2024 Nissan X-Trail First Drive Review: Is This Premium SUV Worth Rs 50 Lakh?

The Nissan X-Trail is the Japanese manufacturer’s flagship mid-size SUV in international markets. Enthusiasts in India will already know it was even sold in India briefly. However, it had such a brief impact on the market, I don't think some people might have even seen one on the road with their own eyes. This new 4th-generation model is really important to Nissan India because it just might make or break the brand depending on price, how it sells and how it stands against its competition. In fact, the company has a slew of new launches planned for the country and the X-Trail has been chosen to lead this product offensive. Thus, it was imperative for Nissan to not only offer a competent product but do so at a competitive price. So, the gloves are off and it’s time to get down and dirty with this premium made-in-Japan offering.

2024 Nissan X-Trail First Drive Review: Exterior Design

As soon as you walk up to the vehicle, it is easy to understand Nissan designed this SUV to balance its proportions and new-age design. It has a traditional SUV design and stance but with the right modern amenities to make it look fresh. At the front, you have the traditional Nissan V-motion style grille and two-tier LED headlight/DRL combination. I had the chance to look at the X-Trail coming towards me in my rear-view mirror and it certainly has an imposing and premium aura to it.

Now, Nissan definitely wants to make it look like a ‘proper’ SUV and to accentuate that fact you get flared blacked-out fenders. However, what really catches the eye with its side profile are the large 20-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels. They look good and really fill out the wheel well rather nicely. In my opinion, for those who do remember the 1st-Gen X-Trail in India, will recognize the new model harks back to its design with its long front-end and blown-out rear-end proportions.

Step to the back and you'll instantly recognize it from a vehicle with a Nissan logo at the front. In fact, look at the LED tail lights in isolation and you'll say the same. A last point to drive the point home about it being an old-school & modern SUV, is the position of its boot opening mechanism. While they could have neatly tucked away the mechanism under the large panel where you’ll find the X-Trail logo. However, Nissan chose to house it in a specially-made cutout area like you had with older SUVs. 

In terms of dimensions, my first impressions were that it very much looks and feels like a rather large-ish SUV. Definitely much larger than what it seemed like on paper. Now, internationally it sits in the middle of Nissan's SUV range but if you were looking at X trail for the first time without any context, you'd think it is a flagship vehicle, which it is in India. It measures 4,680mm in length, 1,840mm in width and 1,725mm in height. To put that in perspective, it is just shy of the numbers that the Skoda Kodiaq offers but a tad larger than the Volkswagen Tiguan. However, it stands taller than both.

Also Read: Upcoming Nissan Cars in India: X-Trail, Magnite Facelift and More

2024 Nissan X-Trail First Drive Review: Interior Design and Features

Step inside and it's more of the modernness oozing through, packed in an old-school package. Yes, it's not the most premium looking or feeling cabin but it definitely feels quite premium and upmarket. In fact, exactly how you would like a premium SUV in this category to feel.

Now, Japanese manufacturers, like Nissan, Toyota and Honda have previously built modern looking interiors but what lets it all down is the presentation of on-screen graphics. Here it's not the case. In my opinion, you get one of the nicest looking instrument cluster units in the business, which is also pretty easy to use and read. In fact, my colleagues likened it to something straight out of an Audi and I rather agree with them. Unfortunately, what rather spoils the entire experience is the 8-inch infotainment system which sits right next to it. If you are familiar with the interior offerings from the Nissan Kicks, you’ll immediately recognize this unit too. However, just under that, you have my personal favourite highlight, the panel housing all the HVAC controls. You get proper old-school buttons and dials, and in this day-and-age it feels rather special to use. 

Nissan have designed the cabin to be quite practical too. You have a type-A and type-C charging port, along with a wireless charger too. Over that, you get a floating centre console, with two large cup holders, a storage area right under and a large side-opening centre armrest. The storage area on the door panels is quite big too. The whole cabin is pretty well laid out, functional and premium. All the quality of materials are on point but what is its biggest letdown are two key aspects. First, you get fabric seats finished in grey and second, there is electric adjustment for the front seats. Now, whatever price point Nissan India decides to keep for the X-Trail, these are two highly overlooked features. Especially, given the demands of the Indian audience.

Also Read: Nissan X-Trail SUV India Launch in August: Here's All You Need to Know

2024 Nissan X-Trail First Drive Review: Second and Third-Row Seating

A big talking point for a vehicle in this class is the space and comfort they have to offer passengers seated at the back. The Nissan X-Trail will only be available with a three-row option but it is the second row where everyone (including children) will fight to be seated. The rear doors open at an angle of 85-degrees and this is quite a nice touch for easy ingress. Especially if the rear seats in your vehicle are mostly used by elderly passengers. The seats are accommodating but I found the bottom half of the bench to be rather small length-wise to give me the adequate amount of thigh support. This, despite my 5’6 ft build. However, I had plenty of space for my legs, knees, shoulder and head to be comfortable for extended driving times. Over that, the entire bench is adjustable for front-to-back positions and backrest angles.

