Towards the end of the first year of the Covid-19 lockdown, in 2020, I began to seriously lose the plot. After trying to bake, crochet, meditate, do yoga online, bake, crochet… by the time the year slouched to its dastardly end, I was climbing up walls. 

Cape Town had lost its charm. With roadblocks aplenty and the sounds of sirens drowning out the Sounds of Silence, I became obsessed with breaking free. I’d recently miraculously come into some money that had been owed to me for a very long time, and began to trawl property websites. I was looking for a place to find sanity. Something small, remote, out of the city where I could escape. I must have searched at least 1,000 properties online. 

New Year’s Eve dragged in with a 9pm curfew. From my balcony, I watched the dark and silent city. There were no fireworks, no signs of celebration. It felt like a dystopian cloak had settled over our world for good. 

My inherited first generation X-Trail. (Photo: Melinda Ferguson)

On 3 January 2021, I dragged my partner off to look at two countryside houses. One was in Tulbagh rural, a log cabin nestled on a private nature reserve, somewhere in the remote Mosterhoek Mountains. The seller, a Dutch national, was flogging the entire place — furniture, cutlery, paintings, books, linen, towels, you name it — but what really caught my eye was the inclusion of a Nissan X-Trail. Who sells their house and throws in a car? 

While I loved the wooden cabin, the mesmerising views, the blue piano and the Eames chair that all came as part of the sale, it was the 2002 Nissan X-Trail, with its tape deck and CD player that finally sealed the deal. 

A first-generation classic

My inherited cabby belongs to the classic first-generation X-Trail, launched at the Paris Motor Show in 2000. It has a 2.5-litre petrol engine and a nifty All-Mode 4×4 transmission transfer case which allows me to select between 2WD, 4WD or 4WD Lock via an electronic switch on the dashboard. It soon proved to be the perfect vehicle to bash around off-road on my new home’s mountainous gravel roads. 

Back in 1994, Nissan’s Japanese arch-rival, Toyota, caused a veritable stir when it released the RAV4, which was widely regarded as the first-ever vehicle to look and feel like a compact SUV built on a unibody platform. 

The X-Trail’s intuitive all-wheel drive adapts to different road surfaces. (Photo: Nissan SA)

The Suzuki Vitara had in fact launched six years earlier but failed to inspire the crazy attention the RAV4 elicited. Thus the RAV4 set the scene for a new breed of SUV soft off-roaders, a segment that would over the next two decades take the world by storm. Although Nissan launched its X-Trail only six years later, it immediately garnered a loyal fan base and since then has sold more than seven million units globally. 

Notice the number seven. Nissan waited that long before introducing the second generation in 2007 at the Geneva Motor Show. The third generation X-Trail debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show, in Germany in the autumn of 2014. Seven years later, during the second year of Covid, the fourth generation was unveiled at the 2021 Auto Shanghai in China. 

As an owner, I was especially excited to receive an invitation to attend the recent SA launch of the latest X-Trail in Franschhoek, Yzerfontein and surrounds. Based on the same platform as the popular Qashqai and the latest Mitsubishi Outlander, the new 7-seater X-Trail has come a long way in its design, drivetrain, safety and tech since those first-generation days. 

Available locally with only one engine — a 2.5l petrol engine, producing 135kW and 244Nm of torque (an increase of 9kW and 11Nm from the outgoing model) — it’s supported by a CVT gearbox. The not-so-good news is that Nissan has ditched its respected turbo-diesel engines from the X-Trail line-up in a drive towards a supposedly cleaner emissions future. (However, strangely, Nissan SA has chosen not to offer the hybrid model that’s available globally.) 

There are three models available locally: the entry-level Visia CVT, the mid-range Acenta CVT, and the top-of-the-range Acenta Plus CVT, which is the only model that offers all-wheel drive. 

At the launch, I only got to drive the Acenta Plus, which looks modern, muscular and robust — nothing like my boxy X-Trail from yesteryear. I was pretty taken aback by the number of hi-tech screens that filled the dashboard in the cabin — three in all. There’s a 12.3-inch intuitive touchscreen which supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, while also offering WiFi connectivity for up to seven smartphones. There’s a 10.8-inch head-up display for driver convenience, plus a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. 

Clearly targeted as a family vehicle, there are plenty of storage spaces and commendable room in the middle row, although the third row would definitely only be comfy for smaller kids. I particularly liked the design of the floating centre console. 

There’s also plenty of boot space — 585l in fact — and if you’re planning on carting things around in your X-Trail, Nissan claims that a duo of boot boards will allow for 16 different configurations. I did have a minor gripe on opening the tailgate when I realised there was no “open” and “close” button, but maybe I’ve just been spoilt lately. 

The new 12.3 inch touchscreen. (Photo: Nissan SA)

A smorgasbord of advanced safety systems

While my old X-Trail has two airbags and two seatbelts, the fourth generation has a mind-boggling smorgasbord of advanced safety systems, including Intelligent Cruise Control, Predictive Front Collision Warning, Blind Spot Intervention, Cross Traffic Alert, Forward Emergency Braking, and ProPilot, which is a term Nissan uses for semi-autonomous driving functions. There’s also something called DAA, which stands for Driver Attention Alert, to warn the driver when he or she is not paying attention — a system the Japanese manufacturers seem to love.  

I found my drive to be pleasant and quiet enough. I was surprised by the smoothness of the CVT gearbox — normally not one of my favourites — although when pulling off for a quick overtake, I did notice some rev drone, but it soon settled down. It had a good solid feel on curves and bends, with no discernible body roll. The eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat was super comfy, especially over rougher surfaces, and the intuitive all-wheel drive system kicked in nicely when needed, taking care of power distribution with each change of surfaces.

The new X-Trail is longer and more powerful than its predecessor. (Photo: Nissan SA)

 While Nissan claims fuel consumption to be a combined 7.4l/100km from its 55l tank, I got closer to 9l/100km. If frugality is your thing, it might be worth waiting for the X-Trail e-Power model, although no release date has been announced, so you may have to wait for a very long time. 

Overall, the new X-Trail is a compelling, modern family vehicle in a segment with impressive competition like the Toyota RAV4, the Kia Sorento, the Hyundai Sante Fe and the VW Tiguan Allspace. 

At the end of the day, I have to admit I was still in love with my old 2002 X-Trail with its simple knobs and still damn good basic 4×4 system. Who knows, it may soon become a collector’s piece. It’s in gorgeous condition. And if I had to tally up all the offers I’ve had from strangers keen to buy my boxy Nissan, I’d definitely be able to afford the new one.  

Pricing:

Visia CVT: R649,900

Acenta CVT: R709,900 

Acenta Plus CVT: R759 900

All variants come standard with Nissan’s three-year/90,000km service plan and six-year/150,000km mechanical warranty. DM