Nissan X-Trail test drive since 2007 SUV

The statement “Nissan is technological”, still relevant!

As you know, in March 2007, a new generation Nissan X-Trail was presented at the Geneva Motor Show. Our correspondent did not wait for the new car to appear on sale in Japan, and, taking advantage of the opportunity, I decided to make a small test in a completely fresh X-Trail car. Yes, not somewhere, but on the impassable roads of Greece, to check how much X-Trail is capable of or is not able to move in Off Road mode. Below, read its travel notes from the scene.
Do not abandon the past, adhere to the previous line!
The route of my Greek testing trip on the new Nissan X-Trail car was compiled in such a way that I first had to get to the Athenian airport, then transfer to the plane of the local airline, so that after an hour of the flight to be in the city of Ionia. Here I had to drive the X-Trail car assigned to me and go deep into the mainland to the mountainous area, bordering on neighboring Albania. The ultimate goal of my trip was the highland village of Papingo, but in order to get there, I had to overcome nearly 200 km, and at first it was a well -built road, and then one that otherwise, as you couldn’t call. In other words, everything had to be experienced on the way. I can’t say that such a ride, if I were left to myself, would give me great pleasure, but given that I had a very specific practical task of testing and testing a new SUV category on the move, you couldn’t imagine the track better! It was on such a highway that, according to the organizers of the race, they should have identified all the positive and negative sides of the new generation X-Trail machine.
As you know, the old-style Nissan X-Trail has gained very much popularity in Japan, especially among young drivers. As experts admit, the main reasons for such popularity are a relatively small price (in the region of 2 million yen) for the main driving force of the model range of the X-Trail 2.0S (FF) model with the drive only to the front wheels. In addition, everyone probably remembers what positive reaction the X-Trail salon caused the buyers, which can be washed by pouring it with water! Imagine how great it is: I directed a stream of water inside, and dirty dirty is no matter! The popularity of the car should be noted that Japan was not limited to it alone. Suffice it to say that the X-Trail was sold and sold in the 167th countries of the world, and the total number of cars sold today has been approximately 800 thousand units. And now, imagine: the model is well sold all over the world, but meanwhile it is time to make a complete replacement of the lineup and represent the next generation X-TRIIL car (without it in no way it is impossible, such order!). It is clear that, taking into account the situation, it is unlikely that anyone seriously hoped that the developers would go to revolutionary transformations and began to redo the appearance of their machine beyond recognition. So it happened: comparing how the old and new version of the X-Trail looks like, I would like to name the changes made by the consistent development of the previous concept, nothing more. True, in fairness it should be recognized that the car began to look more solid, which, apparently, is due to some increase (by 175 mm) of its length.
However, it should not be assumed that this lengthening part of a well -planned design plan. It was just necessary to do something with the luggage compartment of the salon. That is, it was necessary to increase its total cargo capacity. That is why it was decided to make the X-Trail body a little longer. And now, even with the normal location of the rear seats, according to the 5-seater scheme, the luggage volume is 479 liters. But you just have to fill up the rear seat, and it increases to 1,773 liters. Moreover: thanks to the newly developed design of the rear suspension of a multi -link type, the floor in such an enlarged trunk remains completely smooth and even. In practical terms, this means: most of those devices and devices that people usually take with them when they go to rest and have fun can easily fit in the luggage compartment.
What comfort, how confident you feel at the wheel!
The X-Trail salon, which can be washed by watering it with water, not afraid to spoil it and remained so, and that is good. At the same time, I remember that earlier a lot of complaints caused the quality of the decoration of this salon. In the new car, the interior looks more refined, it is unlikely that anyone will argue here! Yes, but on the other hand, the designers decided to refuse to place the dashboard in the center of the front panel, which, perhaps, is justified in practical terms, but it looks too much, I would say, everyday, even faded.
Here, perhaps, is the only thing that I could complain about when I got behind the wheel of a new car and started off to go through the streets of Ionia first, and then go towards the Greco-Albanian border.
The first thing I paid attention to, and that I was pleased with this high level of comfort. Imagine the streets covered with cobblestone, as well as asphalt areas, if the asphalt is far from perfect condition. And, nevertheless, the car walked along such a surface without shaking and swinging. The suspension acted gently, smoothly extinguishing strong tremors, which were subjected to wheels when they ran into another unevenness. Moreover, I felt good how the wheels tried to cling to the road more closely, trying to follow the relief of the roadway exactly. Without this tenacle of the wheels, I would not be so comfortable behind the wheel, but the main thing in me would not have such confidence that the machine has both controllability and a sufficient supply of stability. And without such confidence, what kind of ride is it, one continuous anxiety!
When I had to overcome the winding sections of the road, this could be done, at a relatively high pace. The car went to the desired trajectory very easily: it was worth only starting to turn the steering wheel, as the front line immediately went to where necessary. There are two reasons for this at once: firstly, the design of the body became even more rigid, and, secondly, the ALL Mode 4x4-I system of all-wheel drive has a significant impact on the behavior of the machine, which, when distributed on the rear wheels of the rotary moment, takes into account the angle of rotation of the steering The wheels and the size of the side of the front wheels are to level the forces acting on the car and provide it with the so -called neutral rotation. Since the height of the car is decent, and the wheels, as usual, were shod in tires designed for driving in mud and snow (type M+S), with an attacking manner of turning, the car was slightly carried, this is so. However, for a car, whose main task is to successfully fight off -road, so, with permission to say, the weakness that he demonstrates on a bent road is quite excusable.
Somewhere there, closer to the border with Albania, the asphalt suddenly ended, and I went to the primer. Meanwhile, my car did not show any special concern about this, and if so, then I had nothing to worry about. But I must say that the road in this place was not a gift: the car every now and then had to rely on only two wheels, and dangling two in the air. However, nothing terrible at such moments happened: the two wheels remaining on the ground completely coped with the load and calmly took the car from the next deep cut. The ALL Mode 4x4-I system acted so energetically that, I think, if in my place, a person who first dared to run the car off-road, and he would have successfully coped with this if he had stones or wet clay under his wheels.
 
