Vehicle: 2005 Nissan X-Trail LE AWD with VDC
Price as tested: CDN$34800

Performance: Under X-Trail’s hood lies the same 2.5L 4-cylinder DOHC motor as Altima and Sentra SE-R. While its 170 lb/ft of torque arrives at 4k rpm, it feels a bit soft at the lower end due to its heavier weight than both Altima and SE-R, despite its a more willing engine than its rivals. Once you rev pass 2800 rpm, its willing ro rev through redline as its a typical character of QR25DE. Throttle tip-in is decently quick without being too aggressive. The 4-speed automatic tranny works equally well. Its willing to up and downshifts. When going downhill, the smart fuzzy logic control holds the right gear without hunting all around.

Handling: X-Trail’s dynamic qualities are surprisingly good for a soft-roader. The body rolls are well controlled while the vehicle dynamic control kicks in appropriately, even if you pushed too enthuisastically into a corner. While you still find the safe understeer as in all FWD-bias AWD system, a lift-throttle can easily gain the front back on the right track. On the other hand, the steering’s off-center feels a bit vague. Other than the vagueness, steering is decently response and precise, with enough on-center feel to communicate to the driver of what’s underneath the road. In terms of ride comfort, it should be rate as top of the class given its suspension absorbs washboard pavements and expansion joints comfortably.

Brakes: X-Trail’s 4-wheel discs with standard ABS ensures this vehicle can stop confidently. Both the pedal feel and modulations are very good. Its also fade-free after a complete of hard stops from 80 km/h.

Interior: Inside the X-Trail’s interior, you find a lot of cubbyholes. Nissan designers are so detailed in their execution that they even put a bottle holder for the driver and front passenger. In our top-of-the-range LE, it comes with a set of high-quality leather seats which are comfortable and supportive. The instrumentation gauges are clear and analog despite its positioned in the center console instead of in front of the driver. The auto climate control works flawlessly with great air-conditioing and efficient defrost mode. As you would expect from Nissan, there are plenty of cheap and hard plastic abound.

Nissan is smart enough to design a flip up hatch instead of those “one sided” that opens up to the wrong side of the road. However, there is one drawback to the hatch design. The rear window should be open seperately instead of with the hatch when you need to throw in smaller item.

Conclusion: The X-Trail has to be considered as one of the better buy in the soft-roader segment simply because it has the performance and interior space that others lack, on the other hand, its quality and integrity remain lasting for a long time given Nissan’s reputation.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2005 NISSAN X-TRAIL LE AWD
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Performance: 3/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 3/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 4/5

Overall rating: 4/5