Motoring Middle East: Car news, Reviews and Buying guides

Brand new look for Nissan’s venerable soft-roader

By Imthishan Giado

Next to the Germans, I don’t think there’s another manufacturer who’s been pushing out as much as new product as Nissan. Granted, most of it is very dull but you have to give them credit, the lineup has been refreshed from top to bottom. Well, with one exception: the venerable X-Trail crossover.

Or should I say, feared – the X-Trail is popular with our boys in green as a receptacle for mounting hidden speed cameras and the sight of one is enough to make even the most ardent speeder slow down. Well now, there’s an new sheriff in town now.

As we’ve now come to expect from Renault-Nissan, the new X-Trail is completely different. From a rugged little crossover with boxy styling, the X-Trail has now morphed into a three-row crossover spotting the familiar V-nose corporate face.

Built in Tennessee on the jointly developed Nissan/Renault Common Module Family (CMF) platform, X-Trail will be sold in 190 countries across the world, though the UAE is not confirmed to be one of them. One of the highlights of the old X-Trail was its surprisingly acceptable offroad ability, and Nissan claims that this car will be just as tough in the soft stuff.

Huge step forward for the interior over the old car which sported a strange central speedo and an ancient ’90s styling. A huge central screen takes care of navigation, HVAC and of course, ‘social networking’ via built in apps. Between the seats, there’s a console box big enough to hold an iPad. Some clever solutions in the boot as well with a nifty double load floor that can be partitioned into areas single-handledly.

Firsts for the car include Active Ride Control – which ‘monitors the road surface and adjusts the damping to compensate’  and Active Engine Brake which brakes the engine automatically using the standard XTronic CVT transmission.

See more pictures of the new X-Trail below and tell us what you think in the comments!