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Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007)
On sale: Oct 2001 Class: 4x4s/SUVs
New price: - Used price: From £3,495

Performance: Ride comfort: handling: Total score: Recommended models

★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★
49%
in the range
Boot & Storage: Safety: Reliability:
★★★★ ★★★ ★
Which? Car Top Choice Model
2.2 dCi 136 T-SPEC 5dr
Comfortable to drive on the road.
New price: -
4x4 versions have real off-road ability.
Used price: £7,095
High-spec versions well equipped.
Very poor reliability.
Petrol engines are thirsty. Fastest Model
No ESC on basic models. 2.5 16v Columbia 5dr [Sat Nav]
New price: -
Used price: £6,850

0-62mph: 9.9 secs

Most Efficient Model

2.2 dci 136 Fat Face 5dr
New price: -
Used price: £7,875

Combined fuel economy: 39.2 mpg

Cheapest Model to buy new

-

New price: -

Overview Cheapest Model to buy used

The original 2001-2007 X-Trail was a real hit for Nissan, being one of the first off-roaders to 2.0i S 5dr
bring decent manners to the on-road experience as well the rough stuff. Originally it was not
marketed as a ‘soft-roader’ (like Nissan’s newer Qashqai) but a properly capable machine in Used price: £3,495
off-road use, although it also drives much more like a regular hatchback than most of its rivals.
From 2005, Nissan also offered the X-Trail in cheaper, more economical 2WD form. 
This is the original X-Trail, offered from 2001 until 2007, when it was replaced by a new Cheapest Model to Run (new)
X-Trail. The first series was popular with buyers and there is a decent choice of used examples -
on the market. New price: -
The X-Trail’s trick is to combine genuine off-road credentials with the refined manners of
a road car. Very few SUVs pull this off successfully - but among the best are the Toyota RAV4 Running costs: -
and Subaru Forester. (3 years/36,000 miles)
If you need 4x4 but don’t like the idea of an SUV that drives like a tank, the X-Trail is for
you: it drives very much like a regular hatchback on the road. 
Plush versions are well equipped but it’s best to avoid base models which lack air
Owner’s View
conditioning and stability control. Excellent for towing
The X-Trail has plunged to a very poor one-star reliability rating in the latest Which? Car my caravan. The diesel
Survey, very much bucking Nissan’s generally good record. Braking issues have affected a pulls extremely well and
huge one in four owners this year, while other problem areas include the washer/wipers, fuel economically. Four wheel
system, suspension, exhaust, cam belt and lights. drive means no worries
For running costs, the diesel version makes the most sense, but its reliability record off road on caravan sites.
isn’t as strong as we’d like. Go for a high-spec variant like a T-Spec or Aventura for the most The car is comfortable to
comprehensive equipment. drive, (I am over 6ft tall), has
good rear leg room, and
adequate luggage space.
 Which? Car review
Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007)
4x4s/SUVs

On the road How we test

Forget the wallowy, boat-like progress you might have become accustomed to in 4x4 vehicles
Performance
- the X-Trail drives like a regular hatchback. Its safe handling, comfortable ride and sense
of refinement make it an attractive choice as an everyday road car, which is still capable of
serious off-roading should the need arise. The 2.5-litre petrol engine provides a good blend of
performance and refinement but the 2.2 diesel is a much more popular option. 

Performance ★★★★ We use the sophisticated electronic timing

We tested the tractable and torquey 2.5-litre petrol engine, which has excellent performance, equipment to record standing-start and
allowing comfortable cruising at low revs and effortless acceleration. It’s a refined unit, too. in-gear acceleration, and repeat each test
Nissan also offered a 2.0-litre petrol, but most X-Trails sold in the UK were 2.2-litre diesels, several times.
which offer excellent pulling power combined with reasonable refinement. 
Ride comfort
The five-speed manual gearbox is precise, easy to engage and matches the engine’s
performance well. Other transmission options include a six-speed manual and four-speed
automatic. 

Model tested Acceleration (37-62mph) Rating

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 7.1 secs ★★★★
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 6.1 secs ★★★★ Ride comfort is assessed by our labora-
tory experts who have driven hundreds of
thousands of miles in a myriad of different
Ride comfort ★★★★ models.
SUVs usually suffer from lots of body roll, but the X-Trail’s relatively stiff suspension set-up
makes it very well behaved in this respect, without affecting ride quality too much. 

