nissan-x-trail-2001-2007

OverviewThe original 2001-2007 X-Trail was a real hit for Nissan, being one of the first off-roaders to

bring decent manners to the on-road experience as well the rough stuff. Originally it was not

marketed as a ‘soft-roader’ (like Nissan’s newer Qashqai) but a properly capable machine in

off-road use, although it also drives much more like a regular hatchback than most of its rivals.

From 2005, Nissan also offered the X-Trail in cheaper, more economical 2WD form.

This is the original X-Trail, offered from 2001 until 2007, when it was replaced by a new

X-Trail. The first series was popular with buyers and there is a decent choice of used examples

on the market.

The X-Trail’s trick is to combine genuine off-road credentials with the refined manners of

a road car. Very few SUVs pull this off successfully - but among the best are the Toyota RAV4

and Subaru Forester.

If you need 4x4 but don’t like the idea of an SUV that drives like a tank, the X-Trail is for

you: it drives very much like a regular hatchback on the road.

Plush versions are well equipped but it’s best to avoid base models which lack air

conditioning and stability control.

The X-Trail has plunged to a very poor one-star reliability rating in the latest Which? Car

Survey, very much bucking Nissan’s generally good record. Braking issues have affected a

huge one in four owners this year, while other problem areas include the washer/wipers, fuel

system, suspension, exhaust, cam belt and lights.

For running costs, the diesel version makes the most sense, but its reliability record

isn’t as strong as we’d like. Go for a high-spec variant like a T-Spec or Aventura for the most

comprehensive equipment.

Recommended models in the range

Which? caR TOp chOice MOdel

2.2 dci 136 T-Spec 5dr

New price: -

Used price: £7,095

FaSTeST MOdel

2.5 16v columbia 5dr [Sat Nav]

New price: -

Used price: £6,850

0-62mph: 9.9 secs

MOST eFFicieNT MOdel

2.2 dci 136 Fat Face 5dr

New price: -

Used price: £7,875

combined fuel economy: 39.2 mpg

cheapeST MOdel TO bUy NeW

-

New price: -

cheapeST MOdel TO bUy USed

2.0i S 5dr

Used price: £3,495

cheapeST MOdel TO RUN (NeW)

-

New price: -

Running costs: -(3 yeaRS/36,000 MileS)

Comfortable to drive on the road.

4x4 versions have real off-road ability.

High-spec versions well equipped.

Very poor reliability.

Petrol engines are thirsty.

No ESC on basic models.

Which? car review

Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007)ON Sale: Oct 2001 claSS: 4x4s/SUVs

NeW pRice: - USed pRice: From £3,495

49%ToTal score: peRFORMaNce:

bOOT & STORage:

Ride cOMFORT:

★★★★

★★★★ ★★★ ★

★★★★ ★★★★SaFeTy:

haNdliNg:

ReliabiliTy:

OwNEr’S ViEwExcellent for towing my caravan. The diesel pulls extremely well and economically. Four wheel drive means no worries off road on caravan sites. The car is comfortable to drive, (I am over 6ft tall), has good rear leg room, and adequate luggage space.

Which? works for you

We use the sophisticated electronic timing

equipment to record standing-start and

in-gear acceleration, and repeat each test

several times.

Ride comfort is assessed by our labora-

tory experts who have driven hundreds of

thousands of miles in a myriad of different

models.

On the roadForget the wallowy, boat-like progress you might have become accustomed to in 4x4 vehicles

- the X-Trail drives like a regular hatchback. Its safe handling, comfortable ride and sense

of refinement make it an attractive choice as an everyday road car, which is still capable of

serious off-roading should the need arise. The 2.5-litre petrol engine provides a good blend of

performance and refinement but the 2.2 diesel is a much more popular option.

performance ★★★★We tested the tractable and torquey 2.5-litre petrol engine, which has excellent performance,

allowing comfortable cruising at low revs and effortless acceleration. It’s a refined unit, too.

Nissan also offered a 2.0-litre petrol, but most X-Trails sold in the UK were 2.2-litre diesels,

which offer excellent pulling power combined with reasonable refinement.

The five-speed manual gearbox is precise, easy to engage and matches the engine’s

performance well. Other transmission options include a six-speed manual and four-speed

automatic.

Model tested acceleration (37-62mph) Rating

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 7.1 secs ★★★★petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 6.1 secs ★★★★

Ride comfort ★★★★SUVs usually suffer from lots of body roll, but the X-Trail’s relatively stiff suspension set-up

makes it very well behaved in this respect, without affecting ride quality too much.

