# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
The seven-seater SUV market is rather crowded, but not many bring this style of hybrid tech to the party

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
The seven-seater SUV market is rather crowded, but not many bring this style of hybrid tech to the party

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
The seven-seater SUV market is rather crowded, but not many bring this style of hybrid tech to the party

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
The seven-seater SUV market is rather crowded, but not many bring this style of hybrid tech to the party

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content.description[]
The seven-seater SUV market is rather crowded

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content.description[]
but not many bring this style of hybrid tech to the party

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content[]
"description":"The seven-seater SUV market is rather crowded

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content[]
but not many bring this style of hybrid tech to the party"

# data.attributes.field_cars_driving.value
You realise what a hulking big thing the X-Trail is when you look back in the car park to remember where you left it. There’s no missing it, with that aggressive front end and high bonnet, but you don’t necessarily feel the car’s weight on the move.

There’s lean through corners, which encourages you to take it that bit easier – it’s not a car that rewards any attempts to hustle it along. Likewise, the steering is extremely light, but there's just enough feel to ensure that you don’t lose where the front wheels are pointing.

The ride is occasionally disappointing, especially with the bigger wheels, getting noisy over ripples and potholes, and road and wind noise both creep in at speed. It’s the only reminder of what end of the market the car comes from, though.

Nissan says the car’s USP is that (if you spec the e-Power setup) it’s designed to drive like a proper EV, with just the e-motors in charge of powering the wheels. We’re yet to drive the mild-hybrid petrol, but in the e-Power you certainly appreciate that the electric motors have the guts to get the car moving, not like certain hybrid rivals where the electric bit makes a cameo instead of taking up a starring role.

But does it actually drive like an EV?

The petrol engine is loud enough that you won’t be tricked into thinking you’re driving a proper EV, but Nissan’s equipped the car with its familiar e-Pedal setting that maxes out regen and can bring the car to a stop without you having to hit the brakes.

The one-pedal mode is useful around town once you’ve gauged where the car will actually come to a rest once your foot is off the accelerator. Out on the open road, though, it will merely turn your passengers into nodding dogs and you’ll want to switch to a more gentle regen mode. Do that though and you’ll find that the brake pedal itself lacks any feel and struggles to marry regen with actual friction braking.

Is the hybrid for performance or economy?

The behaviour of the car immediately indicates that the hybrid set-up is geared towards saving fuel rather than adding any particular oomph.

Dump the accelerator and there’s plenty of noise as the electric motor whines away and the engine rushes to get charge into the battery, but the only measure of getting faster is watching the numbers on the digital dash track slowly upwards. Take it easy and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how the car can tickle around town on battery power. On mixed runs in the more powerful, 4WD e-Power car you shouldn’t struggle to hit 40mpg.

# data.attributes.field_cars_driving.processed
You realise what a hulking big thing the X-Trail is when you look back in the car park to remember where you left it. There’s no missing it, with that aggressive front end and high bonnet, but you don’t necessarily feel the car’s weight on the move.

There’s lean through corners, which encourages you to take it that bit easier – it’s not a car that rewards any attempts to hustle it along. Likewise, the steering is extremely light, but there's just enough feel to ensure that you don’t lose where the front wheels are pointing.

The ride is occasionally disappointing, especially with the bigger wheels, getting noisy over ripples and potholes, and road and wind noise both creep in at speed. It’s the only reminder of what end of the market the car comes from, though.

Nissan says the car’s USP is that (if you spec the e-Power setup) it’s designed to drive like a proper EV, with just the e-motors in charge of powering the wheels. We’re yet to drive the mild-hybrid petrol, but in the e-Power you certainly appreciate that the electric motors have the guts to get the car moving, not like certain hybrid rivals where the electric bit makes a cameo instead of taking up a starring role.

But does it actually drive like an EV?

