Space is excellent in the Nissan X-Trail, with more than enough head and legroom in the back to comfortably accommodate adults.

The back seats slide forward and back, too, meaning you can select between kneeroom and loadspace depending on your needs.

The boot is spacious at 550 litres, but that can be expanded even further if you tumble the rear seats forward.

For those with larger families, there is a seven-seat configuration on offer, but the rearmost row of seats is too small for anything other than occasional, short trips – even for children. That’s down to the tiny amount of foot and kneeroom on offer. 

That’s another area where the Skoda Kodiaq beats the Nissan X-Trail.

The Czech model’s extra row of seats is surprisingly useful and, while it’s also only really meant for occasional use, the kids sat back there should at least last a few more miles before they start to ask “are we there yet?”.

The cabin in the Nissan X-Trail is light, spacious and reasonably well finished. The dashboard is covered in soft-touch plastic while harder plastics are used elsewhere, but they generally feel hard-wearing and durable.

The instruments are clear and the minor controls are all easy to operate without consulting the manual – but some of the switches feel on the cheap side, especially next to a Skoda Kodiaq. 

The layout of the Nissan X-Trail’s dash looks and feels dated next to the Skoda Kodiaq, with the low-res touchscreen system feeling antiquated next to the huge, bright screen in the Skoda.

You need to look to the N-tec trim and above to get sat-nav included with the infotainment set-up, which doubles as the monitor for the 360-degree parking camera.

A two-year-old Nissan X-Trail in the top spec and with only a few thousand miles from new will cost you around £27,000.

Go for an older version and you’ll spend from £10,500 for an eight-year-old model with approximately 75,000 miles under its wheels.

There is quite a spread of fuel economy figures for the Nissan X-Trail. It’s made easier by focusing on the three main engine choices of 1.6-litre 130PS and 177PS 2.0-litre turbodiesels, and the 163PS 1.6-litre turbo petrol.

The 1.3-litre petrol and 1.7-litre diesel motors of the last Nissan X-Trails of this generation are not notably better on fuel consumption or emissions than the earlier motors.

With the diesels, you have a choice of two- and four-wheel-drive versions, plus a CVT (continuously variable transmission) auto for the front-drive 1.6 and four-wheel drive for the 2.0-litre version.

The petrol keeps it simple with front-drive and a six-speed manual to offer a claimed 45.6mpg and 145g/km of carbon dioxide emissions.

If you opt for the 1.6 diesel with front-wheel drive and manual gearbox, it comes with an official set of figures of 57.6mpg and 129g/km to make it the most economical Nissan X-Trail.

The least efficient is the 2.0-litre diesel auto, which returns 47.1mpg and 158g/km.

For road tax purposes, earlier Nissan X-Trails registered before 1 April 2017 will pay between £150 and £240 per year depending on the engine fitted. Those that went on the road after this date require a flat £180 per annum at the time of writing.

Keeping a Nissan X-Trail serviced shouldn’t break the bank and Nissan dealers are among the more affordable, or you can use a good independent.

With the diesels, just be careful to give them a good, long run every week or two to allow the particulate filter to regenerate and not become clogged.

Insurance sits in groups 17 to 35 for the Nissan X-Trail, so it’s slightly lower compared to key rivals.

The Nissan X-Trail Visia is the entry-level model and comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, LED running lights, electric parking brake, six airbags, ABS, EBD, ESP, tyre pressure monitor system, cruise control and speed limiter.

It also has Bluetooth, CD, MP3, USB, AUX, air-conditioning, electric and heated mirrors, folding, reclining and sliding rear bench 60/40, hill start assist, front and rear power windows, and a rear armrest with cupholder.

In the Nissan X-Trail Acenta trim, you have privacy glass, electric folding door mirrors, front foglights, chrome exterior details, leather steering wheel and gear lever knob, six-speaker audio, dual-zone climate control, auto-dimming rear view mirror, auto lights, auto wipers, power sunroof along with front and rear parking sensors.

A Nissan X-Trail N-Connecta adds 18-inch alloy wheels, satin roof rails, seven-inch touchscreen with navigation, around-view 360 degree parking camera, hands-free tailgate, keyless entry and start, traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, auto emergency brakes, front and rear parking sensors. 

The Nissan X-Trail Tekna is the top trim and adds blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, moving object detection, 19-inch alloy wheels, leather seats, electrically adjustable front seats, heated front and rear seats and a heated steering wheel.

There’s also intelligent park assist, LED headlights with Adaptive Front Lighting System, auto headlights, auto high beam and Bose audio.

At the beginning of 2019, the Nissan X-Trail N-Tec Edition was introduced with two or four wheel-drive, 18-inch black alloy wheels, dark chrome V-motion grille, and gloss black details such as roof rails and mirror caps.

For an added touch of style and luxury, this special Nissan X-Trail features door sill protectors with illuminated N-TEC lettering. It also features ProPILOT on models fitted with an automatic gearbox in addition to Nissan’s acclaimed Safety Shield package.