Nissan X-Trail test drive since 2011 SUV
Elixir for X-Trail
Nissan breathed new forces into his compact SUV
The point is not in additional horses, although it was not without them, but in the fact that X -Trail gained some properties that can strengthen its market position. In any case, the manufacturer who announces plans to sell up to 50,000 such cars per year in Europe alone is counting on this. In truth, and before restyling, the car was not deprived of the attention of the public, and the changes made are by no means cardinal - so, something on trifles: an improved diesel, a fresher exterior and a processed interior. Having traveled, you also write down in the asset of noticeably increased comfort, improved operation parameters of a number of systems, and, of course, family off -road qualities. And you catch yourself thinking: but the car is no longer the same. Better. Under rain
And it was worth flying behind mud baths, slippery primer and rain - either drizzling, then mercilessly pouring to the south of Spain? If the X-Trail was some kind of passenger car, such the weather could have plunged into despondency. But for the dough the off -road qualities of this Nissan car, it seems to be just right. Unless, of course, not considered wet and shoes that are wet during the filming of clothes.
On gloomy days, you especially evaluate the comfort in the cabin. I want to climb under the roof as soon as possible? There is nothing easier - getting into the car is easy and comfortable. In addition, there is no risk of staining trousers: the doors cover the thresholds. The driver's seat received a longer pillow that supports the legs in the hips. All chairs can be sheathed with special material that excludes slipping - a useful thing, given the ability of X -Trail to climb under a slope of 29 degrees and go with roll in a good 35 degrees. The organizers of the test, by the way, made it possible to try all this not only on the route, but also on a specially equipped highway - exactly calculated, of course, but no less impressive. Cool climb - only the sky, the same descent, then the tilted wall - and the body holds only a seat belt in the seat, and then almost meter pits that you pass in two wheels - the other two hang in the air, but that is enough, it turns out enough. To move forward - to a font with a brown slurry. In general, everything is without deception. Although the Test drive route itself did not allow to especially relax at the wheel. But more on this - a little later, but for now we will return to the salon. 
Already the usual instrument shield, located in the center of the front panel, has acquired a visor of a new shape, and the auditors began to read better. The central console is completely processed. There is a large screen of the navigation system operating on the basis of a DVD player, under it - a navigation control panel and an audio system, even lower - an automatic air conditioning unit borrowed from the Nissan 350Z. Cool or warm air is supplied through new deflectors, which allow you to direct the flow in the right direction. At the very bottom of the console is a small niche, which is closed with a sliding barrier, where a jar or a small bottle is placed. A cool air is supplied to this niche, as well as in the cup holders next to the windshield racks, when the air conditioner is turned on. The glove compartment is also cooled, divided into two sections. There are now three shades in the ceiling - above the front and rear seats, as well as in the luggage compartment, where there was also an elastic grid for securing goods. Finally, qualitatively different materials are used in the interior decoration - the same plastic has become much more pleasant to the touch. There are fewer changes in the exterior, but they refreshed the appearance of the SUV, made it a little more respectable. Another form of bumper made it possible to reduce overhangs. Round fog lights and original alloy wheels hint at the sports character of the X-Trail. Restyling also touched the grilles of the radiator, door handles and rear lights. In good trim levels, additional lanterns can be cut into reelling on the roof, which are turned on simultaneously with the headlights of high light.
On the shore and on the track
Rain poured all evening and all night. And the morning turned out to be extremely beautiful and weather. We met the dawn on the way, heading along the blurry lane to the lake designated on the map. That's when it was fully possible to evaluate the running qualities of the car. First of all, the pendants became softer, which undoubtedly increased the level of comfort. But I would not say that in this case it was any noticeably reflected in the behavior of the machine, as happens most often. The X-Trail still confidently follows a given course, the rolls of the body do not scare the bodies in the turns, and the clearance of 200 mm and the decent passages of the suspensions allow you to not pay special attention to the vicissitudes of the off-road. The whole thing is in the appropriate reconfiguration of the all -wheel drive system All Mode 4x4. The dirt under the wheels every now and then forced the anti -circus system to join the work. To the fact that at the right time this or that wheel is braided, you get used to it quickly and stop noticing it. But here my colleague and I are rapidly going to hard soil, which, perhaps, is even more dangerous than blurry lane: wet gravel worse than ice. The view from above on a lake with green islands opens, of course, a magnificent, but looping path every now and then passes in dangerous proximity to the cliff.