The petrol engine is loud enough that you won’t be tricked into thinking you’re driving a proper EV, but Nissan’s equipped the car with its familiar e-Pedal setting that maxes out regen and can bring the car to a stop without you having to hit the brakes.

The one-pedal mode is useful around town once you’ve gauged where the car will actually come to a rest once your foot is off the accelerator. Out on the open road, though, it will merely turn your passengers into nodding dogs and you’ll want to switch to a more gentle regen mode. Do that though and you’ll find that the brake pedal itself lacks any feel and struggles to marry regen with actual friction braking.

Is the hybrid for performance or economy?

The behaviour of the car immediately indicates that the hybrid set-up is geared towards saving fuel rather than adding any particular oomph.

Dump the accelerator and there’s plenty of noise as the electric motor whines away and the engine rushes to get charge into the battery, but the only measure of getting faster is watching the numbers on the digital dash track slowly upwards. Take it easy and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how the car can tickle around town on battery power. On mixed runs in the more powerful, 4WD e-Power car you shouldn’t struggle to hit 40mpg.

# data.attributes.field_cars_editor_title
Nissan X-Trail review: large and reasonably frugal… for a seven-seat SUV

# data.attributes.field_cars_inside.value
You can tell Nissan has made a bit of an effort with the inside of the X-Trail: it might even be a bit plusher than a workhorse family SUV should be, especially in the top tier trims. The materials are all pleasant, although we’re not convinced by some of the shinier stuff around the centre of the dashboard that gets mucky quite quickly.

Still, at least there are plenty of proper buttons up front. The separate climate control panel is a real winner as rivals stick all of the controls in their screens, and the X-Trail even gets a manual dial for its drive modes. Hurrah!

Is there a decent amount of space?

You certainly can’t argue with the space inside the X-Trail: there is plenty of legroom in the middle row of the car, even without the sliding option. The third row is strictly for children, and of course you do lose a significant chunk of bootspace with those folded up. In five-seat guise the X-Trail offers 575 litres of bootspace with the seats up, 1,396 with them down.

Go for seven seats and you lose 100 litres of space in the same configurations; with all seven seats in use you’re left with just 120 litres in the back.

Any good bits?

There is a lot of storage around the front of the cabin, we quite liked that. And USB-C plugs front and back even on the entry-level Acenta Premium trim, which the kids will appreciate. We liked the opening panoramic sunroof and integrated window blinds in the rear doors on the posher versions, too. On Tekna trim the 60:40 splitting second row is upgraded to a 40:20:40 split, which makes it a touch more practical too.

Any naff bits?

From N-Connecta upwards you get ‘luggage boards’ fitted as standard on the five-seat version of the car – basically the boot floor is divided into two sections that you can lift up and use at 90-degree angles to keep your shopping from rolling around in the back. It’s a lovely idea, even if in practice it was loose and noisy over unsettled bits of road and speed bumps. Maybe we’d just have to start carrying something heavy round in the back of the car to keep the boards weighed down. A dog, perhaps. Nissan has previous with canine companions, come to think of it.

Said N-Connecta trim also adds the larger 12.3-inch infotainment screen. You’ll likely use the wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto most of the time, but on the odd occasion you don’t you’ll realise that Nissan’s own graphics are a little dated and the screen itself can be a bit laggy.

# data.attributes.field_cars_inside.processed
You can tell Nissan has made a bit of an effort with the inside of the X-Trail: it might even be a bit plusher than a workhorse family SUV should be, especially in the top tier trims. The materials are all pleasant, although we’re not convinced by some of the shinier stuff around the centre of the dashboard that gets mucky quite quickly.

Still, at least there are plenty of proper buttons up front. The separate climate control panel is a real winner as rivals stick all of the controls in their screens, and the X-Trail even gets a manual dial for its drive modes. Hurrah!

Is there a decent amount of space?

