Test drive Nissan X-Trail 2003-2007 SUV

Techno with a country

The preferences of our buyers in the SUV sector worth $ 30,00035,000 have long developed. No matter how many new models appeared, Honda-Cr-V and Toyota-Rav4 invariably remained the leaders. And then suddenly the X-trail for the first year of sales with a result of 1122 cars was the first. What did he like to customers?

 
What is the price
Immediately make a reservation that Russian dealers do not adhere to a single price list, and the difference in price for the same model and modification can reach 10 percent.
 
 
On average, X-trail costs from 30,000 euros. For this money, a very decent equipped sport version with a 2-liter 140-horsepower gasoline engine and a manual transmission is proposed. Additional benefits, which are executing Laksori, cost more than 1000 euros more expensive, and Eleganes adds another 600 euros to the price. As you can see, Nissan’s dealers take over the leather salon quite inexpensively. Therefore, the choice between laxari and eleganes is reduced not so much to the price as to the question of whether you like or do not like the skin.
 
 
A new 165-horsepower 2.5-liter engine can be obtained in Laksori and Eleans. With a manual box, such a car costs an average of 33,50034 100 euros. The machine is combined with both gasoline engines and adds about 1,400 euros to a price.
 
 
In addition, a 114-horsepower turbodiesel with a volume of 2.2 liters is installed on the X-trail. It is equipped with only a 6-speed (!) Mechanics and costs about 1000 euros more than a 2-liter gasoline engine. By the way, this is the only diesel SUV in our market. Therefore, for fans of diesel, the Iks-trail alternative is simply not.
 
 
 
The sport version has a spoiler on the roof, as well as black moldings and bumper overlays
 

 
The color and texture of the upholstery of the sport version is successfully combined with the avant-garde interior of the X-Trail interior
 

 
The electric power plant is installed only in the eleance version
 

So, the picture with prices is clear. As long as the euro and the dollar were at the same price, such numbers combined with the novelty model against the background of competitors looked attractive. But after increasing the euro course, X-trail became about 5% more expensive than RAV4 and CR-V. This is not to say that this difference is critical. Indeed, X-trails still diverge like hot pies. So, people are interested in the car itself.
 
 
To find out what the X-trail captivated by the buyers, and at the same time understand how good the new engine is in the case, we decided to try out a 2.5-liter engine. That is why, along with 2-liter RAV4 and CR-V, competitors, we placed Foresterbo and Frilender-V6 with 177-horsepower engines. They play in the same league with X-trail-2.5. Since all 2.5-liter cars were sold literally from the wheels in late March, it was not much to choose. We got a version of Eleans with a manual box.
 
List of standard equipment
 
Sport:
 
power steering
adjustable steering column
ABS with electronic distribution of brake force by an emergency braking amplifier
headlight washer
4 airbags (front and front side)
immobilizer
climate control
Electric mirrors and heating
Electric windows
Central Castle with DU
radio with 6 speakers
seat heating
Driving seat with height adjustment and lumbar support
front and rear armrests
leather upholstery of the steering wheel and lever gearbox
Fabric salon
R16 light alloy wheels
The rear spoiler
 
Laksori additionally (with the exception of the rear spoiler):
 
fog lights
CD chamber for 6 disks
Luke in the roof with electric drive
velor salon
 
Eleganes additionally:
 
Electric drive of the folding of mirrors
Leather salon
 
 
 

Outside and inside
Without a doubt, X-trail conquers at first sight. The car has the largest length in the class of 4510 mm, which makes it very solid in appearance. Plus, the designers managed to endow the appearance of the car with a psychological sense of strength and strength. People of ignorant people even take the X-trail for a new patrol. Well, a solid appearance has always been a trump card in Russia.
 
 
But this is not even the main thing. First of all, bribes the conceptual design of X-trail. The serial car is not much different from the concept car shown at the 2000 Paris Motor Show. In general, with the avant-garde design of the X-trail and examples, the Japanese got to the point. These machines are also bought because they are not like everyone else.
 
