REVIEW: Nissan X-Trail is a Big Friendly Giant

The current iteration of Nissan X-Trail has been roaming our roads since 2023. So, chances are you’ve seen one — or 10 — out and about. Sure, I’m a bit late to the party giving it a proper go, but after four days behind the wheel, I can confidently say: this Big Friendly Giant doesn’t feel dated one bit.

The interior? Still sleek, modern and sensible. The technology and drivetrain? Holding its own just fine. Let’s dive in.

Big in more ways than one

Imposing stance

At first glance, the Nissan X-Trail looks every bit the chunky sports utility vehicle (SUV) it promises to be. This is not your average ah beng crossover.

We’re talking serious size here — 1,929kg of kerb weight, a tall 1,725mm height, 4,680mm length, and a 195mm ground clearance.

In real-world speak, the X-Trail towers as you pull up beside others in a sedan, allowing you to literally look down at other drivers. This car stands tall enough to shrug off most humps with ease. And, it’s heavy enough to feel reassuringly planted on the road, even when you’re dealing with Singapore’s unpredictable downpours or bouncing along Malaysia’s less-than-perfect highways.

In fact, the ride height is so commanding, and the power delivery so smooth, you might just find yourself accidentally climbing over a kerb thinking it’s another hump.

And the wheels? The X-Trail comes stock with massive 19-inch alloy wheels that give the car a confident, athletic stance.

Up front, you get Nissan’s signature V-Motion grille — big, bold, and unmissable. It’s flanked by sharp-looking dual LED headlamps that wouldn’t look out of place on a spaceship.

The big roof rails stretch along the length of the car and visually amplify its already tall stance.

Even if you don’t plan to strap a sampan or road bike up there, the rails add a touch of adventure-ready style.

Cabin more spacious than a five-room flat

Step inside, and the first thing you’ll feel is its BIG space. Ample, mind boggling space. This isn’t one of those SUVs where the outside is big but the inside feels like a budget airline seat. Nope — the X-Trail delivers. This is an SUV with three rows of seats, and there’s room for seven passengers without anyone needing to sit cross-legged or hold in their elbows.

Don’t believe me? Check out our interior 360-degree view. As usual, pan, spin and pinch to your heart’s content.

Even with all three rows in use, you still get some space left for your items. Groceries, backpacks, small luggage — the essentials fit with no drama.

I know you’re probably thinking that the rear row is bound to be cramped. But in reality, for kids or smaller adults, it’s perfectly usable. I’ve seen tighter rear rows in way more expensive rides.

And if you’re not ferrying seven people around, you can fold that third row down and open up a whopping 485 litres of boot space. Yes – to be fair, this isn’t class leading, but it is sufficient for most needs. It’s easily enough to fit a week’s worth of groceries for a big family, a bicycle with the wheels off, or a few large IKEA furniture you promise your partner you’d assemble later.

And if you ever need to haul something long — say, those two-metre IKEA flat packs that hardly fit into most car boots — the X-Trail’s got your back. The second-row seats come with a convenient 60/40 split, and the third row has independently folding seats. That means you can fold down just one side of the car while keeping the other seats up, so you can transport your furniture and still seat four adults in comfort.

But what if you don’t need all that space just yet? What if you’re still in the midst of growing your family — maybe your apartment still in construction limbo, and you’re squeezing with your spouse at your parents’ place for now? You still need room to breathe, to plan, to lay the foundation (wink) for that next chapter in life.

Again, the X-Trail’s got your back – literally and figuratively. The second and third row can be folded down completely flat. Pop in an air mattress or unroll a big yoga mat, and you’ve got enough space to sleep, chill, or — how shall we say — start working on that family plan.

Yes, I cracked the same joke in my earlier Nissan Serena review, and yes, I’m doubling down. I still think this is more space than what Minister Josephine was hinting at. Nissan is clearly helping you get ahead in life. One foldable seat at a time.

And with that huge panoramic sunroof fitted as standard on the X-Trail, you won’t feel catastrophic while going at that too.

The X-Trail even comes with sunshade privacy screens as standard. Double wink.

Opening real big and wide

But hey, let’s not get the wrong idea — I’m still talking about practicality here. And one of the most underrated features of the X-Trail? Those rear doors. They don’t just open wide — they swing out to a jaw-dropping 85 degrees. Seriously, it feels like defying the laws of physics.