Model tested Rating

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) ★★★★petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) ★★★★

how we test

performance

Ride comfort

Which? car review

Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007)4x4s/SUVs

On the road continued...

handling ★★★★We tested a 4x4 version of the X-Trail; its inherent stability is boosted by the fact that torque

is automatically directed to the rear wheels when the front ones start to slip. Permanent all-

wheel drive can be selected for off-road driving. Electronic stability control was not fitted to

some base X-Trails, which is a big omission, so ensure your exmaple has this fitted. The X-Trail

behaves very much like most SUVs in our obstacle avoidance test, in that body roll forces you

to fight strong understeer in extreme circumstances. In normal driving, however, the X-Trail is

great, with docile cornering, good chassis feedback and smooth, if a little imprecise, steering.

Model tested Rating

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) ★★★★petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) ★★★

brakes ★★★Our brake test revealed an impressively short braking distance for an SUV. The brakes

respond instantaneously and the driver always feels in control. ABS is standard.

Model tested braking distance (62-0mph) Rating

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 44.0m ★★petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 38.5m ★★★★

Refinement and noise ★★★The X-Trail is refined, with little wind noise or engine intrusiveness. Build quality is clearly very

good and the cabin is trimmed with appealing materials. Sturdy side trims protect the main

bodywork from damage caused by other car doors.

Model tested cruising noise Rating

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 71dB ★★★petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 69dB ★★★★

Which? car review


On-the-limit handling is explored well

away from public roads to ensure a fair

test. Our obstacle avoidance test is one of

the harshest tests in the industry..

The Which? Car braking test measures

stopping distance from 62-0mph and is

repeated ten times in quick succession to

highlight any brake fade issues.

The Which? Car experts use a decibel

meter to record interior sound levels

at common UK motorway speeds, and

combine this with subjective assessments

to arrive at an overall score.

how we test

handling

brakes

Refinement and noise

On the road continued...

cabin and controls ★★★The major controls are clearly laid-out and easy to operate. We especially like the dial for

selecting all-wheel drive, the audio system and air conditioning. The height-adjustable steering

wheel is ideally positioned, but its range of adjustment could be wider and its audio/cruise

control buttons are unlit. The position of the instruments in the centre of the dashboard makes

them a little awkward to read. We like the optional sat-nav system, which is one of the best on

the market.

Model tested Rating

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) ★★★petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) ★★★

Visibility and parking ★★★★The X-Trail doesn’t score very highly in the rear visibility stakes because of its wide C-pillars,

small side windows and non-retractable rear headrests. On the plus side, the large exterior

mirrors offer a good view and the relatively compact dimensions make this easier to park than

most SUVs. Options include parking sensors and curious roof-mounted lights.

Model tested Turning circle Rating

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 12.1m ★★★★★petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 11.9m ★★★

Which? car review


We penalise cars with difficult controls,

and we look for things like backlit light

switches and easy-to-use heating and

ventilation adjustments.

Visibility is a major issue for motorists

today, so each car gets a 360-degree

swivel view test to reproduce the driver’s

eye view and any obscured areas.

how we test

cabin and controls

Visibility and parking

We take measurements all around the

driver and passenger’s door apertures

and note the height of the seat, door sills

and step down onto the car floor. The

best cars don’t require too much bending

or stretching to get in and out.

We assess seat comfort subjectively,

using our road testers’ expert knowledge

and experience from thousands of differ-

ent cars. And we measure the head-, leg-

and elbowroom on offer in every seat, to

see how well the car caters for people of

all shapes and sizes.

how we test

getting in and out

Seat space and comfort

comfort and practicalityThe X-Trail is a pretty practical proposition with a roomy, airy cabin and decent-sized boot.

It’s easy to load up, too. Be warned that entry-level models did not have air conditioning as

standard.

getting in and out ★★★★Well positioned seats and a high roofline make for comfortable entry and exit. The high door

sills can mean dirt gets on to your clothes, and the rear wheelhouse intrudes somewhat.

Model tested Rating

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) ★★★★petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) ★★★★

Seat space and comfort ★★★There’s a roomy ambience up front thanks to generous shoulder width and headroom, and

people up to 1.85 metres tall will feel comfortable. The rear seating is contoured for two

passengers, and with the front seats slid right back, there’s enough rear kneeroom for people

up to 1.80 metres tall. The rear backrests are tilt-adjustable, but the seat bases are too softly

padded. The front seats offer firm back support and the driver enjoys a good seating position.