 
   

The version of the sport with a spectacular spoiler over the fifth door looks especially rapidly. It would seem that only one successful detail, and how much charm adds. By the way, sports have not only emotional, but also purely practical advantages. Unlike other versions, its lateral moldings and bumper overlays are not painted in the color of the body, but are left black. Inevitable scratches on them will be less noticeable.
 
 
Equally avant-garde X-trail inside. Having opened the door, you find yourself in the world of technology design: strict straight lines, instruments with light dials in the center of the torpedo, numerous metal inserts are admired. But, having mastered a little, you begin to notice that the upholstery of doors, armrests and even the seemingly soft front panel is solid. The regulators of the air ducts are cast from coarse plastic, and the metallized coating around the windows buttons is scratched with nails. In a word, there is no sensation of warmth and comfort here.
 
 
 
Sunscreen visors are just huge overlapping half a glass

 
The CD changer is located not in the trunk, but in the central console under climatic. This is much more convenient
 
Behind the central armrest there are pockets for trifles

 
There are already three pockets on the back of the right chair (the upper is divided in half)
 

However, this salon cannot be called cheap. He is just different. Like a kitchen furniture in the Haytek style: a blue plastic countertop, silver shelves, transparent door leaflets. One will say: cold and uncomfortable. Another will object: stylish and modern. And yet, in my opinion, the natural warm skin of eleans or even Velur Laksori in combination with the surrounding cold vanguard does not look too appropriate. The texture of the upholstery sport is much better combined with the overall style of the X-trail interior. And I would also choose a sport because only in it the salon can be gray. In Laksori and Eleans, he is in any case cream. Of course, this color makes the salon lighter and more spacious, but certainly not practical. You will not begin to drive the car into dry cleaning every weekend.
 
 
 
The rear cup holders are attached on Velcro. If three go from behind, they can be removed

 
The driver's cup holder is on the left of the steering wheel, at the level of the main grip. Very comfortably
 
The heating switches are located not on the right and left, but one after the other. Driver and passenger can warm each other

 
The gaps between the backs adjustable in the corner of the back and the rear shelf are closed by the drawer curtains
 

By the way, how are things not with the visual, but with the real volume of the salon? Good. Very well. Four people with a tall 182185 cm feel quite free here. And if necessary, you can take the fifth width of the sofa. In addition, his back is adjusted along the angle of inclination. There are enough cup holders. Particularly good cooled/heated departments in the central console. In general, passengers in the X-trail will be truly convenient.
 
 
Behind the wheel
The instrument shield in the center ... This, as they say, is for an amateur. In any case, I did not experience inconvenience. But in the vacant place in the upper part of the panel, a personal driver's glove box with a 12-volt outlet appeared. The thing is undoubtedly useful.
 
 
But with the devices themselves, the Japanese, in my opinion, were overdoed. In the executions of Laksori and Eleans, the dials are made on the principle of a reverse stencil: the background is white-beige, and the numbers and scales are transparent. In the afternoon, the marking looks black and its readability does not cause complaints. But it is worth turning on the dimensions, as numbers and scales from the inside flash with an orange radiance. Orange on beige is strong. And maybe even stylish. But you will not see anything. And, again, the sport here is won. In it, dials, thank God, are marked with white in black.
 
 
Governing bodies
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1. Block windows. 2. Setting and folding mirrors. 3. Remote control panel of the audio system. 4. Driving glove. 5. Transmission operating modes switches. 6. The radio. 7. The heating switch of the rear window and mirrors. 8. Department for cooling/heating drinks. 9. Boxing for little things. 10. The alarm switch. 11. Climate control unit. 12. CD changer.
 

It is a pity that the design fantasy bypassed the climate control unit. In a rusted black panel with square buttons, a gleaming display and an unpretentious twist of temperature, modern Nissans are unmistakably recognized. But on the other hand, you need to at least save family features in some ways.
 
 
A wide driver's seat with the adjustment of the lumbar roller gently clasps the body from the sides. Perhaps it would be necessary to increase the range of longitudinal adjustment. The driver tall above 185 cm may no longer be enough. Yes, and the ceiling is low if a standard electric hatch is installed in it. But the hatch itself is good. Huge, he lets a lot of light into the salon, and when he is open, he creates a feeling of almost a convertible. It would not hurt to raise the front of the leg pillows, it practically does not support. It is noteworthy that the rotation of the adjustment handle in height leads to the fact that the pillow is even more tipped forward.
 