Whether you’re trying to strap in a wriggly toddler, gently unloading a sleeping kid without waking them up, or helping Grandma get in and out without her needing to be a contortionist,  these doors make life so much easier. It’s the kind of thoughtful design you didn’t know you needed until you’re actually in the middle of a car park juggling humans and groceries.

Big screens

Slide into the driver’s seat and you get greeted with not one, not two, but three big screens. Right in front of you, there’s a crisp 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster — fully digital, customisable, and super easy to read. Next to it sits another 12.3-inch touchscreen for infotainment duties, which supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. And just to flex a little more, there’s even a 10.8-inch heads-up display projected onto the windshield.

Friendly in a multitude of ways

Now, the X-Trail isn’t just big — it’s friendly with a big ‘F’. And I don’t just mean the kind of friendly wave at your neighbour when you bump into them. I’m talking friendly to its occupants and to the environment.

Friendly to its occupants

I’ve talked about how the interior is big, but I have not talked about how premium it is. This is a cabin that feels more boutique hotel lounge than an SUV.

Soft-touch materials are generously spread throughout the cabin — across the dashboard, doors, and even around the centre console — making the interior feel plush and well-appointed. You settle into the seats and there’s a distinct sense of calm, of refinement. It’s Japanese craftsmanship and hospitality rolled into one — thoughtful, precise, and never over-the-top.

The driver’s seat is especially pampering, with full electric adjustments including lumbar and under-thigh support. Whether you’re tall, petite, or somewhere in between, you’ll find a comfortable position without wrestling with levers. The front passenger doesn’t get left out either — electric seat adjustments are available there too.

Move to the middle row, and it’s clear Nissan didn’t just put all the goodies up front. Passengers get to enjoy plenty of legroom — enough for full-grown adults to stretch out without knees grazing the front seatbacks. The seats themselves are well-padded and reclinable, offering a genuinely comfy ride even on longer journeys.

And here’s a small but much appreciated detail — middle row occupants get their own air-con vents and a dedicated temperature control panel. No more reaching forward or fighting over the front settings. Everyone can stay cool (or warm) at their own preferred setting.

User-Friendly to drive

And here’s the thing — one of the most friendly aspects of the X-Trail for any driver is just how easy it is to drive. Despite the size, it never feels intimidating. Like many modern e-POWER Nissans, it features an EV-based drivetrain, which gives you that smooth, silent glide off the line. There’s no jerky gear shifting, just seamless, linear power delivery — the kind that makes city traffic feel less stressful.

The steering wheel is light and responsive, which makes low-speed turns and tight parking manoeuvres a breeze. Sure, it doesn’t offer heaps of road feedback, but for the everyday driver, that’s a fair trade-off for ease and comfort.

Just next to the gear selector, you’ll find a very handy drive mode toggle that lets you quickly swap between different driving modes — Off-road, Snow, Auto, Eco, Sport, and even Hill Descent Assist.

Whether you’re venturing into a muddy trail, dealing with a sudden downpour on expressways, or just trying to save fuel on your daily commute, there’s a mode for that. The system tweaks the car’s dual-motor setup and even adjusts how the differentials behave, optimising traction and stability based on your selection — without needing you to be a car expert.

Now, most people might assume that a car this chunky would be a nightmare to manoeuvre in tight spots — and I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that. But the engineers at Nissan clearly had old and tight multi-storey carparks and narrow drop-offs in mind when designing the X-Trail.

Because despite its size, this SUV comes with a physics-defying turning radius of just 5.4 metres. That’s seriously impressive — we’re talking compact car territory. Whether you’re doing a U-turn on a two-lane road, navigating a spiralling carpark ramp in town, or squeezing into that one awkward corner lot at your mum’s block, the X-Trail handles it with surprising grace.

The friendliest part of all? That clever hybrid drive

But if we had to crown just one feature as the most friendly bit about the X-Trail, it’s got to be the hybrid drivetrain — Nissan’s signature e-POWER system. Because it sips less fuel than conventional internal combustion cars, it’s friendlier to Mother Earth, friendlier to the environment, and friendlier to your wallet.

So, what’s the big deal about Nissan’s e-POWER?

