Test drive Nissan X-Trail 2001-2003 SUV

Does not drink, does not smoke

As soon as this type of car is not called: SUVs, and city jeeps, and beach. Now you have to come up with a new definition for Nissan X-Trail.
Japanese marketers calculated that by 2005, the share of all -wheel drive cars on the market will increase to fifty percent. As far as this is true, the future will show, but an active and healthy lifestyle even comes into fashion. Therefore, the prospects of Sport-Utility are very optimistic. Nissan began to master this niche much later than his competitors, but the X-Trail has already taken first place in the class in Japan in Japan and expanded almost 30 thousand copies.
 
Fedot, not the same. The car was completely and completely developed in Japan, in Nissan, without the participation of any Varangians. In a sense, this also proves the appearance of the new Nissan. Direct and smooth lines prevail in the contours, everything is made in a rather strict style, you will not find any playful bends on the panels of the body or hypertrophied frenzy muscles. As for the practical point of view, it is easy to notice that the front and rear overhang are very short, therefore, the machine should have good geometric cross -country ability. Another practical moment is that the door of the lower part covers the threshold. You do not risk, like in any other machines of this type, stain trousers.
Nevertheless, at the first glance at the X-Trail, I experienced dual feelings. The pessimist in the soul claimed that in the FAS, due to the shape of the front bumper with a massive lining of additional protection in the middle, and indeed the entire front part, X-Trail suspiciously looks like Frelander. And in the profile there is something even from Grand Cherokee. Another front blocks of optics cause the appearance of RAV4 in memory, and the rear, located vertically on the ties of the body, strongly echoing with similar ones on CR-V ... The optimist advised to look at the car at an angle of three quarters and pay attention to the fact that the silhouette is similar to the older Brother in the family - Patrol. Having added a decorative grille of the radiator there, I agreed that the family, Nissanovskoye, still prevails. And Deja Wu is understandable - an elementary marketing course, which many firms often resort to, trying to play the features of familiar and loved potential consumers.
     
Both right and left. In the twilight of the underground parking of Helsinki Airport, from where our test drive started, X-Trail greeted its drivers unusual, the color of a ripe orange, and lighting devices. Nicely. In the X-Trail, the devices are located very non-standard: the dashboard is located in the center of the dashboard, and the scales themselves are slightly turned towards the driver. Such a solution, as I recall, is now found only in two modern cars - Renault Clio and Toyota Yaris. Ergonomics experts argue that with this placement of devices to the human eye, it is easier to control them. This is unusual, but really convenient. Also, because from the navigator's place it is easy to see the speedometer readings and remind the colleague at the wheel, what to drive at a speed of about 180 km/h on a winding road and at the same time read unnecessary SMS from the semi -appropriate screen of the mobile phone.
Right in front of the driver, behind the steering wheel, there is an additional glove compartment, near the racks on the left and on the right - drawers for bottles of 0.33 liters. Under the dashboard, on the left and right of the radio-mini-colds for drinks. They are heaters, for the season. The idea of \u200b\u200bbringing cold air into the glove compartment has been implemented for a long time and on many other machines, here it was creatively developed and brought to mind. However, here the pessimist’s voice is cut through, they say, the same absolutely symmetrical torpedo, only without devices in the center, we saw on Frelander. So what? Is this a drawback? However, the same pessimist, a vertical console with a climate control, a cd changer and others, is uncomfortable because it is drowned in deeper. The climate control display from the driver’s place is practically not visible and it is very difficult to control it in motion. And one more remark - adjusting the seat in three planes, is, of course, good, but the angle of inclination of the pillow is too small, and even after fifty kilometers I want to stop to stretch the littered right leg. The optimist allowed himself to notice that X-Trail has a hatch, huge, almost half-winged. And pedals ... aluminum, just like a sports car. Plus a high landing behind the wheel, folding mirrors with an excellent review. And also a convenient and spacious passenger zone with a solid luggage compartment folding in a ratio of 60:40 rear seats, a children's headrest and an armrest in the center, which opens up in the trunk that can accommodate at least four snowboards. Anyway, the standard set of X-Trail in all respects is similar to class D.
 
The diesel fuel is better? The new X-Trail is equipped with two types of engines. Diesel, 2.2-liter with direct injection and the Common Rail system, built on the basis of what was first used on Almera Tino. The motor left the most positive impressions. Quite capable
But the 2.0-liter bicopian gasoline 16-valve with a system of variable phases of gas distribution and electronic throttle control is declared as completely new and made specifically for this machine. Frankly speaking, I liked diesel more. Despite the fact that its accelerated dynamics is worse, it is much more elastic, has the best pickup, and with it the car is much more comfortable in management. Either we got a gasoline version tortured by colleagues from other countries, or something else, but the gasoline engine left a strange impressions. And we often had to abandon attempts to quickly overtake someone, especially on winding and narrow Finnish paths with closed turns. There were not enough speakers and traction, even when switching to the transfer below. Perhaps the point here is also in the checkpoint-a 6-speed box with very well-chosen gear rates is installed on the diesel version in the standard configuration, while only 5-speeds are possible on gasoline, and its transmission is too short.
Unsp, ABS and TSC, along with the all -wheel drive system All Mode 4x4 are standard options, are standard options. In general, the impression was that the X-Trail stability and controllability is much closer in its characteristics to a light car than what we are used to understanding by an SUV.
In the valleys and after the hills. For dessert, after a 300-kilometer march on asphalt and gravel roads, we were served an off-road, without quotes. With the deepest pits, a log of gatus, almost one hundred percent rise and at least 150 percent descents. In the opinion of the driver of the car, she looked just frightening.
However, this one drove, for nothing that the SUV! And repeatedly. Although we literally hung on belts, and at some moments it seemed that we would sit on the belly or move to the side, or just sink on almost a steep, and even with pits, descent. The new car surprised precisely the fact that it turned out to be unlike the rest, which used to divide the market in this class. As far as the buyer appreciates this, the near future will show. The first revenues of the X-Trail on the European, and therefore the Russian market are expected in the fall.
        
The main trump card X-Trail is the original all-wheel drive system. The All Mode 4x4 can be translated literally as an all -terrain vehicle to four wheels. The first mode is only front -wheel drive. The second is automatic full, i.e. The rear bridge is connected as necessary, in the case of the front slipping. Unlike such systems on other brands, it is enough to connect the rear axle for the front wheels to be checked literally a few degrees. The third mode is a full -wheel drive with the distribution of torque in a ratio of 57% to 43% between the front and the rear axles, respectively. A multi -disc clutch, playing the role of the center differential, is blocked by electromagnets. The choice of operating modes is carried out by buttons on the front console and can be carried out in motion. The system is controlled by a separate electronic unit, which interacts with the engine control unit and controller ESP/TCS and ABS systems. The All Mode 4x4 is linked to another system, which the car developers called Active Brake Limited Slip Differential (differential of limited sliding with active brake). On a slippery road, this complex slows down a slipping wheel and at the same time transfers torque to the retaining adhesion to the same axis. In addition to safety and course sustainability, this system provides X-Trail with a much higher cross-country ability than classmates. Something similar is used only on BMW X5 (Adb-X) and Mercedes M-Klasse (4-ETC).
      
Text Andrey Timofeev, photo of the author and Nissan

 

A source: "Autopilot"