Nissan X-Trail

We have had 2 of these models. One was in an accident and was written off, but we knew exactly this was the type of vehicle we wanted. It still has a rugged-enough frame and engine to do some offroading, but economical and small enough to be in the city.

It's 4cyl engine doesn't let it be a towing vehicle for much, but it's still the best vehicle I have ever owned.

I bought my X-Trail ST 2WD new, in 2014, when I became a grandfather and wanted a bit more space and metal around my precious granddaughter. I had previously owned performance cars, most recently a Mazda MX-5, so this was a major change for me.

I chose the CVT auto having owned a CVT-equipped Honda motorcycle and enjoyed it. I find the step-less auto relaxing and unobtrusive, especially on hilly roads where the CVT doesn't hunt up and down gears.

I have been very happy with my purchase, which came after evaluating most other SUVs in its class, including the CX5 (class leader according to the press at that time). 100% reliable, roomy, well-equipped for the price and surprisingly economical (average 7.7L/100kms to date), I find myself frequently telling my wife and son how much I like this car. Coming from a petrol-head like me - (and longstanding car enthusiast) that is high praise indeed.

I usually start to eye up other cars and think about a swap as the third year of ownership approaches. This time around however, I have no such inclinations. Already more than happy with the superb value for such a competent car (I paid $29,990 drive away), I see no reason to trade it in. This is perhaps the most all-round economical car I have owned in thirty years!

Oh and the 2WD has proven to be quite capable on dirt, too. My hobby is photographing motorcycle trials and the events often take place miles from anywhere, at the end of some rather rough gravel roads. The extra ground clearance that an SUV provides has been a boon and i haven't yet needed more traction.

When the time comes to trade it in, I will mostly likely head back to the Nissan dealer ...

This is by far the most value for money we have bought and we have changed cars couple of times. No nonsense car and will never fail you. Love it. Fuel economy is good and service is only once a year. Great boot space and great back seat legroom. The back seats in the 7 seater for kids only, dont expect grown up to sit there.

Use daily for work and also road trips. Never had any issues. Drives smoothly. Lots of space in the back and in the boot. You can barely notice the transmission changing gears. The NissanConnect app is very poorly designed but the features it purports to use are ones we wouldn't use anyway.

I have a 2013 Nissan XTrail 4X4 Petrol with a dreadful lag/die/flat spot on take off. I try to accelerate to take off and it dies under me, sometimes for 2 to 5 seconds then picks up again - my trusty Nissan dealer says after many many visits - its normal - any ideas or shared experiences on this one?

Work decided my new vehicle would be an 7 seater X-Trail after my last lease vehicle expired. What can I say? It's not the worst front-wheel drive 7-seater "fake SUV" out there but it's definitely not the best.

What's good?
-Interior is modern, looks great in black and steering wheel is really great to hold being a D-shaped sports wheel with excellent controls at your thumbs at all times.
-Windscreen wipers are really effective in torrential rain and headlights are above average as well on long-lonely highways.
-Leather is fairly high quality considering the price point of the vehicle
-Brakes perform well during emergency stops

What's bad?
-Reversing camera/360 degree camera system is fuzzy/low res at the best of times - frequently fails when you need it most (almost planted the rear of the car into a tree the other night when the system decided to once-again become "non-operational" - not super reliable or safe
-Transmission is not made to be durable (have under 50,000kms on a 1.5 year old vehicle and the transmission is already slipping which doesn't inspire confidence in 2 years time - let alone after warranty expires in 1.5 years)
-Engine is a 2.5 Litre naturally aspirated 4 cylinder that is gutless at best - it's fine if you redline it off the traffic lights but it doesn't have any torque in the crucial overtaking zone of (70-110km/h) - I've been caught out many times with only 2 other passengers on board where the weight has really made overtaking unsafe.
-Engine design is about 15 years+ old and shows - it's rough and loud at idle (definitely not as quiet as the Toyota Rav4 I tested
-It's a 7 seater in name only (only children under 10 years of age will fit in the back)
-Space Saver Spare tyre - only gets you 80km @ 80km/h - I recently had a flat in Gold Coast & by the time I got to Brisbane the tyre had separated from the wall

Conclusion: If you're wanting a car that you're only going to keep for 3-4 years and can find a new X-Trail at a great discount go for it! However if you're wanting a durable SUV long term or need space for 7 adults - you should look elsewhere.

