Despite the local car buyer’s bias towards a single Japanese brand, the Nissan X-trail has managed to make quite a name for itself in the local automobile market. In fact, it might also be safe to say that X-trail is arguably one of the best selling Nissans in Bangladesh. But why did it appeal so much to the car buyers? To find that out, we took a Nissan X-trail for a short on and off tarmac test for this issue of Turbine.
With the growing global demand for cars with higher seating position, the market for crossovers and SUVs have remained quite heated up for the last few years. From small entry level crossovers to large premium SUVs, every manufacturer has at least a single model to compete in the segment. The X-trail in this segment has made quite a name for itself, especially with its last two models.
The X-trail seen in the picture is the third generation of X-trail. With a much wider front fascia and curvier lines, the third generation X-trail has come a long way from the much boxier and rugged looking second generation model. Definitely a more ‘muscular styling’ as quoted from Nissan Bangladesh’s official website.
At the front, the X-trail receives Nissan’s signature grill, which can be spotted in all shapes and sizes in cars such as the Nissan Leaf all the way to the legendary R35 Nissan GTR. The headlights consist of a beautifully integrated DRL wrapping around the inner ends of the headlight units along with a couple projection lights while the tail lamps are both LEDs. Nissan Bangladesh also equips the X-trail with a pair of fog lights as standard.
On the side, the black fender arches, roof rack and visually high ride height, the 4×4 drivetrain of the X-trail gets justified as it successfully gives out the rugged look the X-trail always retained, despite now being closer to a generic crossover than ever before.
Getting inside, one will surely be amazed at how spacious the X-trail is, perhaps be surprised to discover that the X-trail offered by Nissan Bangladesh comes with a third row of seats. The second row seats need to be reclined though to get into the third row seats which can also be folded to increase cargo space when required.
The third row seats might concern a few buyers given the X-trail doesn’t look too big in terms of dimensions. The panoramic sunroof along with the rear AC vents will definitely keep the third row passengers from feeling claustrophobic but in practical terms, the third row seats will actually be ideal for pets and kids.
Getting behind the wheels of the X-trail, the first thing to notice would be the plethora of physical buttons on the steering wheel, half of which are directly connected to the infotainment system and lets the driver change the audio, volume control and receive calls while the other half are for cruise control. The infotainment system is not necessarily the largest in its class but users will also get a second 5inch display at the center of the gauge cluster to display various car related features. The center console also comes with physical buttons for the dual climate control as well as a personally appealing leather gear shift knob. The seats get dual stitched genuine leather which can either be black or beige as well as a faux suede leather package as per the different trim levels.
When it comes to features, the most interesting part of the X-trail would be its Intelligent 4×4 system. Through the separation physical knob right above the gears, users can vary the power distribution among the individual wheels as per the road conditions. This feature also allows the user to choose a full-time 2WD option which will ensure the best fuel economy.
The Nissan X-trail is available in 10 shades of paint, three different wheel patterns, 2 seat variants as well as 2WD and 4WD variants and interested buyers can spec the X-trail in any way as one may want. Price starting from Tk 53.50 lacs bdt, the X-trail can be purchased at Millennium Motors, the sole authorised distributor of brand new Nissan vehicles in Bangladesh.
