Nissan X-Trail 360 Degrees: Not Just For Dogs

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 05:39

The Nissan X-Trail has advanced from a former off-roader to a practical crossover. With a few comfort elements on board, there is also no need to shy away from driving down the boulevard.

From Thomas Flehmer

Nissan got down to the dog. This week the Japanese are presenting the X-Trail 4Dogs at the Geneva Motor Show - too late for the driving report in the Autogazette, because the test period for our series X-Trail has expired. Your own dog would have loved to thoroughly examine the paradise for dogs set up by the Japanese in the trunk of the concept car, which the four-legged friends can reach via an extendable ramp.

In the trunk, a fluffy basket as well as a small feeding bowl and toys, which are housed in a special compartment in the trunk underbody, could have been used. In comparison with the X-Trail 4Dogs, the Ikea children's paradise makes a rather poor impression. But unfortunately the X-Trail 4Dogs is too late.

No space problems in the Nissan X-Trail

But not only as a concept car, the X-Trail has enough space at 4.64 meters in length to take not only passengers but also dogs with it. Be it in the footwell or on a blanket on the seats, where the person's loyal friend is then transported with a seat belt. Of course, there is already a good 550 liters of luggage space available in the X-Trail 360 degrees, which does not only have to be used for luggage.

If the dog were to take a seat in the rear area, up to five people would not have any space problems in the interior. The well-contoured seats with traditionally a little too short seat covers still offer good travel comfort.

Assistant at a fair price

The driver and front passenger can look forward to a well-structured cockpit. All instruments are easy to read, the display in the middle is a bit too small for today's time. Nevertheless, the driver particularly likes to look at it. As with the 4Dogs concept car, he cannot contact the dogs in the trunk via a monitor, but parking becomes child's play, even in the smallest of spaces.

The Safety Shield System shows the car and its surroundings from a bird's eye view on the monitor, the driver sees the edge of the parking lot and could also park with darkened windows. Inattentive pedestrians who disrupt the parking process are indicated visually and acoustically so that collisions are avoided. This makes parking fun - especially for the surcharge of the system, which also includes fatigue detection and blind spot assistant, of a very fair 750 euros.

Nissan X-Trail 1.6 dCi holds back when thirsty

But the driver - although the type of parking is a certain pleasure - can also move forward with the 1.6 dCi - and quite quickly. With its 96 kW / 130 PS, the 1.7-tonne crossover does not advance to an athlete, but eleven seconds for the sprint and a top speed of 186 kilometers per hour are completely sufficient. The nice thing about this is that the diesel engine retains acoustically even at higher speeds.

In addition, the diesel engine is not too thirsty. 7.4 liters for driving on the autobahn in all speed ranges is a good value. In the city, the X-Trail needed 360 degrees one liter less and thus came within 0.1 liters of the specified value. One reason for this is the well-functioning automatic stop-start system. As usual with Nissan, the currently saved CO2 value lights up in times of rest. It is interesting to see how the number of grams listed increases continuously with each stop. A motivation system especially for those who then deactivate the fuel-saving system by pressing the start button in order not to be "annoyed" while driving.

Nissan X-Trail with selectable all-wheel drive

The chassis acts extremely confidently. Thanks to the switchable all-wheel drive, even inconveniences such as snow and ice can be mastered as well as driving over uneven terrain. Not only the dog, but also the inmates, can appreciate the sovereignty.

However, only after 36,500 euros have been invested in the X-Trail 360 degrees. Then pretty much everything that is available is on board. Those who can do without one or the other amenity pay at least 32,200 for the X-Trail in the Acenta version - but 750 euros for the worthwhile Safety Shield should always be kept ready. By the way, dog owners shouldn't wait for the X-Trail 4Dogs. The show car will remain a one-off.