Bought a T31 nissan xtrail 2012 from a dealer in Tasmania. It had 70k on the clock. It was the rop model of that year, a TL auto diesel. Runs like a dream. Have put 12000 klms on it since purchase. No problems. Good on long hauls. Does as low as 7ltrs per 100klms after extended driving. Air con is icey cold. Some turbo lag initially at low speed. On highway overtaking is strong. Services at nissan are around $280 so far. Very pleased with this second hand car.

Buyer beware, do not purchase these cars, badly made, and worst company to deal with. Have had steering wheel vibrations the moment we purchased it. Our test run wasn't long enough. We started to notice a bad vibration coming from the steering wheel when travelling the car at low rpm, 40ks, 60ks, 80ks. Went to 2 Nissan dealers and they said its the make up of the car. They didn't bother checking it, only offered a wheel balance that has done nothing. I will now take it to an independent mechanic for external advice.
Previously owned Kia, and Hyundai cars, and never had an issue with them.
My advice to anyone, if they are looking to drive one of these, drive it for a long time, and cruise with it at low Rpm, than make your judgement.

We bought this car a year ago new well built car,have done some touring what the car was bought for gave 4 stars as I dont believe any car is worth 5 unless it is a luxury expensive vehicle,cvt took a little time to get use to revs a bit,good economy,easy to park with cameras and parking aids,nav fine bluetooth audio etc very good.

Bought a TL 4WD which I was told has all the latest features and top of its class in safety. Few days into driving the car i noticed a lot of features which i was mislead the car included, it did not have.
I brought it into Nissan to make sure I just did not set it up properly but they told me all the features I wanted are not in the Australian version and that the X-trail manual is generic for all countries; I.e manual says I can auto deploy side mirrors but in fact I can't due to the Australian model does not include this.
If I had known all this previously, I would have gone the Subaru.
Very disappointed in Nissan and their misleading info.
I enjoy the car, but I feel ripped off a few thousand dollars due to not having these basic features.
50k car and fuel tank wasn't full either on pick up and I was told 'sorry, you should've asked for a full tank while making the deal'

Initially bought due to 7 seat capacity and ST-L model has leather seats. The power is what you’d expect from a 4 cylinder SUV @ 126kw. I’ve had the car for nearly 9 months and travelled 14,000 km’s and it still drives like a new car. The car is a bit tinny, but overall is a good car to drive and very comfortable. Nissan also offer fixed priced servicing which is reasonably priced.

The only let down is the technology. Nissan really let themselves down here as the infotainment system really lacks. Carplay is available for Nissan in most countries except Australia. NissanConnect is a joke and the maps are outdated and costly to update. The actual system has the basics and they do work. If technology is important, look elsewhere, otherwise it’s a good car for basic commuting.

I had a range rover evoque prior to this so a bit hard down grading but it's a decent car. Does feel a bit cheap to drive but good value for money. Has all the mod-cons, I have full leathers and 7 seater as have two kids, very roomy and good family car. You can feel every bump in the road though, I wouldn't say it's a smooth ride. But for the money you pay it's ok.

Have a 2 month old Ti. White with tan leather. Looks good from far but far from good. My biggest gripe is the transmission. It is in a world of its own. Has no idea whats going on. The steering is very vague. You have to steer it back to center on freeways which gets tiring. The materials are cheap. I sat the kids pram in the back and after a day there are marks that wont go away. The entertainment system may as well be a basic radio. The rest is a pain in the a#$@ to use. Fuel economy isn't much better than my old car it replaced. 10.0 average everywhere accept the freeway where it'll drop to around 7.8 ave. It's terrible offroad. We drove down a basic stone road which my RAV4 wouldn't even know and the xtrail shakes and shudders like the rear end is joined with 40 year old ball joints. This will be the last Nissan. I did expect more tbh.

We are just in love with this model of car. It is a family car and we use it to travel as a family to places such as shopping, holidays etc. Very comfortable with leather seats. We use it pretty much on a weekly basis. Serviced every 6 months and there are no issues with the car!

