Nissan X-Trail review

Strap in, this can get complicated. You’ve got three engines to choose from: the mild-hybrid 1.5 petrol, the 2WD hybrid or the 4WD hybrid. So far, so plain. The MHEV and the four-wheel-drive car come in five- or seven-seat flavours, but the 2WD hybrid is only available with five seats.

You’ve then got five trim levels to select from, although for the 2024 model year the previous entry-level Visia trim was dropped, and a new rugged-spec N-Trek was added near the top of the tree.

The X-Trail range now starts at £35,175 for the five-seater Acenta Premium MHEV, rising all the way up to £49,095 for the seven-seat Tekna+ 4WD hybrid. As a rule of thumb, it costs £1k to go for seven seats over five, around £2,400 to make the jump from MHEV to full hybrid, and another £2,200 for the four-wheel-drive set-up.

What are the trims like?

There are five trims available: Acenta Premium, N-Connecta, Tekna, N-Trek and Tekna+. All cars get LED headlights, 18in alloys, front parking sensors and a rearview camera, an 8in infotainment screen, dual-zone aircon and wireless smartphone connectivity – very exciting – as well as a raft of safety tech.

In N-Connecta trim you get the 12.3in infotainment, 360-degree parking cameras, roof rails and privacy glass. Tekna adds a fancy Bose sound system, 19in alloys, panoramic sunroof, head-up display, heated seats, steering wheel and windscreen, electric seats, powered tailgate and tri-zone aircon. In Tekna+ trim you get fancier seats, more speakers for your fancy Bose sound system and 20in alloys that probably don’t do anything for the ride quality.

The newer N-Trek trim goes all-out on the whole outdoor lifestyle vibe. It brings 18-inch gloss black alloy wheels, gloss black wing mirrors and dark roof rails. There’s water-resistant, wipe-clean upholstery inside plus rubber floor mats and a reversible boot-liner. Oh, and the entry-level price for that spec is actually the highest of the whole range because you can’t spec the cheapest mild hybrid powertrain.

What spec should I go for?

Unless you’re regularly sploshing about in desperately muddy conditions, there isn’t a lot that the X-Trail’s 4x4 system is going to do for you that swapping between summer and winter tyres at the appropriate time wouldn’t accomplish equally well.

In which case we’d go for the 2WD version of the car in mid-range N-Connecta trim. It’s the first of the cars to get the 12.3in infotainment system, but ditches some of the nice (but not necessary) trim highlights further up the range. Unless you wanted seven seats of course, then it has to be the 4WD model. We wouldn’t judge you if you went for the Tekna car.