The Nissan X-Trail has long been a wallflower in the medium SUV space, but the new-generation model has arrived late to the party and dressed to kill.
2023 Nissan X-Trail ST-L AWD
The first and second Avatar movies. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. The new Nissan X-Trail and the old Nissan X-Trail.
What do these things have in common?
Aside from being visually impressive… they’re all 10 years apart.
Yes, it’s been a full decade since Nissan debuted its third-generation X-Trail in 2013. And if you want to feel really old, the original X-Trail arrived way back in 2001.
Ten years is a long time by any measure, but it’s an eternity in car years.
By the time it reached the end of its run, the outgoing X-Trail was looking comically dated, left behind in a heated game of one-upmanship that’s seen the medium SUV category move forward in leaps and bounds.
Thankfully, while the fourth-generation Nissan X-Trail arrived late to the party, it’s dressed to kill.
An updated, thoroughly modernised exterior design has been coupled with substantial improvements to the cabin, features and technology – with price hikes to match.
Here, I’m testing the higher-spec, all-wheel-drive, seven-seat ST-L grade to find out: was it worth the decade-long wait?
How much does the Nissan X-Trail cost in Australia?
The 2023 Nissan X-Trail launched in late 2022 with all variants powered by the same 2.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine paired to a continuously variable transmission. For seven-seat all-wheel-drive models, this is the only engine available, but higher up the range a new hybrid model has recently been added
However, mainstream X-Trail buyers have the choice of five or seven seats, or front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive in the entry-level ST and one-step up ST-L.
While its predecessor had affordability on its side, recent price hikes mean the new-generation X-Trail isn’t quite as budget-friendly as it once was – with increases of between $4000–$7000 depending on the variant.
The range kicks off with the five-seat, front-wheel-drive ST grade, which costs $36,750 before on-road costs, and rises up to $52,990 before on-road costs for the five-seat, all-wheel-drive Ti-L.
This means the X-Trail range now has a slightly more expensive cost of entry than competitors like the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson and GWM Haval H6, all of which ask under $35,000 before on-road costs for their base-spec variants.
Sitting in the upper-middle of the X-Trail line-up is the ST-L I’m testing here, which offers seven seats and all-wheel drive and is priced from $46,290 before on-road costs.
Adding the third row to the ST-L grade costs an extra $3100 before on-road costs, but that includes the addition of all-wheel drive, which you can’t have in this grade in five-seat form.
The addition of the ‘Ceramic Grey’ premium paint shade on my test car also added an extra $735, bringing the total price to $51,061 drive-away (for a Melbourne postcode).
Over and above the grade below, the ST-L adds synthetic leather trim, heated front seats, front parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, 18-inch alloy wheels (up from 17-inch wheels on the ST) and privacy glass for the second row and rear windows.
Pricing for this all-wheel-drive, seven-seat variant is not entirely unreasonable when you consider what its key rivals charge for a similar specification grade.
The Kia Sportage asks between $43,500 and $49,370 before on-road costs for its all-wheel-drive, petrol-powered models, while the ever-popular Toyota RAV4 hybrid ranges from roughly $42,000 to over $55,000 for an all-wheel-drive variant, though neither offers seven seats as an option.
If you’re looking for a seven-seater, the Mitsubishi Outlander offers three rows and all-wheel drive for between $40,990 and $51,490 before on-road costs.
| Key details | 2023 Nissan X-Trail ST-L AWD |
| Price | $46,290 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Ceramic Grey |
| Options | Premium paint – $735 |
| Price as tested | $47,025 plus on-road costs |
| Drive-away price | $51,061 (Melbourne) |
| Rivals | Kia Sportage | Toyota RAV4 | Mitsubishi Outlander |
How much space does the Nissan X-Trail have inside?
Getting into the X-Trail is made easy not only by the keyless entry, but by the car’s ideal hip-point and ride height. It’s got that magic medium SUV quality of not requiring any stooping or stretching in order to get behind the wheel.
I particularly loved how the mirrors fold in when the car is locked, meaning you can bypass that nagging “Wait, did I lock the car?” feeling by simply glancing back. Not exclusive to the X-Trail, sure, but handy all the same.
Once inside, the interior is spacious, well laid out and even slightly upmarket.
The seats are upholstered in black synthetic leather, while the steering wheel is leather-accented, and the dashboard features visual drama in the form of imitation wood panelling and contrasting brown synthetic leather trim.
It’s all perfectly practical, but also a little bit premium.
The front seats are nicely padded but supportive and the faux leather feels plush to the touch, plus they’re heated and the driver’s seat gains eight-way electric adjustment.
The wide centre console has a floating design, allowing for a large, rubber-lined storage section underneath – perfect for hiding the things you’d rather not have in your line of sight (all of my son’s toy construction vehicles, for example).
