2023 Nissan X-Trail First Look Walkaround — New Hyundai Tucson Rival | V3Cars

2023 Nissan X-Trail — Exterior Design And Dimensions

The X-Trail has evolved quite significantly over its predecessors over the years. It has switched from a rugged design to an unban crossover stance. The 4th-gen X-Trail gets a sharper design and aggressive design elements. At the front, it gets a pair of split LED headlights that flank Nissan’s ‘V motion’ grille. The top gets LED DRLs that also incorporate halogen turn indicators. The lower part gets reflector-based LED headlights. The V motion grille boasts Nissan’s new logo, which sits atop the front parking camera. The lower part of the bumper features front parking sensors, a silver finished skid plate and housing for fog lights, which were surprisingly missing on the display car.

Around the side, the Nissan X-Trail gets a flowing design that’s complemented by a tapering roof line. The gloss-black window line goes straight to the C-pillar and sweeps upwards and joins the upper window garnish. Nissan have added a generous amount of body cladding on the wheel arches and door ends to improve the butch appeal of the X-Trail. It is worth noting that the side sills extend to the very end of the doors, keeping the frame free from dust and mud. Furthermore, the X-Trail comes with 18-inch alloy wheels shod with 235/60 R18 tyres. It also gets large ORVMs that feature blind spot detection, side turn indicators and surround view cameras.

Speaking of the rear profile, the X-Trail gets spoiler extenders to give it a coupe-esque look. It is worth mentioning that the car on display was an imported model with tinted glass. The India-spec model will not have dark tinted glass due to Indian legislations. The X-Trail gets split LED tail lights with halogen-based bulbs for turn indicators and reverse parking light. The boot opening is wide but the boot lacks depth owing to the battery pack stuffed underneath the false floor. Along with that, the X-Trail also features a small storage space and puncture repair kit underneath the floor.

Take a look at the dimensions of the X-Trail alongside its arch rivals:

Overall, the X-Trail brings a breath of fresh air in the segment with its aggressive design. However, it still feels more suited to the urban jungle unlike other SUVs, such as the Tata Harrier, that feels more rugged. It will be interesting to see how it holds up against the Jeep Compass, Citroen C5 Aircross and Hyundai Tucson in terms of road presence.

2023 Nissan X-Trail — Interior Design

On the inside, the Nissan X-Trail comes with a multi-layer dashboard with a good use of high-quality materials and soft touch points. The centre bolster of the dash is draped with soft stitched leather whereas the lower part gets a brushed metallic garnish that runs across the width of the dashboard. Sitting atop the dash is a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It offers crisp visuals along with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. The X-Trail also gets a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, which offers multiple levels of customisations and viewing options. It works in conjunction with a 10.8-inch head-up display that projects vital information on the windscreen.

The X-Trail also gets Nissan’s new flat-bottom steering wheel with steering-mounted controls for media, telephony and ADAS. The centre console boasts the gear selector, controls for the hybrid powertrain, engine start/stop button, drive mode select, cup holders and a split-opening centre armrest. The seats on the display car were fabric and so were the padding on the door cards. When the X-Trail hits our shores, we expect it to overcome these shortcomings and come packed with a lot more features. The display car missed a lot of features, such as a panoramic sunroof, ventilated seats, electric seat adjustment for driver and co-passenger, and 3-zone climate control.

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In the 2nd row, the X-Trail offers a good amount of kneeroom and footroom. However, it isn’t the best in class. Owing to the absence of a panoramic sunroof, the headroom feels more than ample too. The 2nd row seats in the X-Trail get a 40:20:40 split and offer slide and recline functions. The middle backrest of the 2nd row also functions as a centre armrest and incorporates 2 cup holders and a storage area for your smartphone. The rear doors offer a wide glass area and the presence of sunblinds improve the rear seat experience further. Nissan X-Trail also comes with a 3rd row option but that was missing on the display car and we are yet to learn if that will be added to the India-bound model.

2023 Nissan X-Trail — Hybrid Powertrain

The X-Trail comes with 2 engine options in global markets and Nissan has chosen the e:power strong hybrid powertrain for our market. The X-Trail e:power comes with a 1.5L turbo petrol engine along with a strong hybrid drivetrain. Here’s a detailed look at the power and torque outputs of the X-Trail alongside its arch rivals.

With the 2WD option, the Nissan X-Trail e:power offers 204PS of power at 4600rpm, which is the best in its class. The torque output, on the other hand, stands at 330Nm, which is lower than that of the Mahindra XUV700. The X-Trail 4WD incorporates a rear-axle electric motor that adds 195Nm of torque whereas the power output also increases to 213PS, which is 9PS more than the X-Trail 2WD.

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While the performance figures are impressive on paper, there are some grey areas that the X-Trail needs to address. Firstly, the X-Trail comes with a 1.5L turbo petrol engine, which sounds small for this class of SUV despite having class-leading performance. Secondly, we have only compared the petrol-powered SUVs with the X-Trail. SUVs like the Mahindra XUV700, MG Hector and Hyundai Tucson offer the option of a diesel engine as well and the Citroen C5 Aircross only comes with a diesel engine. While we have no doubts that the X-Trail will offer good fuel efficiency thanks to the strong hybrid powertrain, having a diesel engine in this class of SUVs always has its own bragging rights.

2023 Nissan X-Trail — Launch And Expected Price Details

Nissan have revealed their plans to bring the X-Trail via the CBU route. The testing for the X-Trail has already begun and Nissan say they will consider local assembly if there’s enough demand. We expect Nissan to launch the X-Trail in early 2023 and it will rival other D1-segment SUVs like the Jeep Meridian, Citroen C5 Aircross, Hyundai Tucson, Skoda Kodiaq and Volkswagen Tiguan. Owing to the high tax on CBU imports, we do not expect Nissan to price the X-Trail competitively. It could fall in the ballpark of Rs. 30 lakh to Rs. 35 lakh ex-showroom.

What are your thoughts on the X-Trail and do you think Nissan should consider local assembly for the X-Trail from Day 1? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

Also Read: New Nissan X-Trail 2022 Unveiled