THIS is a review about doing everyday things in an SUV that does pretty much everything well. Sure, the 2021 Nissan X-Trail Ti may be a little dated and will benefit from a refresh, but it still has solid foundations.
Last year, we drove an X-Trail ST to Broken Hill so we are familiar with this car. This test gave us the additional equipment of the Ti version, which really is the cream on top. We took in extended freeway and motorway travel, both in and out of peak hour traffic.
The comfort and practicality of the cabin is as good as we remembered. The X-Trail’s cargo area swallowed up kids Saturday sporting equipment, backpacks, wet weather and camera gear easily.
With the rear seat upright, the available 565-litres of space was more than adequate. The X-Trail seems a perennial favourite based on how many are visible on the streets at any time too.
Once you start paying attention, they are seemingly everywhere, which is testament to their popularity and longevity. As befits a medium sized SUV, the interior is pretty spacious, so adult passenger comfort is very good, front and rear.
Two second row ISOFIX seat mounts with child seat anchor points ensures the smaller ones seating arrangements are covered. The interior highlights include comfortable seating and all the controls within easy reach.
There are two console cup holders and a bottle holder for every door. The rear row fold down armrest also contains two cup holders. Located inside the sizeable console cubby box is a 12-volt outlet with another above the front console tray.
One USB-A outlet and an aux port are adjacent and hopefully this tray will contain a wireless charging pad on the next model update.
We found the heated front and rear seats with heated exterior mirrors and steering wheel were a treat on the cold early morning starts. A neat trick was the ability to funnel the heated air to the console cup holders.
The second row seating slides and tilts for configurable comfort. There is plenty of leg room for adults in the second row and rear console air vents share the climate control around. This makes for happy rear passengers, especially on the longer trips.
The central information screen is small at 7.0-inches, but works well with satellite navigation, and Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, of course. The surrounding side switches were well within reach for operation.
We see the impending model update as an opportunity to enlarge the screen against competitors’ current offerings, however. The steering wheel is standard Nissan, comfortable, well equipped and laid out, immediately familiar from other models.
The Ti is equipped with a Bose premium audio system with eight speakers. It includes DAB+ radio, Bluetooth, and even a CD player.
On the outside, the X-Trail is very much a familiar silhouette, well executed with smooth flow lines. We like the upswept rear side glass and shape carries into the tail gate and lamp indent at the rear.
It sits on Ti exclusive two tone 19-inch alloy wheels with a lower door mounted chrome trim between. The front is dominated by chrome V Shield grille, flanked by LED headlamps and daytime running lights.
Black bars on the lower section sit over a chrome centre finisher with fog lights either side. It makes a strong statement. The ST-L and Ti grades both come with silver roof rails but only the Ti has a tilt and slide panoramic sunroof.
The X-Trail Ti is powered by the venerable 2.5-litre four cylinder engine. It is a solid performer, developing 126kW and comfortably powers the car. It is smooth in operation and is a good fit with the Xtronic CVT, another Nissan staple.
A minor complaint is a tendency for an occasional noisy gear kick down around 90km/h on the big hills. While the official fuel economy is rated at 8.3-litres/100km, we saw figures as low as 7.2 after the freeway travel.
Accounting for the loaded stop and start around the suburbs, we returned around 10.0-litres/100km. As expected in a range topping model, the Nissan is supplied with a proximity key fob for keyless entry and start.
The fob also enables kick open/close use for the tailgate. The Ti’s kick operation functions as intended, albeit a little slowly when waiting with a heavy armload to stow.
The X-Trail is offered with Ruby Red paint (as tested) standard. All other colours are premium paints at an additional $595. Those colours are Gun Metallic, Brilliant Silver, Ivory Pearl, Diamond Black, Copper Blaze and Marine Blue.
The standard Ti interior trim is black leather-accented with Tan trim as a no cost option.
The Nissan is covered by a 5-year unlimited kilometre warranty, with 5-years roadside assistance. Yearly service intervals apply and service plans are available to cover three, four or five services.
The X-Trail has a 5-star ANCAP rating and safety credentials include six airbags, forward-collision warning with emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, and blind spot warning, among others.
The 2021 Nissan X-Trail Ti is currently on offer, and priced at $46,490 drive away (as tested). It’s a lifestyle vehicle that is versatile and capable. It is still very much a worthy contender for those looking for a medium SUV, that is tried and true.
Our test vehicle was provided by Nissan Australia. To find out more about the 2021 Nissan X-Trail Ti, contact your local Nissan dealer.
Driving an X-Trail for a week led me to detest CVTs.
If Nissan wants me to take an interest in the X-Trail they’ll need to fit a nice 8 speed torque converter auto as an option. And the 370Z V6. If not the V6, a diesel with 450nm and AWD would be nice.
After reading this report I thought an overall score of 8.5 was warranted. Why only 7.5? Even the China made vehicles can match 7.5 and they don`t come close to Nissan.
Where the current generation X-Trail struggles is in its ageing technology, particularly infotainment. This is significantly addressed in the new model, set to launch soon, which we’ll bring you a full review of. From what we know, it’s a vast improvement.