Recently, we tested out Nissan’s all-new 3rd generation X-Trail and the newly-updated Juke right here in Ireland. As the saying goes, there’s no place like home…
Usually, testing out the latest cars means a trip to the continent and, while it’s great to get out of the country for a day or two, you really can’t beat the comfort of staying at home. Instead of flying out of the country, Nissan decided to showcase the all-new X-Trail and the newly-updated Juke at the Castle Durrow in Co. Laois.
It was an absolutely stunning location to show off the new motors and the surrounding area offered a nice mix of country back-roads and smooth motorways. We tested out the all-new X-Trail first and so, without further ado, here’s a look at how we got on.
X-Trail
The all-new X-Trail was an absolute joy to drive and while it’s a big, spacious SUV available with 7-seats, it is incredibly easy to manoeuvre. In fact, we found the car surprisingly easy to drive in general, regardless of the road’s condition. The high seating position offers drivers a great view of the road ahead and uneven or bumpy surfaces are certainly no match for the X-Trail’s suspension. While most people will probably never take their X-Trail off-road, it’s nice to know that the vehicle could handle rough terrain with ease.
The new X-Trail comes with three different engine options (2WD manual, 2WD Xtronic, 4WD manual), all of which are 1.6L diesel and produce 130hp. Thankfully, that means that road tax isn’t anywhere near that of the old X-Trail, as the new X-Trail sits in either Tax Band B1 or B2, depending on the spec. So you can expect to pay no more than €280 for road tax.
The style of the new X-Trail follows the rest of Nissan’s new-look models making it look completely different than that of the previous generation (see below).
However, and we’re being brutally honest here, the new X-Trail looks a lot like a bigger version of Nissan’s new Qashqai. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing – the Qashqai is a great-looking car in JOE’s opinion – the average person might think they’re the same model, which is something a X-Trail driver might not like to hear. Having said that, the X-Trail is still one of the best-looking large SUVs on the market, so it has that going for it, which is nice.
Apart from looking a bit like a bigger Qashqai, there’s really nothing bad to say about the SUV. The X-Trail drives like a dream, it’s incredibly economical (129g CO2 per km) – to the point where it can tell you exactly how much CO2 you’ve saved on each journey – there’s loads of room (550L of boot space).
The dashboard is nicely laid out making it easy to navigate the infotainment system and the buttons on the wheel are so easy to use that you may find your hands rarely leaving the steering wheel.
The entry level XE spec comes with remote entry key, 5” colour display, air conditioning, Bluetooth, electric parking brake, hill assist, USB/AUX input, LED daytime running lights, 17” alloy wheels, chrome door handles, cruise control and much more. That’s a lot of kit for an entry-level motor.
We tested out the Nissan X-Trail 1.6d SVE 7-seater, which comes in at a price of €37,700, but the X-Trail range starts from just €29,950 for the XE spec. That’s the same price that the outgoing entry level X-Trail cost, so if you were thinking of getting an X-Trail before the new version was released, you’ll be glad to hear the prices haven’t changed.
All-in-all we were extremely pleased with what Nissan have done to the third generation X-Trail and we have a feeling that we’ll be seeing quite a few of them on the roads in the not too distant future.
For more info on the all-new X-Trail, including prices and technical specs, check out the Nissan Ireland website.
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