Nissan blazing new 4x4 trail

The going was tough, extremely tough! We were in a convoy of Nissan X-Trail vehicles last week when the two-way radio crackled into life and the leader of the pack said: "Look to your left, that's where three people died when their 4x4 vehicles came to grief."

We were at the 4x4 off-road facility at Atlantis Dunes, near Cape Town, for the launch of the new X-Trail when Derick Lategan, expert off-road adventurer and owner of African Outdoor Group warned the convoy.

The Atlantis Dunes venue had been chosen to test Nissan new small SUV, the X-Trail. We had spent the previous 90 minutes putting the vehicle through its paces and got stuck a few times, not because of the off-road vehicle's capabilities, but rather because of our lack of expertise and not listening to his expert instructions!

This sort of warning is inclined to focus the mind on the job at hand.

The latest Nissan SUV is packed with more gizmos and gadgets to make life easier, and safer, when venturing into the bundu. There are three petrol and three diesel models, with a 4x2 version in each fuel derivative.

What makes the SUV appealing is the ground clearance of 203mm which allows for good ramp-over angles on extremely bumpy terrain.

The all-mode 4x4-I drivetrain with additional traction benefits from the ABLS (active brake limited slip differential) delivers good footing on even the most slippery surfaces like the super smooth dune sand at Atlantis.

There's now also an advanced hill descent Control (AHDC) system which allows the driver to specify the preferred rate of descent, between 4 and 15km/h.

This, too, proved to be effective on the sand dunes and the vehicle remained under control at all times.

The hill start assist (HSA) set-up makes ascending gradients as easy as stepping off the foot-brake and onto the throttle, without any juggling of the handbrake, for fuss-free progress up and over the obstacle. However, some of the tail-end charlies at the end of the convoy battled when the dunes had become churned up by the vehicles in the front and had to make quite a few attempts to get to the top.

On the road the occupants are kept safe by the vehicle dynamics control (VDC) system which monitors an array of wheel and yaw sensors to maintain traction and control in unexpected conditions.

The small SUV is also fitted, as one expects, with ABS braking which prevents wheels from locking during emergency stops.

A very rigid structure combined with extensive active safety features like a full complement of airbags are there to improve occupant protection should an accident occur.

The finish and build quality of the vehicles appeared to be good with no squeaks, rattles or breakdowns experienced during the trip to and back from Atlantis.

It would be churlish to gripe about my dislikes because if there were any, they were minor.

This is backed up by sales figures which put the X-Trail as the number one seller in its category. It has built up a solid reputation over the years as a good all-rounder which both mom and dad can enjoy.

PETROLS

2.0 Petrol 4x2 M/T XE Price: R289200

Power/torque: 102kW/ 198Nm

Max speed: 179km/h

Fuel cons: 8.5l/100km

CO2: 202g/km

2.5 Petrol 4x4 M/T SEL Price: R323 900

Power/torque: 125kW/ 226Nm

Max speed: 188km/h

Fuel cons: 9.1l/100km

CO2: 216g/km

2.5 Petrol 4x4 CVT LE Price: R395000

Power/torque: 125kW/ 226Nm

Max speed: 180km/h

Fuel cons: 9.1l/100km

CO2: 214g/km

DIESELS

2.0 dCi 4x2 M/T XE

Price: R306900

Power/torque: 110kW/ 320Nm

Max speed: 186km/h

Fuel cons: 8l/100km

CO2: 178g/km

2.0 dCi 4x4 6A/T SE Price: R385 900

Power/torque: 110kW/320Nm

Max speed: 178km/h

Fuel cons: 7.4l/100km

CO2: 196g/km

2.0 dCi 4x4 6A/T LE

Price: R435900

Power/torque: 110kW/ 320Nm

Max speed: 178km/h

Fuel cons: 7.4/100km

CO2: 196g/km

WE LIKE:

Good allrounder

WE DON'T LIKE:

CO2 ratings in petrol models