 
Dashboard

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. Tachometer. 2. Signal lamps. 3. A speedometer. 4. Mileage counter. 5. Fuel level indicator. 6. The indicator of the temperature of the coolant. 7. The transmission operating mode indicator.
 

Nice to the touch the steering wheel with tide in the zones of the main grip and the remote control of the music of music asks. And although it is installed, as on most all-terrain vehicles, in a vehicle, too horizontally, this drawback largely nullifies a fairly wide range of height and inclination adjustment.
 
 
External mirrors were pleased with a large area, successfully selected viewing sectors and electric power supply (prerogative of the Eleans version). The latter is very relevant when you park in the cramped center of the city. The rear review, despite the picket fence of the headrests, is decent by all -terrain standards. By and large, there are no complaints about ergonomics.
 
 
We liked
 
 
 

Driving glove

 
Cooling/ heated departments for drinks
 
The possibility of trunk transformation

Very large Luke Square
 

As well as:
 
A solid appearance
The possibility of hard connection of the rear axle
Good handling
 
We didn't like it
 

Orange backlight on a white-beige background makes devices unreadable

Hard armrests and a metallized covered with scratches
 
Emphasized beige salon

Hard and slippery floor of the trunk
 

As well as:
 
Noisy motor
Excessively stiff and short -flowing suspension
 
 
 

Children in the car
Since the frontal passenger airbag in the X-trail does not turn off, it is forbidden to install a children's chair, turned forward forward on its right front seat. Actually, it is not recommended to put a children's chair in the front seat in the regular position, since the side pillow can injure the child in case of trigger.
 
 
But on the back sofa there are stripes with the inscription of ISOFIX, indicating that the car provides fasteners for installing children's seats of this standard. Naturally, you can install the usual chairs fixed with seat belts.
 
 
 
 
Safety
In independent crash tests of the Euroncap series, the Nissan-X-Trail earned 26 points, which allowed him to get into a prosperous 4-star category. For our market, this result is completely fair, since the side pillows on Russian machines are included in the standard equipment. It is noteworthy that 2 out of 26 points were obtained for the system of reminders of unsteady belts. I assure you, they are received not in vain. If the driver or passenger is not fastened, the nasty zummer, like a guardian angel, will not give you rest all the way.
 
 
In addition, if you prefer a two-liter machine with a manual box in Eleans and Laksori, then the ESP +system will be responsible for your safety. It requires an additional payment of about 800 euros.
 
 
 
 
The main sport center
The lifting fifth door opens access to the trunk of medium volume (410 l). Since the full -size reserve is hidden in the underground, the loading height turned out to be quite large 740 mm from the ground.
 
 
The transformation of the trunk is worked out very carefully. The sofa folding in the proportion of 40:60 forms an absolutely even floor, and in order to transport a long, but narrow luggage (for example, skis), it is absolutely not necessary to sacrifice with one seaming place. To do this, you can leave the armrest and use the hatch on the left side of the back. But even on this the Japanese did not calm down. When the armrest is thrown forward, he blocks the good half of the hatch. To use the opening to the maximum, the armrest can be dismantled. Now the hatch will include not only skis, but also a wide snowboard.
 
 
 
You can fold the sofa in parts for transporting long -meters, or use a through hatch
 

Only one thing puzzled. Apparently, for the sake of adherents of outdoor activities, the floor of the trunk is made of hard plastic, covered with slippery with a rubberized film. And on top of the film, longitudinal plastic ribs of stiffness are fixed. Perhaps such a coating is not afraid of the transportation of heavy and dirty sports equipment. But why should adherents of passive rest put up with the fact that the luggage flies with a roar from corner to corner along slippery skids? In fact, this issue has long been resolved on other cars. In the standard, the trunk has a soft carpet, and a plastic brown liner is offered as an accessory.
 
 
 
Car dimensions, mm
 
Salon dimensions, mm
 
 
 

On the roads
Before you go to any all -wheel drive, you need to deal with the transmission in order to have an idea of \u200b\u200bthe behavior of the car on the road. The X-transmission of the All Mode 4x4 with electronic control has been used on the X-traile.
 