It offers extra storage in the form of two cupholders, a deep storage bin with butterfly-opening lid, a USB-A and USB-C port, and a rubber-lined tray beneath the dash where you might expect a wireless smartphone charger to sit – but alas, no such luck (that’s only on the Ti grade and up).
There are also sizable storage bins in the doors able to accommodate larger drink bottles.
The plastic finish on the centre console has a slight sheen to it but, wisely, Nissan has added a subtle grain that prevents it from becoming a fingerprint magnet.
The dual-zone climate control is managed out of a strip of buttons and dials in the centre of the dashboard that’s straightforward to use and easy to access on the go.
In the back, my fellow parents will be thrilled to find the doors open at an almost 90-degree angle, which provides perfect clearance for overpowering your toddler when he decides to hurl the entire weight of his tiny body out of his child seat.
The height of the car is also optimal for loading and unloading small children.
Finally, in another instalment of ‘things only parents will notice’, I particularly appreciated that the ISOFIX points on the outboard seats were easily accessible and didn’t require me to dig my fingers into cavernous holes lined with sharp, hard plastic to find them.
There are large bottle holders in the doors, two air vents, one USB-A port, one USB-C port, and a central armrest.
It’s thoroughly roomy back there, and the floor is flat enough to allow ease of movement no matter which seat you’re in. Head, knee and toe room are all very accommodating.
From the ST-L grade and up, the middle row can slide, recline and fold flat in a 40:20:40 configuration, plus the middle section can fold down in a smaller segment to create a ski slot for storing longer items in the boot.
The third row can be pulled into place from the boot via tabs on the back of the backrest. The seats are light and easy to raise, and there’s a separate tab you can pull to easily lower them back down again.
Getting into the third row isn’t quite as straightforward. Even when you tilt and slide the middle-row seats as far forward as possible, the opening barely leaves enough room to squeeze an adult foot through.
Once I managed to contort myself into the third row, the panic set in. I couldn’t sit up straight and my feet felt crammed, with zero toe room available.
There’s a large cupholder and storage area on each side, and the windows allow for a solid amount of light, but I barely lasted one minute before I was desperately clawing my way out.
Kids will cope fine on brief trips, however, so it’s certainly a seating solution that’s more suited to the school run than to a long-haul family road trip.
As for boot space, Nissan only lists one figure: 465L with the third row folded. That’s notably down from five-seat models, which offer a whopping 585L, but it’s still going to be enough space for the average family. Nissan Australia does not provide official figures with the third row up, or with the second row folded, but international specs suggest there’s 1278L with second and third rows folded.
With the third row in place, cargo capacity is reduced but still useable; enough for a small grocery shop or a travel pram stored on its side, if you’re willing to be strategic.
With the third row folded, the boot is huge – with thoughtful inclusions like a designated area under the floor where you can stow the removable fabric cargo cover, a light for the cargo area, tie-down points, and a 12-volt outlet.
Unfortunately, a power tailgate is only offered on the Ti grade and above, and if you opt for the seven-seat option, the third row of seating replaces Nissan’s clever ‘divide and hide’ configurable cargo system, which allows you to individually segment the boot for your various storage needs in five-seat models.
All X-Trails are equipped with a space-saver spare wheel stored under the boot floor.
| 2023 Nissan X-Trail ST-L | |
| Seats | Seven |
| Boot volume | 465L to second row 1278L to first row, estimated |
| Length | 4680mm |
| Width | 2065mm |
| Height | 1725mm |
| Wheelbase | 2705mm |
Does the Nissan X-Trail have Apple CarPlay?
On the X-Trail ST-L, the infotainment system is controlled via an 8.0-inch touchscreen that pops up neatly from the dashboard. It’s small but well-positioned right in your eyeline.
On the higher grades, this becomes a more impressive 12.3-inch unit with in-built satellite navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay (but Android Auto still requires a wired connection).
As it is, the X-Trail ST-L only offers wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and there’s no in-built satellite navigation system, although I tend to mainly use the maps app on my phone these days.
The screen in my test car was perfectly functional and straightforward to use, but lacking in wow factor. Personally, I didn’t love the fonts used, nor was I particularly inspired by the majority black-and-white graphics of the native infotainment menu.
The menu options are limited to phone, audio, clock and broad system settings, without much room for individual configurability.
There’s also AM/FM radio and DAB+ digital radio, a six-speaker sound system, and Bluetooth connectivity for your phone with voice recognition.
A row of shortcut buttons sit below the screen, allowing you to skip to the car’s reverse camera, the infotainment menu, the phone menu, or the audio controls.
You can also manage calls and music through the steering wheel controls.