Model tested Rating

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) ★★★★
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) ★★★★
 Which? Car review
Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007)
4x4s/SUVs

On the road continued... How we test

Handling
Handling ★★★★
We tested a 4x4 version of the X-Trail; its inherent stability is boosted by the fact that torque
is automatically directed to the rear wheels when the front ones start to slip. Permanent all-
wheel drive can be selected for off-road driving. Electronic stability control was not fitted to
some base X-Trails, which is a big omission, so ensure your exmaple has this fitted. The X-Trail
behaves very much like most SUVs in our obstacle avoidance test, in that body roll forces you On-the-limit handling is explored well
to fight strong understeer in extreme circumstances. In normal driving, however, the X-Trail is away from public roads to ensure a fair
great, with docile cornering, good chassis feedback and smooth, if a little imprecise, steering.  test. Our obstacle avoidance test is one of
the harshest tests in the industry..
Model tested Rating
diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) ★★★★ Brakes
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) ★★★

Brakes ★★★
Our brake test revealed an impressively short braking distance for an SUV. The brakes
respond instantaneously and the driver always feels in control. ABS is standard. The Which? Car braking test measures
stopping distance from 62-0mph and is
Model tested Braking distance (62-0mph) Rating repeated ten times in quick succession to
diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 44.0m ★★ highlight any brake fade issues.
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 38.5m ★★★★
Refinement and noise

Refinement and noise ★★★

The X-Trail is refined, with little wind noise or engine intrusiveness. Build quality is clearly very
good and the cabin is trimmed with appealing materials. Sturdy side trims protect the main
bodywork from damage caused by other car doors. 
The Which? Car experts use a decibel
Model tested Cruising noise Rating meter to record interior sound levels
diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 71dB ★★★ at common UK motorway speeds, and
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 69dB ★★★★ combine this with subjective assessments
to arrive at an overall score.
 Which? Car review
Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007)
4x4s/SUVs

On the road continued... How we test

Cabin and controls
Cabin and controls ★★★
The major controls are clearly laid-out and easy to operate. We especially like the dial for
selecting all-wheel drive, the audio system and air conditioning. The height-adjustable steering
wheel is ideally positioned, but its range of adjustment could be wider and its audio/cruise
control buttons are unlit. The position of the instruments in the centre of the dashboard makes
them a little awkward to read. We like the optional sat-nav system, which is one of the best on We penalise cars with difficult controls,
the market. and we look for things like backlit light
switches and easy-to-use heating and
Model tested Rating ventilation adjustments.
diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) ★★★
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) ★★★ Visibility and parking

Visibility and parking ★★★★

The X-Trail doesn’t score very highly in the rear visibility stakes because of its wide C-pillars,
small side windows and non-retractable rear headrests. On the plus side, the large exterior
mirrors offer a good view and the relatively compact dimensions make this easier to park than Visibility is a major issue for motorists
most SUVs. Options include parking sensors and curious roof-mounted lights.  today, so each car gets a 360-degree
swivel view test to reproduce the driver’s
Model tested Turning circle Rating eye view and any obscured areas.
diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 12.1m ★★★★★
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 11.9m ★★★
 Which? Car review
Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007)
4x4s/SUVs

Comfort and practicality How we test

The X-Trail is a pretty practical proposition with a roomy, airy cabin and decent-sized boot.
Getting in and out
It’s easy to load up, too. Be warned that entry-level models did not have air conditioning as
standard. 

Getting in and out ★★★★

Well positioned seats and a high roofline make for comfortable entry and exit. The high door
sills can mean dirt gets on to your clothes, and the rear wheelhouse intrudes somewhat.  We take measurements all around the
driver and passenger’s door apertures
Model tested Rating and note the height of the seat, door sills
diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) ★★★★ and step down onto the car floor. The
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) ★★★★ best cars don’t require too much bending
or stretching to get in and out.

Seat space and comfort ★★★ Seat space and comfort

There’s a roomy ambience up front thanks to generous shoulder width and headroom, and
people up to 1.85 metres tall will feel comfortable. The rear seating is contoured for two
passengers, and with the front seats slid right back, there’s enough rear kneeroom for people
up to 1.80 metres tall. The rear backrests are tilt-adjustable, but the seat bases are too softly
padded. The front seats offer firm back support and the driver enjoys a good seating position. 
We assess seat comfort subjectively,
Model tested Rating using our road testers’ expert knowledge
diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) ★★★★ and experience from thousands of differ-
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) ★★★ ent cars. And we measure the head-, leg-
and elbowroom on offer in every seat, to
see how well the car caters for people of
all shapes and sizes.
 Which? Car review
Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007)
4x4s/SUVs

