Nissan X-Trail (2014 - 2022) 1.6 dCi N-Tec 5d Owner Review

Ok, so where do I start? I leased this vehicle and ended up with a lot of car for my money. However, had I paid a dealer near list, I think I would be disappointed. The stand out feature is clearly the size. This is a big car, with loads of legroom, front and back. The boot is capacious, once you have removed the rather pointless false floor which is supposed to add flexibility but doesn't. The tilt slide rear seats are a minor bonus but although this is clearly intended to be a family car, the in cabin storage and rear passenger features are ordinary. Why no USB power for the rear seat for example? The seats themselves are comfortable but the ride (19 inch wheels) is pretty poor until you are at speed on a motorway or dual carriage way; I have not tried a smaller wheeled version. The engine is a mixed bag too. It is fairly powerful for its size, but a car of this size and price deserves a larger, smoother unit with a better torque profile and the semi-agricultural gearbox doesn't help in making smooth progress. The up side is clearly the impressive mpg figures, but I'd rather sacrifice some economy for a better driving experience. What else is not to like; well, the sat nav is very ordinary and has a fairly unresponsive touch screen. The Bluetooth and DAB was very poor until a firmware upgrade but the audio system sounds pretty good for a standard fit unit. The allround camera system was a great aide for my wife to see what she was about to hit but is only fitted to higher spec vehicles. Loads of equipment on my model, but I cant help but feel fewer bells and whistles of a better quality would make more sense. Too many rattles point to possible build quality issues and a drivers door mirror that seems to flap around when the door is shut also rings alarm bells. Oh, and the smart keyless ignition isn't terribly smart. A real shame then that this large and fairly handsome vehicle is let down by its ride, its running gear and possibly its quality. Make sure you test drive before you buy....