 
When the 2WD button is pressed, the car remains front -wheel drive. The Auto button activates the automatic rear axle connection mode after the start of the front wheels slip. Moreover, unlike traditional viscousyfts, an electronically controlled coupling is used in the rear wheels of the X-trail rear wheels, which responds to slipping much faster. This makes the behavior of the car in corners more predictable and at the same time improves cross -country ability. Auto mode is designed to drive on wet and slippery roads, although nothing prevents it from using it constantly. Finally, the Lock button can be blocked by the coupling so that the front and rear wheels work synchronously. Blocking can only be used on off -road at low speeds.
 
While under the wheels of dry asphalt, press the 2WD button and touch the road. The clutch works very logically, the box switches clearly, successfully selected gears cling to one another well. Like any Japanese car, you can sit on X-trail and go without any addiction. The 165-horsepower engine almost with idle revolutions asks for battle and cheerfully spins to the limiter. Yes, compared to a 2-liter counterpart, the difference is very noticeable. After some time, you are already starting to look for an occasion for overtaking in order to once again enjoy an assertive jerk.
 
 
Engine
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1. Glass washer tank. 2. Expande tank. 3. The tank of the steering wheel. 4. The oil -stained neck of the engine. 5. The tank of the main brake cylinder. 6. Air filter. 7. Battery battery. 7. Radiator traffic jam. 8. The oil probe of the engine.
 

But keep in mind that after 3500 revolutions the motor becomes not an example of a two -liter vocal. And after 120 km/h, the noise of dissected air is added to it. So for marathon distances, X-trail is not in the best way.
 
 
But he is an excellent athlete. The steering wheel is sharp, the suspension is hard and short -term. At speed, it behaves excellently does not allow the body to swing and at the same time does not force it to dance. And in quick turns, he struggles with the rolls with all his might. Braz-za is also with character. The pedal resists more than the car slows down. Therefore, in order to slow down intensively, it is necessary to crush from the heart. This is not the case when the pedal touched and hung on the belts.
 
 
By the way, it is in quick and steep turns that the differences in the transmission modes are manifested. Like most all-terrain vehicles, the X-trail starts to slip through the front wheels quite early. In front -wheel drive, it remains to release the gas a little and wait for the demolition. When the Auto button is pressed, shortly after the start of slipping, the rear axle picks up, takes part of the thrust, and even with a gas pedal pressed, the car begins to be screwed inside.
 
 
True, on a broken road, the sports rigidity of the suspension turns into discomfort. From the bumps and potholes, it is pretty much that the body is not only in the offenders. There is nothing to be done, for the sake of sports driving qualities you have to sacrifice something.
 
 
So is it worth overpaying two and five for the engine? If there is an extra 2300,2500 euros, of course. After all, it is much more interesting than 2-liter.
 
 
 
 
And without them
Before turning off the asphalt, remember that the X-trail is just a SUV, that is, a passenger car with all-wheel drive and enlarged road clearance. With such standards, one should approach him. There is no lowering gear in its transmission. The body is based on the delicate levers of the passenger suspension, and the giblets of the exhaust system hang from under the bottom. In general, everything, like his other brothers. The only difference is that RAV4 has the first to tear off the rear suspension levers, CR-V is medium, and the X-trail is the back of the exhaust. You are fundamentally, what to tear off? Personally, I don't care. Therefore, for any serious impassability, I prudently did not climb.
 
 
We turn on the Auto transmission mode and sit in a shallow snow virgin land. Connecting the rear axle in automatic mode is so fast that the front wheels do not have time to burst. Therefore, pressing the Lock button practically did not change the behavior of the car in the snow. In this case, the center lock was used not so much to increase patency as in order to protect the coupling from overheating during prolonged slipping. It is one thing when the coupling is turned on only when touched from a place on a slippery road and completely different when in snow or dirt she constantly tries to hold the runaway front wheels. Therefore, when driving off -road, it is better to include Lock mode in advance.
 
