Nissan X-Trail???

[pogs]

I was considering the 2006 Subaru Forester, 06 Honda CRV and then the 06 Toyota Rav4, but now I am considering the 06 Nissan X-Trail. Any thoughts as to which vehicle is better?

I know the X-Trail doesn't have a rear mounted spare, but doesn't come with side-curtain airbags and side airbags are only available on the top model. Silly how not one company can come out with a suv of this class with a spare tire stored in the floor with all the safety features included or at least available as an option.

It seems like no one wants my business...arghhhh!!!!! :bang: :bang: :bang:

[allen]

Don't know you could really say one is better than the other, its more a personal thing ... I looked at the RAV & CRV and went with the Xtrail Adventure SE because of the fearures and that great PANA roof, saftey features are not high up on my personal list, I also don't like the rear mounted tire.. Been a great vechile so far, but I'm sure you would enjoy any on your list

[jww]

Boy - they are all pretty decent vehicles. I looked pretty long and hard at soft-roaders before we bought our new car this past month, and considered the CR-V, X-Trail, Sportage and Grand Vittara.

I really liked the X-Trail but found it lacking in safety features like traction & stability control, and side curtain airbags. The fixed mounting points on the roof rails was also a bit of a negative.

The 2.5 engine is a very good one - it has a timing chain and is reasonably quiet. Good accomodations in the X-Trail - it felt that it had alot more room inside the cabin than the compeition = and seating was very generous.

I found the Forrester simply felt too small when compared to the CR-V, X-Trail and Sportage.

That pana-roof is a nice touch, as are the heated seats.

Good Luck.

jww

[XTrail1]

Euro NCAP rates the X-TRail quite well in both frontal offset and side impact, the Euro NCAP is equal to the IIHS in North America and their testing is known to be better than the NHTSA. Better because it is more realistic. Of all safety features I only care for ABS with EBD and BA, the X-Trail has 4 ventilated disc which it's competitors don't have, instead they have solid disc at the back and they tend to distort much sooner. The X-Trail is a solid little SUV, the best out there on fuel. I now have 84,000km on mine and I'm very pleased. I don't have stability and traction control and I won't have to worry about very expensive repairs down the road since I keep my vehicles for a long time.

PS. Oh ya that pana roof can't wait for June!

[jww]

Euro NCAP rates the X-TRail quite well in both frontal offset and side impact, the Euro NCAP is equal to the IIHS in North America and their testing is known to be better than the NHTSA. Better because it is more realistic. Of all safety features I only care for ABS with EBD and BA, the X-Trail has 4 ventilated disc which it's competitors don't have, instead they have solid disc at the back and they tend to distort much sooner. The X-Trail is a solid little SUV, the best out there on fuel. I now have 84,000km on mine and I'm very pleased. I don't have stability and traction control and I won't have to worry about very expensive repairs down the road since I keep my vehicles for a long time.

PS. Oh ya that pana roof can't wait for June!
Man you sure to plenty of driving! Good point about the disc braks - I had forgotten about that. I have driven a couple of X-Trails - SE and LE. I liked the way it drove, and felt on the road. If I were buying today, I'd go with it myself.

jww

[ghog]

IMO, the X-Trail has a big edge in seating comfort and passenger space on all of these rivals. It seems to kick serious butt in performance comparos in the UK, Europe and Oz, too. I've had mine for just over a year and 25K. No complaints.

[Stewie_15]

I have an x-trail and am yet to enjoy the vehicle the way others seem to. for one, I have a low frequency vibration in mine that the dealer claims is normal and that it only occurs of approximately 50 % of the vehicle. it is quite annoying. there are rattles and squeaks galore in my X-trail. I bought it last year and am considering trading it in. Quite dissapointed. Been to the dealer at least 12 times to have it resolved without success, Nissan Canada was quite useless in helping me to resolve the issue. If you can live with the low frequency vibration, squeaks and rattles, then you are in the right crowd.

hope this helps

[jww]

I have an x-trail and am yet to enjoy the vehicle the way others seem to. for one, I have a low frequency vibration in mine that the dealer claims is normal and that it only occurs of approximately 50 % of the vehicle. it is quite annoying. there are rattles and squeaks galore in my X-trail. I bought it last year and am considering trading it in. Quite dissapointed. Been to the dealer at least 12 times to have it resolved without success, Nissan Canada was quite useless in helping me to resolve the issue. If you can live with the low frequency vibration, squeaks and rattles, then you are in the right crowd.