Model tested Rating

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) ★★★★petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) ★★★

Which? car review


Carmakers give official stats for boot

space, but our tests are more realistic. We

load the boot up with measuring blocks

only as far as the rear window line, so

that luggage is well secured and won’t

obscure rear visibility. We repeat the test

with the rear seats up, and folded down

(where possible).

Feel sorry for the tester who has to warm

each car up from a frosty -10 degrees in

our climate chamber. Starting with a cold

engine, we measure how long it takes to

warm up the front and rear of the cabin.

Diesel cars usually take longer. We also

check the effectiveness of air condition-

ing, where fitted.

how we test

boot and storage

heating and ventilation

boot and storage ★★★★The boot is average sized with 390 litres of space (measured up to the cargo cover). Folding

the 60/40 split rear seats expands capacity to 730 litres (up to the window line). The load floor

is rather high, but overall it’s easy to access and load the boot, which is flat and has a practical,

hard surface. It’s all too easy to bump your head on the protruding lock of the open tailgate,

though. There’s a good range of storage compartments in the interior.

Model tested boot space (seats up/down) Rating

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 390 litres / 390 litres ★★★★petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 390 litres / 730 litres ★★★★

heating and ventilation ★★★★Most X-Trails have air conditioning, although the entry-level version did not have this

as standard. When fitted, the air con system works very well, and even includes an air-

conditioned bottle holder and storage compartment on the dashboard. On the downside, the

rear side windows can barely be opened half way.

Model tested Rating

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) ★★★petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) ★★★★

Which? car review


comfort and practicality continued...

We test fuel economy under strict lab

conditions – using realistic test cycles – to

reveal the facts behind the figures. Our

figures rarely match manufacturer claims

as, unlike the official mpg test, we mea-

sure economy with both a hot and cold

engine, and on the motorway.

how we test

Fuel consumption

Running costs and depreciationThe X-Trail isn’t especially cheap to keep going. Its used values are suffering following the

arrival of more modern and attractive alternatives like Nissan’s own Qashqai, while fuel

consumption is a sore point, even for diesel-engined models. The 2.5 petrol X-Trail also

languishes in the highest car tax band.

Fuel consumption We achieved a miserable average of 28.5mpg for the 2.5-litre petrol X-Trail, well short of the

claimed 30.1mpg. Even the two-wheel drive 2.0 petrol is thirsty at 31mpg, and the 2.2 diesel’s

claimed 37.2mpg isn’t brilliant either.

petrol (combined mpg, claimed) 28.2 mpg - 31.0 mpg

diesel (combined mpg, claimed) 37.2 mpg - 39.2 mpg

Model tested Urban (claimed/tested)

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 31.4 mpg/30.4 mpg

petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 21.7 mpg/21.4 mpg

Model tested extra urban (claimed/tested)



Model tested Motorway (measured)

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 32.8 mpg

petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 26.2 mpg

Model tested combined (claimed/tested)



Which? car review


While testing fuel economy, we also

collect exhaust gases to enable us to

measure the amount of carbon dioxide

(CO2) emitted. We also check whether

particulate filters are effective at removing

sooty emissions from diesel engines.

We rate cars for safety using Euro NCAP

crash test scores (where available),

alongside our own comprehensive safety

checklist. Uniquely, we also feed in results

from our accident avoidance test – after

all, it’s far better to steer around a crash

than rely on the airbags...

Security scores come from the security

experts at Thatcham, who break into

hundreds of cars each year. Most modern

cars are very difficult to drive away, but

are still too easy to steal from.

how we test

emissions

Safety

Security

emissions

All versions of the 2001-2007 X-Trail emit more than 200g/km of CO2, which isn’t a record to

be proud of, while the 2.5 version is above the 225g/km threshold - and that pushes it into the

highest VED tax bracket.

petrol (CO2, claimed) 217g per km - 237g per km

diesel (CO2, claimed) 190g per km - 203g per km

Model tested emissions (claimed/tested)

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 190g per km/216g per km

petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 226g per km/228g per km

Safety and securityStability control was only ever offered on T and Aventura versions in the UK; we recommend

finding an X-Trail with one of these badges for maximum safety. Brake assist was standard

on all versions. Isofix was factory-fitted on the outer rear seats, allowing easy child restraint

installation, while the rear seatbelts are long enough to fit ordinary child seats fairly easily. The

front airbag cannot be deactivated, so a rear-facing child seat should never be mounted on the

front passenger seat.

euro Ncap score ★★★★In the Euro NCAP crash test, the X-Trail achieved four out of five stars. The only weakness

was the thorax/head airbag (fully fledged curtain airbags were never available). In the Euro

NCAP pedestrian test, the X-Trail scored two out of four stars, which is an average result.

