Buying, Owning & Improving
Ian Cushway searches out new and used parts prices
The third-generation X-Trail is good and now excellent value, so here’s what you should know if you’re interested in buying one.
Let’s face it, there’s no truly ‘bad’ cars anymore. In the past it’s been all too easy to have a swipe at certain marques and models, having a dig about their rubbish reliability, lack-lustre engines or for just being plain horrible to drive. Well that no longer applies because the benchmarks have been raised, and through a Darwinian process of survival of the fittest, for the most part the duds have been filtered out and the playing fields levelled.
This narrowing of margins between the ‘best’ and ‘almost as good’ has created an extremely competitive marketplace with manufacturers eager to fine tune their products in order to attract buyers. This is perhaps best demonstrated in the potentially lucrative, large SUV sector which is why Nissan knew it had its work cut out when it launched its third-generation X-Trail in 2013.
Codenamed the T32, its immediate rivals were numerous and already well liked and included everything from the Kia Sorento, to the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Volkswagen’s posh Tiguan.
Of course, Nissan has history when it comes to big SUVs, its first-generation X-Trail having started something of a trend over two decades ago. Having undergone several facelifts, the original morphed into the bigger second-generation model in 2007, which in turn paved the way for the incarnation we’re looking at here.
Its all-new successor has only just started to appear in UK showrooms, so the fact that the T32 is no longer a current model is bound to hit nearly new values – something that’s likely to make the seasoned bargain hunter’s ears prick up a little.
So, what’s it like, and how does it stack up against other cars in its class? Well, like many of its competitors, there’s an option of having drive to all four wheels, there lots of space inside and it comes with an impressive amount of kit as standard. Most of the older used stock will have the 1.6-litre diesel under the bonnet which works well, and while the later 175bhp 2.0-litre diesel is better, it’s far more expensive.
While the Nissan’s interior is a bit bland, it does give the impression of quality with its use of soft-touch plastics. The optional panoramic roof sheds a useful amount of extra light inside, though it does restrict headroom slightly so if you’re a tall driver, try before you buy is our motto.
Another positive is that as well as a fiveseater, there’s also a seven-seater option – though as you might imagine, the middle row of seats needs to be pushed forward on its runners unless there’s very small children in the rearmost pews.
The boot capacity is 565-litres, which isn’t the biggest in its class bu