Comfort and practicality continued... How we test

Boot and storage
Boot and storage ★★★★
The boot is average sized with 390 litres of space (measured up to the cargo cover). Folding
the 60/40 split rear seats expands capacity to 730 litres (up to the window line). The load floor
is rather high, but overall it’s easy to access and load the boot, which is flat and has a practical,
hard surface. It’s all too easy to bump your head on the protruding lock of the open tailgate,
though. There’s a good range of storage compartments in the interior. Carmakers give official stats for boot
space, but our tests are more realistic. We
Model tested Boot space (seats up/down) Rating load the boot up with measuring blocks
diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 390 litres / 390 litres ★★★★ only as far as the rear window line, so
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 390 litres / 730 litres ★★★★ that luggage is well secured and won’t
obscure rear visibility. We repeat the test
with the rear seats up, and folded down
Heating and ventilation ★★★★ (where possible).
Most X-Trails have air conditioning, although the entry-level version did not have this
Heating and ventilation
as standard. When fitted, the air con system works very well, and even includes an air-
conditioned bottle holder and storage compartment on the dashboard. On the downside, the
rear side windows can barely be opened half way. 

Model tested Rating

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) ★★★
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) ★★★★ Feel sorry for the tester who has to warm
each car up from a frosty -10 degrees in
our climate chamber. Starting with a cold
engine, we measure how long it takes to
warm up the front and rear of the cabin.
Diesel cars usually take longer. We also
check the effectiveness of air condition-
ing, where fitted.
 Which? Car review
Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007)
4x4s/SUVs

Running costs and depreciation How we test

The X-Trail isn’t especially cheap to keep going. Its used values are suffering following the
Fuel consumption
arrival of more modern and attractive alternatives like Nissan’s own Qashqai, while fuel
consumption is a sore point, even for diesel-engined models. The 2.5 petrol X-Trail also
languishes in the highest car tax band. 

Fuel consumption
We achieved a miserable average of 28.5mpg for the 2.5-litre petrol X-Trail, well short of the We test fuel economy under strict lab
claimed 30.1mpg. Even the two-wheel drive 2.0 petrol is thirsty at 31mpg, and the 2.2 diesel’s conditions – using realistic test cycles – to
claimed 37.2mpg isn’t brilliant either.  reveal the facts behind the figures. Our
figures rarely match manufacturer claims
Petrol (combined mpg, claimed) 28.2 mpg - 31.0 mpg as, unlike the official mpg test, we mea-
sure economy with both a hot and cold
Diesel (combined mpg, claimed) 37.2 mpg - 39.2 mpg engine, and on the motorway.

Model tested Urban (claimed/tested)

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 31.4 mpg/30.4 mpg
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 21.7 mpg/21.4 mpg

Model tested Extra urban (claimed/tested)

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 45.6 mpg/44.8 mpg
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 36.7 mpg/38.7 mpg

Model tested Motorway (measured)

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 32.8 mpg
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 26.2 mpg

Model tested Combined (claimed/tested)

diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 39.2 mpg/35.8 mpg
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 29.4 mpg/28.5 mpg
 Which? Car review
Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007)
4x4s/SUVs

Running costs and depreciation continued... How we test

Emissions
Emissions
All versions of the 2001-2007 X-Trail emit more than 200g/km of CO2, which isn’t a record to
be proud of, while the 2.5 version is above the 225g/km threshold - and that pushes it into the
highest VED tax bracket. 

Petrol (CO2, claimed) 217g per km - 237g per km While testing fuel economy, we also
collect exhaust gases to enable us to
Diesel (CO2, claimed) 190g per km - 203g per km measure the amount of carbon dioxide
(CO2) emitted. We also check whether
particulate filters are effective at removing
Model tested Emissions (claimed/tested) sooty emissions from diesel engines.
diesel 2.2 (136bhp) manual 5-door (2004) 190g per km/216g per km
petrol 2.5 (165bhp) manual 5-door (2006) 226g per km/228g per km Safety

Safety and security

Stability control was only ever offered on T and Aventura versions in the UK; we recommend
finding an X-Trail with one of these badges for maximum safety. Brake assist was standard
on all versions. Isofix was factory-fitted on the outer rear seats, allowing easy child restraint We rate cars for safety using Euro NCAP
installation, while the rear seatbelts are long enough to fit ordinary child seats fairly easily. The crash test scores (where available),
front airbag cannot be deactivated, so a rear-facing child seat should never be mounted on the alongside our own comprehensive safety
front passenger seat. checklist. Uniquely, we also feed in results
from our accident avoidance test – after
all, it’s far better to steer around a crash
Euro NCAP score ★★★★ than rely on the airbags...
In the Euro NCAP crash test, the X-Trail achieved four out of five stars. The only weakness
Security
was the thorax/head airbag (fully fledged curtain airbags were never available). In the Euro
NCAP pedestrian test, the X-Trail scored two out of four stars, which is an average result.

