Russians were very familiar with the third generation Nissan X-Trail: it was not only produced near St. Petersburg, but was also thoroughly adapted for Russian roads. We got a fourth-generation car for testing: it was introduced in 2020 and has already undergone an update. X-Trail lost its diesel engines, but acquired a hybrid version that can drive “with one pedal.” We met her.
Recently I lamented the results of my acquaintance with the BAIC X75: how could it be possible to ruin a potentially good car with several thoughtless decisions? After that, I even had a languid and lengthy conversation with the PR service. But it was worth spending a couple of days in the Nissan X-Trail company when… No, BAIC, of course, did not become better, but an important context was added to the current picture of the world.
Vyacheslav Krylov
You see, over the past two years we have adapted so much to the “Chinese” that we automatically forgive them for their sins, small and large, and we are completely happy with successful models – well, they say, almost like adults! At the same time, in the depths of your soul you still add: be glad that they are not around, otherwise it would have been hard. Only the “adults” themselves, despite their authority and experience, are also capable of doing things that make you wonder!
The current X-Trail retains the same CMF-C/D platform as its predecessor, and does not add a bit to the wheelbase of 2705 mm. But the length and width have grown by a symbolic two centimeters.
Vyacheslav Krylov
In an alternative reality, the new Nissan X-Trail would already be in full production at a plant near St. Petersburg with the hope of developing, if not sensational, but still the success of its predecessor – almost 150 thousand units sold from 2015 to 2022. Of course, the Russian office of the company would carry out traditional adaptation, but it is not a fact that it would be enough to eradicate the innate rigidity – no, cruelty! – this chassis.
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov
Frankly speaking, the X-Trail filters out bumps no better than the aforementioned X75: it shakes and vibrates on small things, instantly gives in at joints with sharp edges and can’t stand country paths. My impressions completely coincide with what Dmitry Laskov wrote about the co-platform Mitsubishi Outlander – that is, this is not an annoying mistake, but a conscious adjustment. Why, for what, so that what? Yes, the X-Trail has never been a featherbed, but here the situation is brought to the point of absurdity.
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov
Moreover, like the Mitsubishi, this Nissan does not compensate for its rudeness with anything like excitement: it steers absolutely blandly, although with good feedback for these days. But the simple Sylphy sedan from the previous test turns out to be much livelier, more comfortable, and even quieter! The noise insulation of the X-Trail was and remains a three plus: take just about any “Chinese”, and it will be better.
In most markets, the X-Trail is available only with a 1.5-liter turbo engine, and all-wheel drive is only available in its hybrid form – with a rear electric motor. But in Australia and the Middle East you can still buy the old-fashioned version with a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated engine, a CVT and a clutch rear axle.
Vyacheslav Krylov
Anyway. Some cars are tough, some are noisy – but have you ever come across a car that applies its own brakes? Not in the sense of an emergency, to avoid a collision – but just like that, during normal everyday driving! All thanks to the e-Pedal function, which is equipped with the hybrid version of the crossover. Strictly speaking, it is not new: it appeared on the Leaf in 2017, and then migrated to the Note and the same Sylphy with an e-Power power plant.
Vyacheslav Krylov
The principle is simple – when you release the accelerator, the car first slows down due to recuperation, and then uses the conventional braking system until it comes to a complete stop. Thus, according to the creators’ idea, you can ride with one pedal without moving your foot from right to left and back. But if on Sylphy everything works smoothly and naturally, then here – God knows what!
It is almost impossible to precisely regulate the degree of deceleration; the X-Trail tries to nose-dive every now and then, and you try to compensate for this dive by squeezing the gas back – and you get unplanned acceleration. I honestly tried to get used to it and adapt, but after about half an hour I started getting motion sickness – for the first time in my life, not counting a roller coaster!
Vyacheslav Krylov
Even worse, each such deceleration lights up the brake lights and scares other drivers – as if a novice or an inadequate person is driving in front of them. Smooth, calm flow, plenty of space in front of the car – and suddenly the stern flashes red. And then again. And again. I don’t even want to think about what hole in my karma I earned during these experiments.
Well, and the cherry on the cake: if you need to reduce the speed more actively than the automatic system does… You won’t find the brake pedals in their usual place! Because X-Trail doesn’t just press the pads to the discs, but naturally moves this very pedal within a range of a couple of centimeters – it seems like a little, but quite enough to miss or at least get confused.
Vyacheslav Krylov
What do I mean? If the conversation were about something Chinese, such eccentricities would not be surprising – the guys experiment, learn, it happens. But Nissan! That is, here sat smart Japanese people, employees of a company with a rich history, set it all up, tested it – and signed the verdict on launching it into series. Just with this pedal and this suspension. Well, how can you be seriously angry at jokes from the Middle Kingdom?
Vyacheslav Krylov
Luckily, the e-Pedal can be disabled with the press of a button, giving the X-Trail’s hybrid hardware a chance to shine. There are two electric motors, 204 horsepower in the front and 128 in the rear, although you won’t be able to use all their power at the same time: electronics limit output at 213 hp so as not to instantly waste the charge of the small 2 kWh traction battery.