You certainly can’t argue with the space inside the X-Trail: there is plenty of legroom in the middle row of the car, even without the sliding option. The third row is strictly for children, and of course you do lose a significant chunk of bootspace with those folded up. In five-seat guise the X-Trail offers 575 litres of bootspace with the seats up, 1,396 with them down.

Go for seven seats and you lose 100 litres of space in the same configurations; with all seven seats in use you’re left with just 120 litres in the back.

Any good bits?

There is a lot of storage around the front of the cabin, we quite liked that. And USB-C plugs front and back even on the entry-level Acenta Premium trim, which the kids will appreciate. We liked the opening panoramic sunroof and integrated window blinds in the rear doors on the posher versions, too. On Tekna trim the 60:40 splitting second row is upgraded to a 40:20:40 split, which makes it a touch more practical too.

Any naff bits?

From N-Connecta upwards you get ‘luggage boards’ fitted as standard on the five-seat version of the car – basically the boot floor is divided into two sections that you can lift up and use at 90-degree angles to keep your shopping from rolling around in the back. It’s a lovely idea, even if in practice it was loose and noisy over unsettled bits of road and speed bumps. Maybe we’d just have to start carrying something heavy round in the back of the car to keep the boards weighed down. A dog, perhaps. Nissan has previous with canine companions, come to think of it.

Said N-Connecta trim also adds the larger 12.3-inch infotainment screen. You’ll likely use the wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto most of the time, but on the odd occasion you don’t you’ll realise that Nissan’s own graphics are a little dated and the screen itself can be a bit laggy.

# data.attributes.field_cars_owning.value
Strap in, this can get complicated. You’ve got three engines to choose from: the mild-hybrid 1.5 petrol, the 2WD hybrid or the 4WD hybrid. So far, so plain. The MHEV and the four-wheel-drive car come in five- or seven-seat flavours, but the 2WD hybrid is only available with five seats.

You’ve then got five trim levels to select from, although for the 2024 model year the previous entry-level Visia trim was dropped, and a new rugged-spec N-Trek was added near the top of the tree.

The X-Trail range now starts at £35,175 for the five-seater Acenta Premium MHEV, rising all the way up to £49,095 for the seven-seat Tekna+ 4WD hybrid. As a rule of thumb, it costs £1k to go for seven seats over five, around £2,400 to make the jump from MHEV to full hybrid, and another £2,200 for the four-wheel-drive set-up.

What are the trims like?

There are five trims available: Acenta Premium, N-Connecta, Tekna, N-Trek and Tekna+. All cars get LED headlights, 18in alloys, front parking sensors and a rearview camera, an 8in infotainment screen, dual-zone aircon and wireless smartphone connectivity – very exciting – as well as a raft of safety tech.

In N-Connecta trim you get the 12.3in infotainment, 360-degree parking cameras, roof rails and privacy glass. Tekna adds a fancy Bose sound system, 19in alloys, panoramic sunroof, head-up display, heated seats, steering wheel and windscreen, electric seats, powered tailgate and tri-zone aircon. In Tekna+ trim you get fancier seats, more speakers for your fancy Bose sound system and 20in alloys that probably don’t do anything for the ride quality.

The newer N-Trek trim goes all-out on the whole outdoor lifestyle vibe. It brings 18-inch gloss black alloy wheels, gloss black wing mirrors and dark roof rails. There’s water-resistant, wipe-clean upholstery inside plus rubber floor mats and a reversible boot-liner. Oh, and the entry-level price for that spec is actually the highest of the whole range because you can’t spec the cheapest mild hybrid powertrain.

What spec should I go for?

Unless you’re regularly sploshing about in desperately muddy conditions, there isn’t a lot that the X-Trail’s 4x4 system is going to do for you that swapping between summer and winter tyres at the appropriate time wouldn’t accomplish equally well.

In which case we’d go for the 2WD version of the car in mid-range N-Connecta trim. It’s the first of the cars to get the 12.3in infotainment system, but ditches some of the nice (but not necessary) trim highlights further up the range. Unless you wanted seven seats of course, then it has to be the 4WD model. We wouldn’t judge you if you went for the Tekna car.