You also get decent creature comforts to keep the passengers adequately happy. This includes the middle seats which fold down into a large arm rest, large bottle holders, a type-A and type-C charging port and AC vents. Now, while the second row of seats feels adequate, the third row is a mixed bag. You get storage spaces on both sides, reading lights and adjustable seats. However, the size of the seats is so small that children might end up complaining here too. I would advise keeping this area strictly reserved for emergency use.

2024 Nissan X-Trail First Drive Review: Boot Space

Now, if you look at the specifications of the model you get in International markets, you’ll find that you get 575L of boot space with the full-hybrid five-seater layout and 485L with the mild-hybrid seven-seater with third row folded. However, the version we get is based on the five-seater layout but built to accommodate three-rows of seats. As a result, you get 575L of space with the third-row folded and 1,424L with the second and third row folded. In my opinion, that is quite generous for every purpose that a family might have from it. In fact, even with all three rows of seats up, you have plenty of space to accommodate multiple duffle bags for a weekend getaway. You also have a tiny bit of space for knick-knacks under the boot floor. Under that, you’ll find storage for the company-provided air compressor and tyre repair kit.

2024 Nissan X-Trail First Drive Review: Engine & Performance

Now, I admit, I was expecting Nissan India to launch the fully-loaded e-motor version in India. It gets the same 1.5-litre turbocharged engine but only acts as an on-board charger for an electric motor which, in turn, drives the wheels. It also comes in an AWD layout. However, what we got instead was its mild-hybrid version. It gets the same 1.5-litre three-cylinder, variable-compression, turbo-petrol engine which pushes out 163PS and 300Nm of peak torque. As soon as I started driving the car, it immediately surprised me with the urgency in which it wanted to go. The big talking point about the motor is its ability to completely alter the engine compression ratio to suit the performance demands from the driver.

With the use of a multi-link system consisting of shaft and levers, the VC turbo unit can automatically adjust the connecting road to vary the height of the piston stroke in order to change the ratio as per needs. In simple terms, if you wish for more efficiency and economic performance, it can go as high as 14:1 compression ratio for a more economical burn. Step on the gas, and depending on how much power you demand, it can adjust the ratio down to 8:1 for a more powerful bang. What’s more, you also get direct and port-injection systems, coupled to variable air flow turbo to fully optimize the system. This is a world-first system and the result is an engine that can develop power in a similar fashion to a large NA engine, with the ability to alter its characteristics to be as economical as a small-displacement turbocharged engine.

With the engine being a three-pot turbo, I wasn't expecting the X-trail to have the oomph that it did. Combined to a fast-shifting CVT gearbox, it was easy to keep the SUV going strong. Yes, there was lag but not enough to completely ruin the experience. What was even more surprising was how well the drive modes worked. I started in sport mode but Eco and Comfort did their job well to tone down the performance. Overall, it had enough power and torque to haul this SUV around enthusiastically but it also had the ability to be a smooth and gentle operator for time when the family is involved.

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2024 Nissan X-Trail First Drive Review: Comfort & Handling

When it comes to comfort and handling, the X-trail managed to surprise me as much as it did with its performance. In terms of components, what you get are independent struts up front and independent multi-link set up at the rear. I really wasn’t expecting the car to be as gentle, pliant, comfortable and nimble as it was. No matter the size of the potholes or condition of the roads you put it through, it absolutely decimated it all. Over that, it doesn’t let any of the thuds or hard knocks filter through the cabin and up the passengers backside. I feel it absolutely cossets them into a bubble of their own and keeps them comfortable throughout the entire journey.

I was guilty of taking the Xtrail over speed breakers and bad road patches at higher speeds, and every time we came out of it it had me impressed at how well it does to absorb those hits and keep its composure despite those large 20-inch alloy wheels. What was even more surprising is how well it handled. We also had a few trails to deal with during our shoot and it soaked it all up in its stride. Back on the road, the steering was well weighted, direct and had decent feedback. Combined with the well tuned suspension, I was able to chuck it into corners much faster than what an actual X-Trail would dare to do. When you do so, it turns in nicely and quickly, indicating Nissan has done well to set up the suspension balance through all conditions. Like its performance, the handling really did catch me off guard in a positive way.

2024 Nissan X-Trail First Drive Review: Verdict

So, what is my verdict on the new Nissan X-Trail? In simple words, it's a mixed bag but I really like it. So, let’s revise what we learnt about the vehicle, shall we? In terms of its exterior design, it is a large-ish vehicle that has the road presence similar to the Skoda Kodiaq but better than the Volkswagen Tiguan, in my opinion. It gets an old-school SUV stance mixed in with the right amount of modern features. Inside, it is well-built, feature-loaded and quite practical, too. It definitely has its fair share of niggles but they aren’t complete deal breakers. In terms of how it drives, it has the power and comfort to keep all members of the family happy. However, the biggest thorn up my backside with this review is its price. Nissan India has not revealed that yet and thus, hard to sum up where this vehicle fits into the premium SUV hierarchy. However, if you’re in the market for an SUV in the Rs 35 lakh mark, this should definitely be a vehicle that should make it on to the short list.