Adult occupant ★★★★

Child protection -
Pedestrian protection ★★
Security scores come from the security
experts at Thatcham, who break into
Which? safety rating ★★★ hundreds of cars each year. Most modern
cars are very difficult to drive away, but
are still too easy to steal from.
Active (crash avoidance) -
Passive (crash safety) -
Child -
Pedestrian -

Security
A solid score for the X-Trail: five stars for ‘theft of’ and four stars for ‘theft from’. 

Theft of car: Theft from car:

★★★★ ★★★
 Which? Car review
Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007)
4x4s/SUVs

Which? Car Survey results About our survey

The Which? Car Survey is the UK’s biggest and best reliability and owner satisfaction survey.
Brand ratings
In 2013, drivers told us about 57,182 cars, covering more than 450 million miles in the previous
12 months (that’s equivalent to driving 18,398 times around the world). This unique feedback
allows us to rate satisfaction and reliability for hundreds of new and used cars.
Note Star ratings below are from 1-5 (1 is very poor and 5 is very good). Percentages shown
under ‘Most common faults’ indicate the proportion of owners reporting each problem in the
past 12 months.
Everyone who takes part in the Which?
Car survey tells us about their car and
the dealers who sell and service it. We
analyse this feedback across all cars to
give top-level satisfaction ratings for each
brand, including the brand’s reliability
Brand Sample size: 2,068 people record over the last eight years. All star
ratings are out of five.
Nissan ratings
Model ownership ratings
Overall owner satisfaction for this brand 79%
Brand reliability -
Dealer Sales Service ★★★
Dealer Servicing & repair ★★★
These show how owners score this car
in 12 different areas, from performance to
heating. Owners’ ratings are subjective –
so may differ from Which? Car test scores
– but they give a good idea of what the
car is like to live with. Where relevant, cars
Model: Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007) Sample size: 172 people are scored against other cars in the same
class (e.g. for space).
Ownership ratings
Overall owner satisfaction for this range 78%
Driving enjoyment ★★★★
Ease of driving ★★★ Owner’s View
Comfort ★★★ It is the vehicle we use
Dash layout and controls ★★★ to pull our our caravan.
In-car technology ★★★ It always starts, copes
expertly with the chore of
Styling ★★★ caravan towing, is warm,
Build quality ★★★★ comfortable and efficient.
Practicality ★★★★ It’s easy to drive and never
Value for money ★★★★ lets us down.

Owner’s View
Bought this to replace a top
spec. Range Rover, thought
I would hate it but I actually
enjoy driving it. Does
everything I need, including
pulling a livestock trailer.
at a fraction of the cost of
running a Range Rover.
 Which? Car review
Nissan X-Trail (2001-2007)
4x4s/SUVs

Which? Car Survey results continued... About our survey

Reliability ratings
Reliability ratings
Overall Reliability ★★★
Up to 3 years old 3-8 years old
Petrol cars Reliability - -
We split reliability into breakdowns (in-
Breakdowns - -
cluding failure to start), faults (where parts
Average annual repair cost - -
need replacing) and problems (minor is-
Diesel cars Reliability - - sues e.g. squeaks and loose trim). Where
Breakdowns - - the car has been on sale for some time,
Average annual repair cost - - and we have numerous survey responses
All cars Reliability - - from owners, we also split scores by the
Breakdowns - - age of car and fuel type. Star ratings are
Average annual repair cost - - out of five – the more stars, the more reli-
able the car.

Breakdowns: Percentage of cars suffering a breakdown in last 12 months Most common faults
Average annual repair cost: Average annual cost of repairs (not servicing), in past 12
months

Most common faults

Want to know what’s most likely to go
 Up to 3 years old wrong as the car gets older? These are
- - the five most common faults reported by
owners, grouped by age into new, recent
- -
and older cars. A score of 40% means
- - four out of 10 owners reported problems
- - with that part of the car over the previous
- - 12 months. Engine electrics and non-en-
gine electrics (e.g. windows, stereo) cause
 3-8 years old more headaches than mechanical parts in
- - most modern cars.
- -
- -
- -
- -

Failure rate: The proportion of owners reporting this problem in the last year