# data.attributes.field_cars_owning.processed
Strap in, this can get complicated. You’ve got three engines to choose from: the mild-hybrid 1.5 petrol, the 2WD hybrid or the 4WD hybrid. So far, so plain. The MHEV and the four-wheel-drive car come in five- or seven-seat flavours, but the 2WD hybrid is only available with five seats.

You’ve then got five trim levels to select from, although for the 2024 model year the previous entry-level Visia trim was dropped, and a new rugged-spec N-Trek was added near the top of the tree.

The X-Trail range now starts at £35,175 for the five-seater Acenta Premium MHEV, rising all the way up to £49,095 for the seven-seat Tekna+ 4WD hybrid. As a rule of thumb, it costs £1k to go for seven seats over five, around £2,400 to make the jump from MHEV to full hybrid, and another £2,200 for the four-wheel-drive set-up.

What are the trims like?

There are five trims available: Acenta Premium, N-Connecta, Tekna, N-Trek and Tekna+. All cars get LED headlights, 18in alloys, front parking sensors and a rearview camera, an 8in infotainment screen, dual-zone aircon and wireless smartphone connectivity – very exciting – as well as a raft of safety tech.

In N-Connecta trim you get the 12.3in infotainment, 360-degree parking cameras, roof rails and privacy glass. Tekna adds a fancy Bose sound system, 19in alloys, panoramic sunroof, head-up display, heated seats, steering wheel and windscreen, electric seats, powered tailgate and tri-zone aircon. In Tekna+ trim you get fancier seats, more speakers for your fancy Bose sound system and 20in alloys that probably don’t do anything for the ride quality.

The newer N-Trek trim goes all-out on the whole outdoor lifestyle vibe. It brings 18-inch gloss black alloy wheels, gloss black wing mirrors and dark roof rails. There’s water-resistant, wipe-clean upholstery inside plus rubber floor mats and a reversible boot-liner. Oh, and the entry-level price for that spec is actually the highest of the whole range because you can’t spec the cheapest mild hybrid powertrain.

What spec should I go for?

Unless you’re regularly sploshing about in desperately muddy conditions, there isn’t a lot that the X-Trail’s 4x4 system is going to do for you that swapping between summer and winter tyres at the appropriate time wouldn’t accomplish equally well.

In which case we’d go for the 2WD version of the car in mid-range N-Connecta trim. It’s the first of the cars to get the 12.3in infotainment system, but ditches some of the nice (but not necessary) trim highlights further up the range. Unless you wanted seven seats of course, then it has to be the 4WD model. We wouldn’t judge you if you went for the Tekna car.

# data.attributes.field_cars_stand_first
The Nissan X-Trail is in its fourth generation. SUVs, eh? They grow up so fast...

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict.value
The latest version of the X-Trail looks much less like its Qashqai sibling these days, but has borrowed a lot from its sibling and retains the useful traits of practical day to day family usability and economy.

Seven-seaters by their nature are expensive to run, so anyone in the market for one will be grateful for the added economy boost from the hybrid set-up, even if it doesn’t offer the most engaging driving experience. This segment is as crowded as they come, though, and it's a pity there isn't much more to the X-Trail than being big and frugal.

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict.processed
The latest version of the X-Trail looks much less like its Qashqai sibling these days, but has borrowed a lot from its sibling and retains the useful traits of practical day to day family usability and economy.

Seven-seaters by their nature are expensive to run, so anyone in the market for one will be grateful for the added economy boost from the hybrid set-up, even if it doesn’t offer the most engaging driving experience. This segment is as crowded as they come, though, and it's a pity there isn't much more to the X-Trail than being big and frugal.

