X-Joe: Nissan X-Trail (2003)

September 07,2003

Toyota RAV4, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Subaru Forester—the soft-roader segment is getting pretty much crowded, providing just about any need and want you could think of. What something sporty and compact with some poser points? The RAV4. Something for the family man? Try the Honda CR-V. All the bases have been covered, so it begs the question, is there still room for the Nissan X-TRAIL?

Late to the compact SUV party, the X-TRAIL is Nissan’s bid for resurgence in the local scene. After pretty much being walloped in the compact sedan and mid-sized sedan markets, the company needs a new image leader—something that will epitomize the ‘shift’ marketing campaign. At the same time, it wants to show that Nissan has always been in the forefront of advanced thinking. On the first point, the X-TRAIL is spot on. It can be considered as the company’s new image leader, along with the 350Z. It fits with the revitalized international line-up, where Nissans are now designed to be entertaining, radical and unique (see Murano, new Quest, new Maxima and Altima). So is it advanced then? Hardly. It’s a compact SUV—sure, it’s the first for Nissan, but it’s the Nth variation of the same old theme: small-engined, four-wheel drive, drives like a car, blah blah blah. I’m not saying that the X-TRAIL is awful. In fact, I find it a pleaser to drive. However, it fails to carve up a nice niche for itself.

The X-TRAIL offers sportiness, practicality and toughness—none of them to an astounding, mind-blowing degree. If the compact SUV market were a high-school class, the RAV4 would be the athlete, the CR-V, the nerd and the Escape, the bully. The X-TRAIL? He’s the kid that rarely gets the teacher’s attention. He’s your Average Joe—your 50th percentile, and there’s the rub. The X-TRAIL is androgynous, and it does nothing extraordinary to grab the headlines.

If looks could kill, then the X-TRAIL won’t even sting. The boxy profile and upright design are easily digestible—for such an understated look. It’s like wearing a pair of Dockers khakis to your clubbing night. Sure, it’s nice, reliable and comfortable, but don’t expect to woo a sexy girl with your safe fashion sense. The same goes for some details such as the alloys, which conspicuously looks identical to the RAV4’s. So, it’s like wearing Dockers pants with matching black Florsheim shoes, then. Luckily, there’s some degree of bling-bling in the complex jewelry of the headlamps. Along with the sharply creased hood and mesh-grille, it gives some inclining of rebellious spirit: like wearing a dangling earring ala David Beckham. So, it’s not all boring understatement, then. For motorheads, however, the X-TRAIL is all thumbs up. When was the last time you had someone give you a hand signal other than the middle finger gesture on the South Superhighway? I rest my case.

The X-TRAIL comes in three variants, the names of which don’t exactly connote anything.

So, I personally have conjured up my own line-up: strong, full-strength and extra-strength. Distinguishing factors are similar to any other SUV in the same category: the base model 200 gets everything but the essential four-wheel drive system; the mid-priced 200X has all the reasons for getting an SUV plus some distinguishing exterior marks. Of course, the range-topping 250X gets cow hide and a funky radio.

Like my favorite cup of espresso, extra-strength would keep my hands shaking and palms sweating ‘til the next morning, so I’d rather go for full-strength then for all of the thrills and none of the frills. The power goes down smoothly, like Colombian blend, without any hiccups all the way to the last drop. It kicks hard, all 150 ponies keeping my senses in check. There’s a hint of Bailey’s too with that baritone growl. The road tightens and turns to an uphill bend, then reality bites—downshift, upshift, downshift; for all that hair-on-chest experience, the transmission’s a fag. So too is the steering action, but engaging the four-wheel drive ‘Auto’ quells the helm: better balance and no more torque steer.

Okay, so the transmission and steering aren’t my cup of tea, or in this case, coffee. But, don’t start equating the X-TRAIL to a sissy, for it certainly is not. Beneath that tight, body-hugging tee, hides family blood that’s tried-and-tested as it is famous: the Sentra platform. Before you start going, did he say Sentra on me, read on. Despite what other hooligans say, the X-TRAIL is no Skyline GT-R. Flip it, turn it inside-out, tear it apart, pry off my finger nails—nothing changes this fact. The X-TRAIL, however, benefits from the famed one’s four-wheel drive software technology. So what if it doesn’t behave as it were on rails, the X-TRAIL is controlled, civilized, and quite capable on or off-road.

Japanese designers had fun in the X-TRAIL’s lifestyle oriented towards active seekers—sure, you can picture paradise surfers, scuba divers and mountain bikers. But with the interior swathed in water-proof neoprene and faux brushed aluminum, fans of S&M will find their fetishes fulfilled—no whip, just take off your pants and rub yourself against the seat material. All the more, you won’t suffer from friction burn, as it’s as slippery as the Peso-exchange rate. There’s a lack of lateral support, but it’s manageable overall and comfortable enough on long journeys.

Lawrence of Arabia won’t suffer from drinking lukewarm Coca-Cola next time he crosses the desert—the X-TRAIL features a built-in drinks cooler that’s powered by the air conditioning unit. I know, it wasn’t the first thing that crossed my mind when I drove it, and I’d bet neither did you, but it’s smart: you cool yourself and your refreshment at the same time. Unfortunately, the rest of the cabin isn’t as smart: the cup holders are flimsy, there’s a lack of cubby holes for your mobile phone or even a stash of bills for the highway toll fee.

Accommodations aren’t exactly First-Class Boeing 747. It’s more like Concorde, with just enough space for five burly men, rubbing biceps and all. Seat three and you probably will have a hard time putting enough equipment to film a segment of The Amazing Race. On a good note, there’s enough space in the cargo bay to fit a full-sized Lab—finally, a compact SUV that could! Since the cargo bay is completely removable and washable, there’s no problem if Fifi or Spot decides to use the X-TRAIL’s cargo compartment as his fire hydrant. It would have scored a perfect ten out of ten if not for the security guards being able to tell what brand of shampoo I bought. A cargo cover, standard on some of its competitors, should have been made standard issue.

So, I once again go back to my original question: is there room for the Nissan X-TRAIL? As a buyer, I would certainly say, yes—more choices is most certainly better. However, I’m still bothered as to what the main strength of the X-TRAIL is over the rest. Performance? Toyota RAV4. Practicality? Honda CR-V. Handling? Subaru Forester. Traditional? Suzuki Grand Vitara. Toughness? Ford Escape.

But, ah…it’s beginning to show. Each of these soft-roaders has its own niche, its own strength—the Nissan X-TRAIL combines a little of each, while minimizing the obvious weaknesses. Sure, it has come late to class, but at least this Average Joe can easily be an athelete, a nerd or a bully, when and where he wants to. Don’t believe me? Well, try telling Shaq to get the square root of 4,523,402 mentally.

By Ulysses Ang | Photos By Ulysses Ang

Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.