Vyacheslav Krylov
And it works: if the hybrid Sylphy leaves its comfort zone after 130 km/h, and at 150 it hits the practical ceiling, then the X-Trail calmly holds more than 160, without draining the battery to the bottom. Of course, not without the help of a more powerful internal combustion engine generator: here it is not a stunted 72-horsepower naturally aspirated engine, but a turbo engine with one and a half hundred “horses” – albeit also a three-cylinder one. By the way, it’s also advanced, with a unique system for varying the compression ratio, like on the Infiniti QX50.
Now this outlandish technology has spread to other models – and it’s not that a sequential hybrid needs it, but since the same engine is installed on the regular X-Trail and Qashqai, why not use unification to reduce costs?
Vyacheslav Krylov
There are no questions about consumption and acceleration: the first in the city easily fits into six liters per hundred and is unlikely to fly beyond the eight-liter mark on the highway – and the second is an honest 7.5 seconds to a hundred, which no previous X-Trail had even in at all. Moreover, these are “electric car” seconds, without eco-delays when pressing the accelerator, CVT rubber and other frills. Eh, if only we had a normal suspension, we’d get a delightfully comfortable crossover for every day!
Electric chairs are modest in appearance, but comfortable for the body, and the range of adjustments is sufficient even for tall people. There is heating, but ventilation has not yet been delivered.
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Strict, comfortable, beautiful, functional. No matter how much designers experiment with touch screens, this environment is best suited for life.
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Ideal climate block! Not only are all the functions at hand, but these pieces of real plastic are pressed and turned with pleasant effort.
Vyacheslav Krylov 
The energy center is organized conveniently: induction charging and connectors of all possible types are collected in one place.
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
The crossover has five driving modes plus a hill descent assist system. But the X-Trail doesn’t pretend to be an SUV: getting to the dacha or not getting stuck in a snowdrift near the house is a necessary and sufficient set of skills.
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov
After all, the interior is exemplary. Nissan has finally driven out the high-quality, but dull gray plastic, which greatly cheapened the decor: the combination of darker shades with brown inserts and smoky “wood” looks much more solid. And special thanks for the lovingly crafted fittings, which we have already seen on the new Pathfinder: all these buttons, levers and knobs are simply a pleasure to use.
The Chinese multimedia has been translated into English, but there’s not much to do there: navigation doesn’t work, Apple Car Play and Android Auto are missing. So it is more correct to call this unit in the old fashioned way – a car radio.
Vyacheslav Krylov 
There is a surround view system, but the picture quality still leaves much to be desired. When will the Japanese cope with this scourge?
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov 
At first it seems that there is a lot of information here, but in real life it is not colorful and does not flicker, but is wonderful to read.
Vyacheslav Krylov
And yes, you will definitely use this! You don’t have to go into the stingy multimedia – the same as Sylphy’s – at all. Climate, heating, music, driving modes – everything is as analog and tactile as possible. And even the digital instrument panel did without fashionable vulgarities with a clutter of abstract pictures: clear, informative classic scales. Simply drawn.
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Climate unit on the second row: Rear passengers have a separate climate zone and a pair of USB sockets.
Vyacheslav Krylov
Everything is great for passengers in the second row – there is plenty of space, there is a separate climate zone, charging connectors and tilt-adjustable backrests. You might grumble a little about the trunk, but not about the size, but about the lack of hiding places, hooks and other amenities. With such a pleasant and thoughtful interior, this causes a slight dissonance.
Vyacheslav Krylov 
Vyacheslav Krylov
However, it does not matter at all against the backdrop of the overall imbalance of the car: like many “Chinese” cars, the X-Trail suffers from a lack of awareness. Yes, there are a lot of good things here, but the way this crossover drives kills all the positivity – and the strange experiment with the brakes only emphasizes that the engineers were unable or unwilling to bring their brainchild to fruition. At a price of more than four million for “parallel” copies without a factory warranty, this is, perhaps, a death sentence – and at the same time a small justification for many models from the Middle Kingdom. The main thing is not to take it as a reason to follow. /m
The test car was provided by EN Cars
CarNissan X-Trail e-PowerI like the way it stands still and drives on a flat road. I don’t like it. Dash in the “comfort” column. Verdict Not the best way to spend 4.5 million Engine 213 hp, 525 Nm Transmission 1-speed Figures 7.5 s Weight 1865 kg
Detailed technical specifications
Nissan X-Trail e-Power Engine type petrol, L3 turbo + electric Engine displacement, cm³ 1497 Max. engine power, hp/rpm 158/4600 Max. torque, Nm/rpm ICE 250/2400 Number and location of electric motors two, on the front and rear axles Max. sums power of electric motors, kW/hp 150/204 Max. sums torque of electric motors, Nm 330 Drive type full Gearbox continuously variable Front suspension spring, McPherson Rear suspension spring, multi-link Dimensions (LxWxH), mm 4680x1840x1725 Wheelbase, mm 2705 Trunk volume, l 362–445 Ground clearance, mm 205 Curb weight, kg 18 00 –1883 Acceleration 0–100 km/h, s 7.5 Max. speed, km/h 170 Fuel consumption in the combined cycle WLTP, l/100 km 5.8–6.2 Fuel tank volume, l 55 Price, rub. from 4,500,000 Electricity without voltage: test drive Nissan Sylphy e-Power Test drive BAIC X75: what if without hands? Changan Uni-V and Lamore: looking for differences