Adult occupant ★★★★Child protection -Pedestrian protection ★★

Which? safety rating ★★★

Active (crash avoidance) -

Passive (crash safety) -

Child -

Pedestrian -

Security

A solid score for the X-Trail: five stars for ‘theft of’ and four stars for ‘theft from’.

Theft of car: Theft from car:

★★★★ ★★★

Which? car review


Running costs and depreciation continued...

Everyone who takes part in the Which?

Car survey tells us about their car and

the dealers who sell and service it. We

analyse this feedback across all cars to

give top-level satisfaction ratings for each

brand, including the brand’s reliability

record over the last eight years. All star

ratings are out of five.

These show how owners score this car

in 12 different areas, from performance to

heating. Owners’ ratings are subjective –

so may differ from Which? Car test scores

– but they give a good idea of what the

car is like to live with. Where relevant, cars

are scored against other cars in the same

class (e.g. for space).

about our survey

brand ratings

Model ownership ratings

OwNEr’S ViEwIt is the vehicle we use to pull our our caravan. It always starts, copes expertly with the chore of caravan towing, is warm, comfortable and efficient. It’s easy to drive and never lets us down.

OwNEr’S ViEwBought this to replace a top spec. Range Rover, thought I would hate it but I actually enjoy driving it. Does everything I need, including pulling a livestock trailer. at a fraction of the cost of running a Range Rover.

Which? car Survey resultsThe Which? Car Survey is the UK’s biggest and best reliability and owner satisfaction survey.

In 2013, drivers told us about 57,182 cars, covering more than 450 million miles in the previous

12 months (that’s equivalent to driving 18,398 times around the world). This unique feedback

allows us to rate satisfaction and reliability for hundreds of new and used cars.

Note Star ratings below are from 1-5 (1 is very poor and 5 is very good). Percentages shown

under ‘Most common faults’ indicate the proportion of owners reporting each problem in the

past 12 months.

brand Sample size: 2,068 people

Nissan ratings

Overall owner satisfaction for this brand 79%

Brand reliability -

Dealer Sales Service ★★★

Dealer Servicing & repair ★★★

Which? car review


Model: Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007) Sample size: 172 people

Ownership ratingsOverall owner satisfaction for this range 78%

Driving enjoyment ★★★★

Ease of driving ★★★

Comfort ★★★

Dash layout and controls ★★★

in-car technology ★★★

Styling ★★★

Build quality ★★★★

Practicality ★★★★

Value for money ★★★★

We split reliability into breakdowns (in-

cluding failure to start), faults (where parts

need replacing) and problems (minor is-

sues e.g. squeaks and loose trim). Where

the car has been on sale for some time,

and we have numerous survey responses

from owners, we also split scores by the

age of car and fuel type. Star ratings are

out of five – the more stars, the more reli-

able the car.

Want to know what’s most likely to go

wrong as the car gets older? These are

the five most common faults reported by

owners, grouped by age into new, recent

and older cars. A score of 40% means

four out of 10 owners reported problems

with that part of the car over the previous

12 months. Engine electrics and non-en-

gine electrics (e.g. windows, stereo) cause

more headaches than mechanical parts in

most modern cars.

about our survey

Reliability ratings

Most common faults

Which? car Survey results continued...

Reliability ratingsOverall Reliability ★★★

Up to 3 years old 3-8 years old

petrol cars Reliability - -

breakdowns - -

average annual repair cost - -

diesel cars Reliability - -

breakdowns - -


all cars Reliability - -

breakdowns - -


breakdowns: Percentage of cars suffering a breakdown in last 12 months

average annual repair cost: Average annual cost of repairs (not servicing), in past 12

months

Most common faults

Up to 3 years old

- -- -- -- -- -

3-8 years old

- -- -- -- -- -

Failure rate: The proportion of owners reporting this problem in the last year

Which? car review


nissan-x-trail-2001-2007

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