Is it permissible to climb into the salon in dirty shoes?
As for the power transfer of the car I tested, this should be said. Most likely, the Japanese buyer will see only the model of the new X-Trail series, which goes with a 2.5-liter gasoline engine operating with a vast variator. However, I must honestly admit: in terms of its running qualities, I liked another machine more, on a 2-liter diesel engine of a new development with a 6-speed manual box. As I said, the end point of my test race was to be the high -altitude village of Papingo. To climb there, it was necessary to overcome the steep rise, which began at the very foot of the mountain. So, thanks to its speed characteristics, in particular, a smoothly growing torque, which is already at low speeds, the diesel engine started up the car up without straining, one might say, playfully. And although the diesel car is unlikely to be able to be in Japan, the authors of the project themselves unanimously repeat that this model is the most successful of all included in the updated series X-Trail
Of course, at present, no less important than the ability to make decent diesel engines is considered to have secrets of manufacturing machines on mixed traction, that is, hybrid machines. In other words, if the company does not develop its own hybrid machine, a big minus of such a company! In this regard, until recently, the opinion that, they say, Nissan traditionally has the most modern automobile technologies, sounds somehow unconvincing. However, on the other hand, is it possible to unconditionally argue that if Nissan does not have a developed electric base, then the company does not know how to make cars? And the body, and the chassis, and the suspension, and the internal combustion engines, finally, is the ability to collect these parts not count!? Yes, there was a time when the affairs of Nissan did not go in the most brilliant way, including in terms of technological innovations. But now everything is completely wrong: Nissan technology, without a doubt, is on the rise, the company knows how and what to do, it has its own know-how, and, as I understand it during the test, it is already doing! No, ”I repeated to myself, sitting behind the wheel of a new X -Trail car and driving it on Greek off -road,“ the once popular phrase Nissan is the techno machines are still relevant!.

But here is what doubts crept into my soul while I talked with the X-Trail machine. Her new model seemed to me somewhat matured. Let me remind you that the popularity of the previous model is largely explained by the fact that it liked it, first of all, to young drivers. Well, then, and if now the car has matured, then it is not a fact that it will remain a favorite of youth. And then what!? Why am I inclined to think about growing up? But why: you will laugh, but I suddenly realized that in the new X -Trail salon I didn’t want to climb in dirty shoes too much, and others, if I were the owner, would allow it to do this with very great reluctance. And all the exhortations that, they say, is easily washed, so why then constrain himself and his passengers, demanding to observe cleanliness, oddly enough, they no longer produce previous action. Previously produced, but now not! So I noted that the salon began to be finished better. But, you know, this improved finish is not perceived as a step towards increasing the category of salon, for example, through the use of more expensive and high -quality materials. No, in this case, I mean, first of all, by the more accurate, one might say, scrupulous fit of each interior detail. And where accuracy dominates, there seems unnatural dirt, including those sticking to shoes.
I repeat, all these are my subjective sensations, but if they arose in me, why not assume that others, including young people, will begin to feel the same? In short, the young owners were once said: roll inside, and your legs are not necessary, then you can easily wash and clean everything! And they, young, liked such a car. Will they enjoy all of himself a neat new X-Trail salon of a new model, that’s the question!
I think that just in case, it would not hurt to be safe, and if, figuratively expressed, the struggle for cleanliness in the cabin is declared, then even if the prices for some time will remain unchanged! In particular, if earlier the cheapest machine (I recall, it was a X-Trail 2.0S model with the front wheel drive) cost within 2 million yen, then even now in the lineup a car will be present, which can be purchased for these the same money. I understand that before this cheapest option was equipped with an engine with a working volume of 2 liters, and now, as already noted, it is supposed to put a motor of larger cubic meter (2.5 liters), but still, nevertheless, nevertheless
In this regard, I ask you to consider my current material a kind of appeal to those persons on whom it depends on what price the new Nissan X-Trail will be sold inside Japan! True, I have no confidence that my opinion will be heard and perceived as it should, but even if the price of the X-TRIIL crawls up, my personal assessment of the new car will remain unchanged: it is made so that it is unlikely that anyone has anyone -There will be a serious reason to be dissatisfied. If you do not believe, try yourself!
 
 

Source: Webcg.net