Well, unlike many hybrids where the electric motor is just bolted onto a traditional engine as an afterthought — like a spare part leftover from another model — the e-POWER system takes a more elegant, purpose-built approach. In the X-Trail, the wheels are driven purely by the electric motor.

That means this car behaves more like an electric vehicle (EV) than a regular hybrid. You get instant torque, buttery-smooth acceleration, and that signature electric vehicle silence. The petrol engine? It’s just there to act as a generator, quietly humming in the background when needed to keep the battery topped up.

And unlike a proper EV, you’ll never have to fumble with public charging stations or wrestle with thick, awkward charging cables in the rain. Just pump petrol like you normally would, and the car does the rest. So yes — with the X-Trail, you get the drive of an EV that charges with petrol.

Although the exact fuel efficiency figures aren’t stated in the brochures I have access to, I’ve been keeping a close eye on the numbers during my drives — and the results have been quite decent. For most of my typical trips, fuel consumption hovered between 12km/l to 15km/l, which is pretty respectable considering this is a tall, heavy, all-wheel-drive 7-seater. On one particularly smooth and traffic-friendly drive, I managed to hit a whopping 23.1km/l.

Riding on the shoulder of this Giant

Now, let’s talk about how the X-Trail is like to drive and ride. It is actually quite comfortable and very powerful.

“Huh?” you might say. “But the X-Trail only has a puny 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder engine. You call that powerful?”

Ha. If you think that, then sorry — you still haven’t quite understood what e-POWER is about. Scroll up, read that section again, and then come back here. I’ll wait.

See, with Nissan’s e-POWER system, we don’t give a hoot about the cylinder count or the horsepower from the petrol engine — because the engine doesn’t drive the wheels. It’s all about the electric motors.

Even more interesting — the petrol engine that keeps the battery charged is turbocharged, which allows the engine to send more electricity when needed, compared to other implementations of e-POWER that only comes with a natural aspirated engine.

And e-4ORCE moniker on this X-Trail means that you get not one, but two electric motors — front and rear — which means this is technically a dual-motor all-wheel-drive EV… disguised as a hybrid SUV.

The front motor churns out a solid 330Nm of torque, while the rear one adds another 195Nm. Combine that with the instant power delivery typical of electric drive, and you’ve got yourself a properly peppy machine. It’s fast enough to make you forget you’re driving something this tall and heavy.

It’s not just about power either; Nissan’s e-4ORCE implementation helps with cornering stability, braking balance, and body control. Whether you’re doing emergency braking or attacking a twisty hill road with a bit of fun, e-4ORCE manages power and brake pressure between front and rear to reduce that front-back see-saw rocking and keep body roll in check.

Out on the road, the result is clear. The X-Trail moves. Acceleration is brisk with just a light touch on the pedal, even in standard drive mode. Switch it to Sport mode and you’ll feel the car liven up — the throttle sharpens, the response quickens, and suddenly this 7-seater family SUV feels a little cheeky.

The only thing I didn’t like about Sport mode is that Nissan also increased the regenerative braking in that mode. I know, Nissan is probably trying to simulated higher revs and lower gears when you drive a traditional ICE car spiritedly, but I felt that this amount of regenerative braking is unnecessary and detracts from the sport mode experience.

What’s the verdict?

What’s to like Practical and spacious Impressive road presence Powerful and smooth drivetrain Easy to drive

What’s holding it back Lack of road feel through steering wheel High road tax Rear boot space not as large as others in its class Too much regenerative braking in Sport mode

At the end of my time with the Nissan X-Trail, one thing’s clear — this isn’t just another big SUV trying to look the part. It’s the real deal. Spacious, smooth, and surprisingly agile, it ticks all the boxes for families, adventurers, and even those still waiting for their apartment keys. With clever tech, impressive fuel efficiency, and the ultra-smooth e-POWER drive, it’s the kind of car that makes your daily grind feel less grindy. And with e-4ORCE keeping things in check, it’s as capable in a tight carpark as it is on a weekend road trip.

Key Figures

Fuel Tank Capacity	55 L
Range	850 km (Estimated by this writer)
Torque	330 Nm (Front Motor) 195 Nm (Rear Motor)
Power	150 kW (Front Motor) 100 kW (Rear Motor) 0-100km/h not stated
Boot Space	485L
Price (with COE)	From S$238,800 (April 2025)

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