hope this helps
While I am on record as liking the X-Trail (and I do like it), I would also add that Nissan vehicles have a tendancy to shake and rattle. My 2002 Altima was notorious for that. The 2.5 engine is well known, and reasonably reliable, but it does tend to be very loud and needs to rev high to get real power out of it. Of course this is typical of large displacement 4 cylinder engines - the CR-V can have a pretty noisy sound as well.

jww

[ghog]

I have ...a low frequency vibration in mine that the dealer claims is normal and that it only occurs of approximately 50 % of the vehicle. it is quite annoying. there are rattles and squeaks galore...
This is the first I've ever heard of this low-frequency vibration, and I've spent a lot of time discussing X-Trails online. I think your dealer's just trying to get rid of you. As for squeaks and rattles, mine has no rattles. When I first bought it, the temperature outside with in the minus-30s, and there was a little "rubbing" noise from the dash. It went away as soon as the weather returned to normal and has never come back.

[jww]

There is plenty of discussion around X-Trails on the nissan forums site.

Sorry I can't find the URL right now, but if you google it, you should find it without any trouble.

jww

[Roadstar]

Is this thread still alive?
I have 86,000 klics on mine.
Bought in July 04.

I like it a lot for my usage.

Plus + = Real 4x4 and Auto AWD electromagnetic transfer case, Overall room, Pana roof, Economy avg 10L per 100 combined, Heated seats, lots of little storage "doors, two level glove comp, center console, rear seat pouches, top dash compartment with 12v outlet and cooled storage and cup holders to pack a sandwich and drinks to eat on the road.

Minus - = 2.5L engine is lack luster but adequate for most driving conditions, cruise controle engine brake is not very efficient, under carriage & road noise, no flip up rear tail gate window
Inerior finish scratches easily, not enough front leg room for tall passengers. Compared to some, I believe it is over priced. I paid $31,500 for the SE and I thisnk it should sell for under 30G's.

[big_block]

Thread here never die. haha! Interior finish scratch easy: Most cars today wheter if it's exteror(paint) or interior (plastic) scratch very easy. I saw some discount of 5000$ on the SE and LE 2006 remaining. But the X-trail remains a good small SUV. Personnaly, I would take one before a CR-V but the new RAV-4 put the bar very high.

[Roadstar]

You're right Big_Block.
The Xtrail has been in production for a few years in Japan, Europe and South America. It's getting a little dated but remains a pretty good choice.
It was supposed to change for 2007! Of the ones U mentioned none have a true 4WD like the Xtrail. It makes a difference, let me tell you.

[jww]

...
It was supposed to change for 2007!...
Maybe as an early entry 2008 sometime before next summer??

[big_block]

Of the ones U mentioned none have a true 4WD like the Xtrail. It makes a difference, let me tell you.

The new RAV-4 has the 4WD lock mode too in 2006 if I'm not mistaken like the X-trail. Anyway in bith cases the true 4WD works at low speed only and switch automatically to AWD mode when you run higher than 40km/h let say.

The most real 4WD in that category is at Suzuki with the Grand Vitara. Permanent AWD 50/50 + lock mode.

[Roadstar]

I don't know much about Suzuki's, but one thing for sure... If you're going more than 40kph you don't need 4wd anymore, by that time you're out of the hole.

[dazed]

Has anyone compared the 07 Hyundai with the suvs listed so far? I have yet to test drive it but loved the desigb and the interior. I believe it can be locked to 4x4 as well

[Roadstar]

Didn't try the Suzuk...Lot of people like it.
I'm alergic to Suzuki's.


Note on the low frequency vibration on X-Trail. It could be in summer conditions with AC on, the compressors uses up a few HP and drops some revs when idling. It drops enough to note a vibration from the engine compartment but nothing to mention while driving except when windows are down, it's more like a throbbing noise in the ears because of the inside and outside pressure differences. Don't open all the way at highway speeds, should help. No other squeeks or quirks in mine.

[Mr. Meow]

I'm alergic to Suzuki's.

Oh...Why....nought wrong with Suzuki, Although When I had a Suzuki Motorbike and went on my mates Honda CB 250. I always wanted the Honda. Smother ride and smother everything. The Suzuki seamed like ridding a bucket of nails after.
.

[Roadstar]

I guess it's a culture thing! when i started driving, I don't think Suzuki were making anything yet.

