Things we like

  • Spacious and practical
  • Big model range
  • Unique hybrid system

Not so much

  • Average petrol engine
  • Limited hybrid availability
  • Short service intervals

The Nissan X-Trail, now in its fourth generation, remains hugely popular as a medium SUV option in Australia, selling 17,494 vehicles in 2024 – a 36 percent increase on 2023. 

Initially launched in petrol-only form, Nissan added ‘e-Power’ hybrid models in 2023 to capitalise on Australia’s growing love for hybrid drivetrains. With a wide variety of available models and drivetrains, is the X-Trail the best option for a medium SUV?

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How much does the Nissan X-Trail cost?

  • ST 2WD 5-seat: $38,025
  • ST AWD 7-seat: $41,065
  • ST-L 2WD 5-seat: $44,465
  • ST-L AWD 7-seat: $47,565
  • ST-L e-Power hybrid AWD 5-seat: $50,765
  • N-Trek 2WD 5-seat: $48,065
  • N-Trek AWD 7-seat: $51,165
  • Ti AWD 5-seat: $51,265
  • Ti e-Power hybrid AWD 5-seat: $55,465
  • Ti-L AWD 5-seat: $54,265
  • Ti-L e-Power AWD 5-seat: $59,265
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What features are standard in the Nissan X-Trail range? 

X-Trail ST standard equipment: 

  • 17-inch alloy wheels
  • Dusk- and rain-activated automatic LED headlights
  • Roof rails
  • Heated and auto-folding mirrors
  • Keyless entry and push button start
  • Cloth upholstery
  • Lumbar adjustment for the driver’s seat
  • Manual air-conditioning with rear air vents
  • 8.0-inch touchscreen
  • 7.0-inch digital driver’s display
  • Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
  • Six-speaker sound system 
  • 4x USB ports

Safety features: 

  • Seven airbags (including a front centre unit)
  • Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist and intersection assist
  • Lane keep assist with lane departure warning
  • Adaptive cruise control
  • Rear auto braking
  • Traffic sign recognition
  • Rear exit alert
  • Driver attention monitoring
  • Blind-spot monitoring
  • Rear cross-traffic alert
  • Rear parking sensors
  • Reversing camera
  • Auto high beam 
  • Hill descent control (all-wheel drive only)

The X-Trail range achieved a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2021 with scores of 91% in adult occupancy protection, 90% for child occupancy protection, 74% in vulnerable road user protection and 97% in safety assist. 

X-Trail ST-L model adds: 

  • Larger 18-inch alloy wheels
  • Dual-zone automatic climate control
  • Leather steering wheel and upholstery
  • Heated front seats
  • 10-way electric driver’s seat
  • 12.3-inch touchscreen
  • Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
  • LED front fog lights
  • Front parking sensors
  • 360-degree camera
  • Sliding 40:20:40-split rear seat bench
  • Adaptive lane guidance
  • Tyre pressure monitoring
  • Auto-dimming rear mirror
  • Satellite navigation
  • ‘Divide-N-Hide’ cargo management system (five-seat) 
  • Rear privacy glass
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X-Trail N-Trek model (shown in photos) adds: 

  • Off-road wheels and bumpers
  • 10.8-inch head-up display
  • Water-resistant upholstery
  • 12.3-inch digital driver’s display
  • Automatic wipers

X-Trail Ti model adds: 

  • Adaptive high beam
  • Panoramic sunroof
  • Power tailgate
  • 10-way electric front passenger seat
  • Ambient lighting
  • Tri-zone automatic climate control 
  • Camera rear mirror

X-Trail Ti-L model adds: 

  • Nappa leather upholstery
  • Heated steering wheel and rear seats
  • 10-speaker Bose sound system
  • Rear door sunshades
  • Hands-free tailgate functionality
  • Memory for the driver’s seat and mirrors
  • Remote start
  • 20-inch alloy wheels (hybrid only)
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How comfortable and practical is the Nissan X-Trail? 

The X-Trail offers buyers an impressively high-quality interior and levels of comfort among the best in this category – even the entry-level ST includes lots of soft touch surfaces across its cabin, while the top-spec Ti L is downright plush thanks to its quilted Nappa leather and quality stitching. 

The X-Trail’s cabin is also quite practical with plenty of storage, including a tray underneath the centre console, a large tray (with a wireless charger on the ST-L and upwards) ahead of the gear selector, large door bins and cup holders and a big box underneath the centre armrest. 