Meanwhile, a 7.0-inch display sits in the middle of the instrument cluster and offers a digital speedometer, trip computer and other driver assistance information nestled between an analogue speedo and tacho.
I would have loved to see the larger screen from the Ti grade make its way to the ST-L, as the infotainment does feel a tad basic for a car that costs over $50,000 on the road, but the smaller unit is still user-friendly and attractive.
Is the Nissan X-Trail a safe car?
The Nissan X-Trail range received five stars for safety from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program, or ANCAP, when it underwent crash testing in 2021.
It scored 91 per cent for adult occupant protection, 90 per cent for child occupant protection, 74 per cent for vulnerable road user protection, and 97 per cent for its safety assist technologies.
Every 2023 Nissan X-Trail variant is fitted with front airbags for the driver and passenger, seat side airbags for the driver and front passenger, a centre airbag for the front-seat occupants, and curtain airbags to cover all rows of seating.
| 2023 Nissan X-Trail ST-L | |
| ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2021) |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP report |
What safety technology does the Nissan X-Trail have?
Perhaps a better question to ask is what safety technology doesn’t the Nissan X-Trail have?
After its predecessor fell short on safety when compared to newer rivals, Nissan has made sure to pack the new X-Trail full of active features that go above and beyond its accessible price point.
No matter which grade of X-Trail you buy, you’ll receive essentials like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection and junction assist, reverse AEB, active blind-spot monitoring, active lane-keeping, driver monitoring, active cruise control, a reverse camera, rear parking sensors, traffic sign recognition, and high-beam assist.
Opting for the ST-L grade adds front parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring, an around-view monitor, and Nissan’s ProPilot technology.
The latter combines active cruise control with lane-trace assist, maintaining a set speed and distance from the car in front, slowing in accordance with traffic ahead and keeping your car centred in its lane, even around bends in the road.
It’s an advanced system that takes the stress out of longer-haul drives.
Maybe I’m just a nervous nelly, but I didn’t feel entirely relaxed about leaving the steering work up to the car, but found it anticipated corners effectively and nudged me back into the middle of the lane when needed.
The distance control and cruise control also both coped well in ever-changing traffic conditions.
My main complaint was that the speed settings for the cruise control and ProPilot system only display in a small font at the top right-hand side of the driver display and are therefore easy to miss.
I would have loved for them to have their own prominent screen in the driver display, as I find my speed needs are constantly changing in line with speed limits and traffic conditions.
Meanwhile, the traffic sign recognition is immediate and the icon will helpfully flash in the driver display if you go even 1km/h over the speed limit.
The real highlight of the driver assistance package is the 360-degree around-view camera, which is impressive quality for a mass-market car.
It pops up alongside a rear-camera view when you’re reversing or manoeuvring at slow speeds, and pairs perfectly with the front and rear parking sensors to make parallel parking effortless.
Having experienced the brilliance of this overhead-view camera, I’d almost say it single-handedly makes the extra spend over the ST grade worth it.
How much does the Nissan X-Trail cost to maintain?
The X-Trail ST-L will cost $1347.50 per year to insure based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
Capped-price servicing is available for the first six visits and ranges in price between $363 and $696 per visit. In total, it will cost you $3056 to service the X-Trail over six years – working out to around $509 per year on average.
The Kia Sportage costs an average of $491 per year over the same period, while Toyota charges $260 per year to service the RAV4.
With that in mind, the X-Trial’s servicing pricing is manageable but not particularly affordable.
Worth noting is that services happen every 12 months or 10,000km, and the latter is a slightly shorter distance interval than comparable cars that stipulate a service every 15,000km.
Additionally, the X-Trail attracts a price premium over some rivals because it requires a minimum of 95-octane premium unleaded petrol, as opposed to regular old 91 unleaded.
| At a glance | 2023 Nissan X-Trail ST-L |
| Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 10,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1364 (3 years) $2360 (5 years) |
Is the Nissan X-Trail fuel-efficient?
My fuel consumption in the X-Trail was quite varied over the course of my week with the car and depended greatly on the type of driving I was doing.
After a series of short stints in bad traffic – the 20-minute commute to work, the 10-minute trip to childcare – my average fuel consumption rose to 10 litres per 100 kilometres.
That’s not terrible, but I’ve seen some medium SUVs manage closer to 7.0L/100km, and they’re not even hybrids.
Thankfully, once I added a round trip to Melbourne Airport into the mix, the fuel consumption reading dropped to 6.7L/100km, suggesting the X-Trail is its most economical on a freeway driving cycle.
At the end of my week-long stint in the car, the overall fuel consumption figure was a neat 9.0L/100km over a combined driving cycle.