[ghog]

I've had three Suzukis, out of a total of about 20 cars I've owned over the years. The Zukes make up 3 of my top 5 in reliability, durability and cost of maintenance. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a genuine, made-in-Japan Suzuki. (I can't speak for the rebadged Korean Dae-Woo sedans they're selling as Suzukis nowadays.)

[edyfung]

Out of all the CUVs, the Suzuki Grand Vitara, '06 Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail came down to become our final choices. IMHO, the Suzuki was solid, but felt a little too bulky/sluggish to drive and my wife just couldn't stand the giant swinging back door.

The '06 Mitsubishi attracted us because of its discounted price, but missed out because of the high loading floor and the fact that the rear seats don't fold flat.

The X-Trail fit the bill nicely. The huge pana-roof was a great feature and the new reduced pricing for the Bonavista trim can't be beat. I realize that the present generation is a terminal model and a new generation will be coming out this July. However, I think that it is still good value if one is looking for a small 4x4 with panache, and not trying to convince oneself that a larger V6 CUV with the latest hi-tech gadgets is the cool thing to have.

My only quibbles regarding the Cdn. 2006 X-Trail Bonavista is that it doesn't come with side window curtain air bags like its Euro sibilings and the fact that rear passsengers have difficulty in exiting the vehicle. However, given the great price, we're quite satisfied with our purchase decision.

[XTrail1]

Out of all the CUVs, the Suzuki Grand Vitara, '06 Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail came down to become our final choices. IMHO, the Suzuki was solid, but felt a little too bulky/sluggish to drive and my wife just couldn't stand the giant swinging back door.

The '06 Mitsubishi attracted us because of its discounted price, but missed out because of the high loading floor and the fact that the rear seats don't fold flat.

The X-Trail fit the bill nicely. The huge pana-roof was a great feature and the new reduced pricing for the Bonavista trim can't be beat. I realize that the present generation is a terminal model and a new generation will be coming out this July. However, I think that it is still good value if one is looking for a small 4x4 with panache, and not trying to convince oneself that a larger V6 CUV with the latest hi-tech gadgets is the cool thing to have.

My only quibbles regarding the Cdn. 2006 X-Trail Bonavista is that it doesn't come with side window curtain air bags like its Euro sibilings and the fact that rear passsengers have difficulty in exiting the vehicle. However, given the great price, we're quite satisfied with our purchase decision.

I have had mine for 127,000km, it is a very reliable and solid vehicle.

[jww]

Edyfung has the same issues that I have with the Canadian X-Trail. Side & curtain airbags with roll-over sensors would make this package fully complete. As it is, you can only get side airbags on the top of the line, and no curtains.

Notwithstanding, I still think that the X-Trail may be the most rugged of the cute-utes, and is certainly good on petrol and has a solid, well-proven engine and AWD system.

[Roadstar]

Out of all the CUVs, the Suzuki Grand Vitara, '06 Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail came down to become our final choices. IMHO, the Suzuki was solid, but felt a little too bulky/sluggish to drive and my wife just couldn't stand the giant swinging back door.

The '06 Mitsubishi attracted us because of its discounted price, but missed out because of the high loading floor and the fact that the rear seats don't fold flat.

The X-Trail fit the bill nicely. The huge pana-roof was a great feature and the new reduced pricing for the Bonavista trim can't be beat. I realize that the present generation is a terminal model and a new generation will be coming out this July. However, I think that it is still good value if one is looking for a small 4x4 with panache, and not trying to convince oneself that a larger V6 CUV with the latest hi-tech gadgets is the cool thing to have.

My only quibbles regarding the Cdn. 2006 X-Trail Bonavista is that it doesn't come with side window curtain air bags like its Euro sibilings and the fact that rear passsengers have difficulty in exiting the vehicle. However, given the great price, we're quite satisfied with our purchase decision.

Well I think you it's a good choice. My Wife has my X-Trail and I have the Dodge Nitro Company car, I can find advantages for both.

I drove the Nissan today for the first time in about a month. Feels strange, because of the lower stance, the engine is fine even though the Nitro has great accelaration. Overall 4 wheel performance in a City envirenment, with snow goes to X-Trail, it's so seemless you never know it's there until it kicks in on Auto and you know it will be there instantly in Lock. The Nitro seems very heavy at low speeds and jerks when in very low speed sharp turning. Overall space is similar, I prefer the Nitro for ride height and wind noise is less than the X-Trail. Better coosole in the Nitro, better interior legg room in Nitro except for the Driver is too narrow.

Enjoy the X...