 
Just do not forget that the complete mobilization of the transmission does not save the X-trail from the diagonal traps. The suspension is so hard and short-handed that even a small fossa or tubercle makes the X-trail helplessly rotate, say, with the left front and right rear wheels. Here it is a reckoning for good handling and the absence of rolls in corners. However, there is a cure for the diagonal. This is a system of dynamic stabilization ESP +, which not only fights drifts on a slippery road, but also acts as an electronic blocking of differentials. It is a pity that it is not yet proposed with a 2.5-liter engine.
 
 
   
Pay attention to how the muffler hangs low. On off -road, he will suffer the first
 

It is also a pity because in Snezhnoye virgin the 2.5-liter engine proved to be great. Unlike 2-liter, it gives out a more powerful craving from low revolutions, which allows you to burn the clutch less, moving from a place in loose porridge. And yet, in the absence of a decreasing transmission in such conditions with any of the gasoline engines, an automatic machine is preferable.
 
 
Operation, service
Recently, the Nissan representative office has significantly tightened the requirements for dealers in quality after the after -sales service. Today, each of the 32 Russian dealers of Nissan is ready to implicitly perform any planned and warranty service of your car. And healthy competition between them brought the expected fruits. Now the average rate of the Normal Council for dealers is $ 3035, which makes Nissan perhaps the cheapest in serving the Japanese brand. Here you have one more point in the X-trail asset.
 
 
The warranty on it, as well as all other Nissan models, is three years or 100,000 km of run. At the same time, to visit the technical center for planning is prescribed after 15,000 km. Each dealer decides on the delivery of spare parts on his own. There is no regional warehouse in Russia yet. However, some large dealers took over the functions of such a warehouse. Therefore, the necessary detail is almost always possible to find in Russia. If this does not turn out, it will be delivered from Europe in a maximum of 3 weeks.
 
Nissan X-Trail 2.5
 
common data
 
Body
5-seater station wagon
 
Equipped mass, kg
1510
 
Complete mass, kg
2000
 
Maximum speed, km/h
191
 
Acceleration time 0100 km/h, with
9.9
 
 
Highway fuel consumption/city, l/100 km
7.7/12.9
 
 
Fuel supply, l
60 (AI-98/95)
 
 
Engine
 
Location
The front is longing
 
Design
gasoline, 4-cylinder, with two upper camshafts
 
The number of valves per cylinder
four
 
Diam. cylinder x Piston stroke, mm
89.0x100.0
 
Working volume, SMZ
2488
 
Compression ratio
9.9
 
Power, L.S. at rpm
165/6000
 
Torque, kgsm at rpm
23.4/4000
 
 
Chassis
 
Transmission
front wheel drive with the possibility of automatic or hard connection of the rear -wheel drive
 
Transmission
Mechanical, 5-speed
 
Gear rates I; II; III; IV; V; Z.Kh.
3.42; 1.94; 1.26; 0.95; 0.73; 3.25
 
Gearbox
0.4
 
main gear
4.75
 
Suspension:
Independent, spring, with stabilizers of the anti -resistance stability
 
front
Type McEzerson
 
behind
on double transverse levers and longitudinal rocket rods
 
Steering
REMENCH with an amplifier
 
Brakes
disk, ventilated, with an amplifier and abs
 
Tires
215/65 R16
 
Prices for spare parts and that, USD
 
TO1 15,000 km 105
TO2 30,000 km 200
TO3 45,000 km 105
Oil filter 10
Air filter 20
Fuel filter 23
Spark plug (1 pc.) 4.5
Brake pads
(front/rear) 73/67
Tip of steering thrust 78
Steering thrust 95
Ball support (lever assembly) 151
Front shock absorber/rear 235/235
Front wing 213
Rear wing (sidewall) 392
Hood 337
Front door 467
The rear door 471
Front bumper (outer part) 271
Rear bumper (outer part) 263
Lobic glass 241
Side glass 169
Front headlight assembly 257
Rear lamp assembly 141
    
We decided:
 
Fashionable and stylish, X-trail is suitable primarily for city lovers of outdoor activities, for whom its external attractiveness and sports character is more important than boring practicality.
 
Alexey Konov, photo Alexander Sadovnikov
 
 

Source: Magazine "Limousine" [05/03]