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_against
Exceptionally plain, you still have to put petrol in it despite Nissan's EV-esque claims

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_for
Reasonably posh, reasonably practical, reasonably economical

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_text
Seven-seaters are expensive to run, so anyone in the market for one will be grateful for the X-Trail's hybrid economy boost

# data.attributes.field_cars_what_is_it.value
This is the fourth generation of Nissan’s flagship SUV, if you can believe it. It started off as a cheap and chunky pseudo 4x4 back in 2001, part of the vanguard of soft-roaders that included the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Like those two cars, the X-Trail has gently poshed up and smoothed out its rough edges over the years, with Nissan trying to ape the success of its smaller Qashqai crossover in a larger format.

Indeed, the X-Trail’s main sell is that you can spec it with seven seats, and now in a more fuel-sipping form thanks to Nissan’s quirky petrol hybrid powertrain. Is that enough to give it the edge over the all-round packages like the Skoda Kodiaq, Kia Sorento or Dacia Jogger?

What’s so quirky about Nissan’s hybrid set-up?

It’s still on very familiar territory for most drivers: you put petrol in the petrol hole and the car moves along when you prod the accelerator. Some people care about what happens in-between, some don’t. What’s interesting about Nissan’s e-Power gubbins is that the 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine doesn’t actually power the wheels, that’s all down to a 201bhp electric motor. The petrol bit just acts as a generator and has fancy tech that enables it to vary its compression ratio to burn petrol more efficiently at different loads.

The standard configuration is two-wheel drive, but you can spend a bit more and get your X-Trail kitted out with an extra 134bhp e-motor on the rear axle for four-wheel drive (or e-4orce, as Nissan calls it). The onboard computer trickery tells the car to produce the power where it’s needed, which means the 4x4 version of the X-Trail produces 211bhp at the wheels.

So will I need to plug it in?

People’s reactions to the words 'self-charging' will vary in extreme ways, but Nissan is marketing the X-Trail as an electric vehicle that charges itself up. Nice try. This sort of hybrid powertrain is a solid bridging technology to full electric though: instead of plugging it in, the car stores up energy that would otherwise be wasted under braking and keeps it safe in a reasonably tiny 2.1kWh battery.

There’s a mild hybrid option available too, which just has the 161bhp 1.5-litre petrol from the hybrid cars powering the wheels but with the help of a mildly beefed-up battery that enables it to coast and use stop-start for extended periods.

The entry-level mild hybrid manages the 0–62mph run in 9.6 seconds, the 2WD hybrid in eight seconds and the 4WD model in seven seconds, while fuel consumption for the three comes in at around 40mpg, 50mpg and 45mpg. We drove the e-4orce 4WD car for a week and it came reasonably close to its official figures, in the low 40s.

Is the X-Trail as posh as it thinks it is?

If you’re trading up from a lesser Nissan, or even a lesser older X-Trail, you’ll be impressed by the swanky interior that’s available in top-spec trims: the 12.3in infotainment screen doesn’t pop up on the standard equipment list until N-Connecta spec, for instance, but the X-Trail feels spacious, airy and plush inside.

Likewise there’s plenty of room in the middle row of the car (the sixth and seventh seats are for child use only really) and the low window line along the doors and panoramic roof (standard on Tekna cars, optional on N-Connecta) let plenty of light in.

[node:field_onward_journey_card-themed]

We didn’t rate the shiny plastics around the gear selector and touchscreen, mind: they get smeared with fingerprints and other grubbiness quite quickly. At least there are plenty of storage areas up front to hide your microfibre cloth in.

There were elements of the car we drove where the build quality let the overall package down – a bit of thunk over small bumps, say, or the variable boot floor that rattled and created a fuss over speed humps.

Any other rivals I should look at?

Beyond the Kodiaq, Sorento and Jogger, you've got the Toyota RAV4 (against which this car was benchmarked) and the new Mazda CX-80. Heck, we'd throw the Hyundai Santa Fe into the mix as well, although Nissan thinks it’s too large to count as a direct alternative.