I've only bought my car 1 months ago. X trail Ti, so far so good.. the car drives ok. Fuel consumption is not the best. You would think buying the top of the range model you would get all the bells and whistles, not in Nissans case.. I can't even get handsfree text.. the most basic function. Technology is so behind.. cameras are crappy quality, only good thing is 360 view. Infotainment system is sub standard..
Unlocking the car is annoying, have to press the button twice to unlock the rest of the car. Automatic in dash lighting is somewhat a hazard, it can just dim on you anytime..
Handsfree boot.. that's temperamental too.. it works when it wants to.
For the same price save yourself the hassle and get a Subaru Forester that comes will all the safety features as standard and uses less fuel and has a "full sized" spare with min 5 yrs warranty.. not 3 years. Lesson learnt.. this car will be my first and last nissan.

It is a very good car. Comfortable seats, good power and reasonable price. It's great for families because you have plenty of room both inside and in the trunk. The only downside is the three year warranty.
The fuel consumption is not perfect but pretty good compared to similar car in the range. I mainly do the city drive an it consumes around 10.5L per 100k.

I had a Nissan X-Trail 2012 and traded it in for a small car due to its high petrol consumption and high service cost. At this time I did not know that one can service a new car at a mechanic other than the dealer itself without losing the warranty. The day I handed my keys over, I already regretted it because I really loved my car. Having had the small car for 4 years, I needed to get an X-Trail again and so I did: A used 2016 ST 4x4 with only 3,500 km on the odometer for a very good price. The only bad decision was that I took the "Cosmetic Package" which includes Windows tinting, colour protection and small chip and scratch repair for a small amount per job. This was an extra $ 2,000.00 and definitely NOT worth it!

Shortly after picking up my X-Trail, I went on a trip from Mornington, VIC to Hahndorf, Barossa Valley and Adelaide, SA. The car was excellent in every aspect! We were 2 people, therefore more than enough space for our luggage. Driving mostly on freeways and highways, the best petrol consumption was 6.4 litres/100 km and 91 Octane petrol is enough (I had a German car before and needed to put 95+ petrol in the tank which was getting very expensive). Driving short distances - I'm talking about 2-5 km back and forth (moving house last week) is a different story: The fuel economy was at about 14 litres/100 km, but no one usually does this (?).

I cannot complain about anything so far and it's been 7 months since I bought this car.

After much deliberation between a multitude of similar SUV's such as the Ford Kuga, Mazda CX-5, Mitsubishi Outlander, and Subaru Forester, I ultimately chose the Nissan X-Trail based on its overall reliability record, fuel consumption and value for money. So far, it has delivered on all accounts. I have not had any problems with the car to date, and I don't expect any as well. These cars have quite simple, yet reliable drive components that ensure you won't be going back to the workshop that often. Fuel economy wise, my 2.5L CVT uses 9.3L/100KM, which is quite impressive in my opinion, considering the size and aerodynamics of the car, and the mixed city/highway driving I do. In terms of value for money, the car is quite cost-efficient with servicing even through the dealerships. Also, the connectivity in the car is quite good, with Bluetooth handsfree calling and Bluetooth streaming, auxiliary port, and USB jack for both charging and music.

I do have some grips about the car though. Firstly, the CVT takes quite a bit of getting used to, including accepting its many annoyances. The throttle mapping of the car is also quite weird; where at 1500rpms or so, the revs will just drop and a momentary loss of power follows. Note that this only occurs when the car is cold. Once at normal operating temperature, this does not happen. I have spoken to other owners who have experienced the same. The boot floor is plastic, which makes cleaning a breeze, however, without a carpet liner or rubber mat cover, your shopping will roll around like crazy at every turn. The LCD display is also suspect to a lot of glare in daytime driving, making what's on the screen hard to see.

Despite this, the car has been very good, and would easily suit the city suburbs or a country lifestyle, and would make a great family car.

This car is being used everyday for our family. Really good value for money with enough room for 7 people. Eco mode option is very useful to save petrol these days. Enough power to carry 7 people. Reversing camera is very useful for parking. Looks great inside out. Very happy with the performance so far.

Picked up a 2016 base model 2 liter manual for a good price. Up to 17000kms.
Motor underpowered needs reving to go anywhere. Problem is greater with a/c running. Clutch makes clicking noise after 5k. Gearbox notchy supposed to get better with age. Ride can get jiggly over smaller bumps.
Fuel Economy is ok regularly get under 8L/100kms around town. Using castrol edge 5w30 full syn.
Seats are comfy for normal driving and everything works so far. Easy access in engine bay for servicing etc.
Also my Chinese smart phone won't connect to Bluetooth. Samsung works fine.