The X-Trail ST uses a 8.0-inch touchscreen that uses Nissan’s older infotainment software, but the ST-L and above use a larger 12.3-inch screen that’s more intuitive and better featured with wireless smartphone mirroring and satellite navigation. 

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The middle seat of the X-Trail is impressively spacious and it’s well featured as even the base ST has charging ports, a centre armrest with cup holders and air vents. Move to the top-spec Ti-L and features like heated seats, a separate climate zone and even sunshades in the doors are standard kit. 

If equipped, the third row in the X-Trail range is best described as ‘kids only’ as it’s a tight space for anybody over five feet tall. There are cup holders but no air vents. The X-Trail is better as a five-seater, in our opinion – if you need a more spacious third row of seating, Nissan will happily sell you a larger Pathfinder.

How big is the Nissan X-Trail? 

The X-Trail measures 4,680mm long, 1,840mm wide, 1,725mm tall and rides on a 2,705mm long wheelbase – that makes it 80mm longer, 25mm narrower and 35mm taller than the RAV4. The X-Trail’s tare weight is a minimum 1,540kg for the base ST to 1,911kg for the Ti-L hybrid. 

In seven-seat models, 177 litres of space is available behind the third row, which opens to 465L with the third row folded. Five-seat models expand that to 575L in hybrid models and 585L in the petrols. With all the seats down, that swells to 1,308L of capacity. 

All petrol X-Trails are equipped with a space-saver spare, while all hybrids feature a tyre repair kit instead.

Will I enjoy driving the Nissan X-Trail? 

If you’re looking for the best dynamics in the medium SUV space, a Mazda CX-5 fits that bill. The X-Trail is not sporty but instead, it’s very comfortable and rides quite well. It’s a relaxing drive – bumps rarely upset the suspension, the steering is pleasingly direct and road noise levels are low. 

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There are two drivetrain choices for the X-Trail: a naturally aspirated 135kW/244Nm 2.5-litre petrol engine, or a 157kW hybrid combining a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine with two electric motors. Both drivetrains use a CVT automatic transmission and while two- or all-wheel drive is available with the petrol engine, the hybrid is exclusively all-wheel drive. 

The petrol engine is refined and perfectly adequate for most buyers, but the hybrid is more efficient, more powerful and – thanks to the unique set up of the e-Power system where only the electric motors drive the wheels and not the engine – smoother as well. That’s because unlike hybrid competitors, there’s no transition between the electric motor and petrol engine powering the wheels.

Is the Nissan X-Trail expensive to run? 

The claimed fuel consumption for the X-Trail range ranges from 6.1L/100km for the e-Power hybrid to 7.8L/100km for all-wheel drive petrol variants with claimed CO2 emissions of between 139g/km to 183g/km. A 55-litre fuel tank is standard and the X-Trail can run on 91RON regular unleaded fuel, though Nissan recommends that the hybrid runs on minimum 95RON premium unleaded. 

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The X-Trail range is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty with five years of roadside assistance that can be extended up to 10-years/300,000km if serviced through a Nissan dealership. For hybrids, there is also an eight-year/160,000km warranty for the battery. All X-Trails use annual or 10,000km (whichever comes first) service intervals and the capped service cost for five years or 50,000km of servicing costs $1,995 ($399 per service).

How much can the Nissan X-Trail tow?

The braked towing capacity for petrol X-Trail models is 2,000kg, with hybrids rated at 1,650kg. Both drivetrains can tow a 650kg unbraked trailer.

Which Nissan X-Trail variant is best? 

Our money would be going towards the $50,765 +ORC ST-L e-Power hybrid. The ST-L is well equipped with features like leather trim, an electric driver’s seat, heated front seats and a comprehensive suite of active safety features including a 360-degree camera.

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The e-Power hybrid drivetrain is also worth spending the extra money for, in our opinion. Although it’s only available with five seats in Australia, it’s considerably punchier and more efficient than the petrol engine. It also gives the X-Trail a USP in the segment thanks to its clever hybrid set up.

Which vehicles rival the Nissan X-Trail? 

Toyota RAV4

Mitsubishi Outlander

Mazda CX-5

Subaru Forester 

Honda CR-V

Volkswagen Tiguan

Kia Sportage

Hyundai Tucson