The launch of the new Nissan X-Trail is a strong indicator of how modern cars are focusing on safety and comfort features
- Predictive Forward Collision Warning,
- Intelligent Cruise Control with Traffic Sign Recognition,
- Lane Departure Warning and Prevention,
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert and
- Rear Auto Emergency Braking (with pedestrian and cyclist calibration),
- Junction Assist, and
- Driver Attention Alert.
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You need to move up to the second model variant to get Nissans ProPILOT which they described as a semi-autonomous system. It can adjust speed down to zero based on the car in front of you and has lane keep assist.
The vehicle has a CVT gearbox but is more seamless in operation that than earlier versions.
The lane keep assist worked well on high quality, well line marked roads but in less than perfect conditions it struggled to identify line markings.
Nissan will be launching a hybrid model of the X-Trail early in 2023.
Power train and suspension
The X-Trail keeps the same 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine across all variants but lifts power output by 9kW to 135kW, and torque is boosted by 18Nm to 244Nm.
Nissan doesn’t particularly highlight that it has a CVT gearbox but they have improved it and it is not as noticeable as some other models.
The two lower variants (ST and ST-L) come in either 2WD or 4WD while the top two variants come in 4WD only.
While they have used some lighter materials in panels etc the overall car weighs a little more than the previous model, none-the-less they have improved the fuel consumption by 0.5 l/100 km which is now 7.4l/100 for the 2wd and 7.8l/100 for the AWD.
The power-steering set-up has also been upgraded, with a “quicker” rack ratio offering improved response, better feeling around the central part of the steering range and reduced friction.
A twist-dial Drive Mode Selector on 4WD models provides five driving modes – Off-Road, Snow, Auto, Eco and Sports – with paddle-shift controls on the steering wheel for manual over-ride of the new shift-by-wire transmission interface.
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