That’s actually not bad for a medium SUV, particularly as I’ve been known to record higher fuel consumption figures than my colleagues, but it could certainly be lower to sweeten the deal and justify that extra spend for the 95 premium unleaded.
Interestingly, my colleague Tom recently saw a fuel economy reading of 6.8L/100km during his time in the X-Trail e-Power hybrid – which makes my freeway figure look pretty damn good (provided you can keep it up).
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Usage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 7.8L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 9.0L/100km |
| Fuel type | 95-octane premium unleaded |
| Fuel tank size | 55L |
What is the Nissan X-Trail like to drive?
Outputs in the new X-Trail have increased compared to the previous generation, rising to a respectable 135kW of power and 244Nm of torque.
The real-world effect of this power bump is that the powertrain is unexpectedly peppy off the line, offering smooth, immediate acceleration that’s delivered through a remarkably refined continuously variable transmission (CVT).
I actually couldn’t immediately tell it was a CVT, which is about the highest praise I can give to a CVT, as I typically find they sap the fun out of driving with lacklustre acceleration and an annoying droning noise.
Instead, it’s quiet, refined and responsive. Even at higher speeds, this powertrain package manages to retain an element of driver enjoyment and feels competent when overtaking and handling freeway driving.
The steering feel was lighter than I expected, which for me felt a little at odds with the size of the car, and meant I occasionally misjudged the amount of input required for a manoeuvre and had to over-correct.
Still, the response is direct and this light steering feel means the X-Trail never feels cumbersome around town.
One gripe I did have, however, was that the flat-bottomed steering wheel can be hard to grip when on full lock – unlike the rest of the wheel, there’s no opening at the base for your fingers, so you have to sort of clumsily grasp the bottom section when required.
On a handful of occasions, I fumbled this grasp and found the steering wheel slipped slightly.
Given I haven’t driven the front-wheel-drive X-Trail, I can’t comment on how this all-wheel-drive offering compares, but I can say traction was never an issue for me around town. Having said that, I had a rare week of perfect weather.
While I can’t imagine they’ll get much of a workout, it’s also nice to know you’ve got the additional Snow and Off-Road modes to play with on family adventures.
I found the cabin of the X-Trail pleasingly quiet on the road, with no noticeable road or tyre noise to speak of, and all-round visibility is good, although I personally felt the placement of the B-pillar made my blind spot ever-so-slightly bigger than usual.
Finally, the X-Trail’s ride is a nice mix of pliant but with a good amount of feedback from the road surface below.
It did seem to become a little harder over sudden, sharper hits like potholes, but was able to coast nicely over cobblestones and sustained harshness.
| Key details | 2023 Nissan X-Trail ST-L |
| Engine | 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol |
| Power | 135kW @ 6000rpm |
| Torque | 244Nm @ 3600rpm |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Continuously variable transmission (CVT) |
| Power to weight ratio | 81kW/t |
| Weight (kerb) | 1666kg |
| Spare tyre type | Temporary |
| Tow rating | 2000kg braked 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 11.1m |
Should I buy a Nissan X-Trail?
Previously, when recommending medium SUVs to friends, I typically wouldn’t mention the Nissan X-Trail in the same breath as the Kia Sportage or Toyota RAV4.
It always felt fine, but a bit dated, unremarkable and something of a wallflower in a very crowded segment.
After finally getting behind the wheel of the 2023 X-Trail, that’s set to change.
In the seven-seat, all-wheel-drive X-Trail ST-L, I was impressed with the versatility of the cabin, the technology on offer, and the comprehensive suite of safety technology available.
It wasn’t just that all these things were available, it was also how well they were executed and how effectively they performed their duties.
There were two main elements I wished were a little bigger: the infotainment screen, and the legroom in the third row.
The first can be fixed by spending a bit more money to get into the flagship X-Trail (although that does mean dropping back to five seats), while the second suggests larger families should probably look to full-time seven or eight-seaters to accommodate their needs.
While freeway fuel consumption was impressively low, I did notice it crept higher on urban jaunts, which is something to be wary of given it drinks premium petrol.
It’s also not the cheapest to service out of its competitive cohort, nor is its pricing particularly budget-friendly anymore.
If you’re not hell-bent on this particular package, I’d consider testing the entry-level ST grade to see whether you’re comfortable in something a little cheaper given the powertrain is unchanged. Or, you could spend a little more to go big or go home… or go hybrid – although both options rule out the X-Trail’s seven-seat option.
The trade-off is that the entire 2023 X-Trail range gets a great drivetrain with solid performance and surprising refinement, the cabin is comfortable and accommodating, the technology and safety on offer are fantastic, and the overall package is full of value, practicality and even finesse.
Welcome to the party, Nissan. Better late than never.
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