If you don’t crawl in a chaste, then this route is not for the faint of heart. And the Auto mode, in which the on -board computer decides at what point to activate all -wheel drive and which wheels to transfer most of the engine power is clearly not suitable. The conditions of movement require maximum predictability from the car. Therefore, I translate the switch (he replaced the previous buttons) to the locust position. Now the torque is strictly distributed in a ratio of 57% (on the front wheels) to 43% (to the rear). In this case, electronics can only imitate the locking of differentials. And she copes with this important task, it should be said perfectly. Perhaps, only on such a road can you know the subtleties of new settings standardly installed on all versions of the X-Trail ESP+system. I did not have much desire to disconnect it, because I quickly realized that in these conditions it could not interfere with it, but help from it is quite noticeable. On a slippery surface, make the car slide sideways - not a focus and with ESP. The system itself is not able to completely eliminate the skid, but tries to do this by braking one or more wheels, and in critical situations, reducing the supply of the fuel mixture using an electronically controlled throttle. In general, after some time I caught myself on the feeling that we are all more efficient in pairs. The main thing is to learn how to predict the behavior of the car with ESP and use all its capabilities.
I enter the next steep turn on the descent, practically without going to the gas pedal, and I know for sure that in which case the system will do it for me, and the machine most likely will not lose speed. And now she will subtract the left rear wheel, so you can cut the arc - it comes out. Here, if you give a little, you can - until my electronic assistant realized - force the X -Trail to dive into the turn, providing a slight outburst of the stern. No, I definitely like it! With the disconnected system, you pay tribute to the competent distribution of torque along the axes, and you understand: Nissan’s assurance of Nissan engineers about the fact that the electronically controlled all-wheel drive takes into account the features of the X-Trail weightlifting. On off -road or on a slippery road, the car shows a neutral character, that is, its behavior is well predicted. And more, perhaps, is not required.
In general, the definition of a parquet jeep is not suitable for this car. Although the X-Trail does not have a frame, but there is a supporting body, it will not yield to many serious SUVs in terms of cross-country ability. At the same time, in the city, he - his own, does not scare in size and has habits of an ordinary passenger car. And in silence in the cabin (sound insulation is also improved) surpasses many cars of a similar class.
Waking around the road, we finally got out on a multi -row route. Now you can turn the car in the front -wheel drive, setting the switch to 2WD position, and enjoy the speed. X-Trail confidently gains 160 km/h (probably, more, but the conditions of movement do not allow). It is important that the machine demonstrates enviable stability, and in terms of reactions to gas supply and controllability, it is not much different from an ordinary passenger station wagon. A few words about motors and gearboxes. The most powerful in the range of a 2.5 -liter gasoline engine is capable of dispersing the car to 100 km/h in less than 10 seconds. However, the gasoline engines are the same, but the 2.2-liter diesel engine is significantly modified. Its capacity increased from 114 to 136 forces, and torque reaches 314 Nm instead of the previous 270. I really liked the X-TRIIL with such a motor and with a mechanical 6-speed box (an automatic machine for a diesel engine). He conquers his elasticity in a wide range of revolutions, efficiency and, for example, the ability to pull a heavy trailer. By the way, all, without exception, are engaged in X-Trail in Japan.
There are prospects
Let me remind you that Nissan brought to the market its compact SUV later than its main competitors appeared - Honda CR -V, Mitsubishi Pajero Pinin, Land Rover Freelander. But he acted, as they say, without a miss, as evidenced by good sales figures in the first years of its existence. So, in Japan, X-Trail has become the best-selling car in the classroom. Now, after restyling, we can say - the X -Trail attack on the European market has been activated. It is not inferior in passage to Pajero Pinin, and in terms of comfort is superior to Frelander. So the future of the model does not cause much doubt. Oleg Osipov