# data.attributes.field_cars_what_is_it.processed
This is the fourth generation of Nissan’s flagship SUV, if you can believe it. It started off as a cheap and chunky pseudo 4x4 back in 2001, part of the vanguard of soft-roaders that included the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Like those two cars, the X-Trail has gently poshed up and smoothed out its rough edges over the years, with Nissan trying to ape the success of its smaller Qashqai crossover in a larger format.

Indeed, the X-Trail’s main sell is that you can spec it with seven seats, and now in a more fuel-sipping form thanks to Nissan’s quirky petrol hybrid powertrain. Is that enough to give it the edge over the all-round packages like the Skoda Kodiaq, Kia Sorento or Dacia Jogger?

What’s so quirky about Nissan’s hybrid set-up?

It’s still on very familiar territory for most drivers: you put petrol in the petrol hole and the car moves along when you prod the accelerator. Some people care about what happens in-between, some don’t. What’s interesting about Nissan’s e-Power gubbins is that the 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine doesn’t actually power the wheels, that’s all down to a 201bhp electric motor. The petrol bit just acts as a generator and has fancy tech that enables it to vary its compression ratio to burn petrol more efficiently at different loads.

The standard configuration is two-wheel drive, but you can spend a bit more and get your X-Trail kitted out with an extra 134bhp e-motor on the rear axle for four-wheel drive (or e-4orce, as Nissan calls it). The onboard computer trickery tells the car to produce the power where it’s needed, which means the 4x4 version of the X-Trail produces 211bhp at the wheels.

So will I need to plug it in?

People’s reactions to the words 'self-charging' will vary in extreme ways, but Nissan is marketing the X-Trail as an electric vehicle that charges itself up. Nice try. This sort of hybrid powertrain is a solid bridging technology to full electric though: instead of plugging it in, the car stores up energy that would otherwise be wasted under braking and keeps it safe in a reasonably tiny 2.1kWh battery.

There’s a mild hybrid option available too, which just has the 161bhp 1.5-litre petrol from the hybrid cars powering the wheels but with the help of a mildly beefed-up battery that enables it to coast and use stop-start for extended periods.

The entry-level mild hybrid manages the 0–62mph run in 9.6 seconds, the 2WD hybrid in eight seconds and the 4WD model in seven seconds, while fuel consumption for the three comes in at around 40mpg, 50mpg and 45mpg. We drove the e-4orce 4WD car for a week and it came reasonably close to its official figures, in the low 40s.

Is the X-Trail as posh as it thinks it is?

If you’re trading up from a lesser Nissan, or even a lesser older X-Trail, you’ll be impressed by the swanky interior that’s available in top-spec trims: the 12.3in infotainment screen doesn’t pop up on the standard equipment list until N-Connecta spec, for instance, but the X-Trail feels spacious, airy and plush inside.

Likewise there’s plenty of room in the middle row of the car (the sixth and seventh seats are for child use only really) and the low window line along the doors and panoramic roof (standard on Tekna cars, optional on N-Connecta) let plenty of light in.

We didn’t rate the shiny plastics around the gear selector and touchscreen, mind: they get smeared with fingerprints and other grubbiness quite quickly. At least there are plenty of storage areas up front to hide your microfibre cloth in.

There were elements of the car we drove where the build quality let the overall package down – a bit of thunk over small bumps, say, or the variable boot floor that rattled and created a fuss over speed humps.

Any other rivals I should look at?

Beyond the Kodiaq, Sorento and Jogger, you've got the Toyota RAV4 (against which this car was benchmarked) and the new Mazda CX-80. Heck, we'd throw the Hyundai Santa Fe into the mix as well, although Nissan thinks it’s too large to count as a direct alternative.

# data.attributes.field_cars_what_we_say
The seven-seater SUV market is rather crowded, but not many bring this style of hybrid tech to the party