Forget The Qashqai; All-New Nissan X-Trail is Headed Our Way

Some time back, there were rumor mills suggesting that Nissan was knitting together stratagems to rope in its Qashqai on to the Indian roads. We are unsure of any development on that front but Autocar now reports that we will have on offer will be the brand-new Nissan X-Trail!Nissan X-Trail Coming To IndiaA look at the new Nissan X-Trail, and it is obvious that there has been a whole new world of change. And the change is definitely good!! Goodbye to the brawny, squarish build of the earlier version…hello to the chiseled, sophisticated appearance of the all-new X-Trail. The headlamps are stretched back, and we can see hints of what appears to be LED accents. Arguably, the chrome shroud around the honeycomb logo of Nissan is the most eye-catching statement upfront.

The X-Trail is more of a trained martial-artist rather than the bouncer standing with his arms crossed in the dark alleyway of the club leading to the dance floor. Don’t expect muscular wheel arches and definitive creases and folds revealing a sinewy torso. What you rather get is a package of streamlined, flowing lines accentuated by a mildly visible shoulder-line and a gently drooping roofline.

The shape of the windows does provide a hint of that on the Duster as well as the Terrano; they are only surrounded by glinting chrome to provide that premium feel which customers would love to have on the X-Trail after footing a bigger bill than any of the aforementioned cars. A black cladding is present underneath, and it goes all around the car. the tail-lamps too appear sharp and edgy; they too carry a bit of gleaming chrome.

Nissan X-Trail Coming To India

The interiors look fresh as well. Beige mostly dominates the proceedings, with a couple of muted tones of grey adding depth and character at necessary places. Use of chrome has been well under control; the statement hasn’t crossed over to the territory of gawdy or garish. Buttons have found their way on to the steering wheel; we assume they are media controls. There is a touchscreen which could take over entertainment and navigation purposes. At the very lower edge of the picture, we can get a hint of Rear AC vents.

Nissan’s new X-Trail is the first product to be built on the CMF (Common Module Family) Platform. The CMF Platform means that Nissan can mix and match some bellwether parts like the engine bay, suspension and underbody section between its different products. Indians have been very exposed to such strategy in one of the most popular bikes; hence we assume it is obvious that such a strategy would lead to lesser operating costs and better profit margins.

The X-Trail will be a really global car. It will be assembled in five plants worldwide and will be sold in 100+ markets. The X-Trail is more clearly positioned in the Nissan range now, and will be the only seven-seat offering in the line-up. The X-Trail will be available in both front- and all-wheel-drive options, with the 2WD option offered as standard.

The AWD option is Nissan’s electronic four-wheel drive system. It offers a choice between two-wheel drive, automatic mode or a permanent four-wheel-drive mode. The engines that would power the X-Trail would include the same 2.0-litre diesel unit as in the current car and a new 1.6-litre diesel unit as well. There is obviously the probability of the 2.0 L diesel unit getting upgraded and a slim probability of getting the car with Nissan’s X-tronic CVT auto transmission.

Nissan X-Trail Coming To India

Nissan has also tried to make the X-Trail as efficient as possible. They claim the car’s aerodynamics have been improved a lot, and the car is lighter than ever. Take for instance, the tailgate. It is completely made up of plastic and is 7 kgs lighter. The X-Trail boasts of some newer technology like Active Ride Control, which adjusts the suspension after scanning the road ahead. Let us point it out that it is very much on the lines of a similar one doing duty on the new Merc S-Class.

We are very hopeful that the new X-Trail will make its way over to India. Being built on the sharing-and-caring platform of CMF, you can expect an aggressive price tag of around 20 lakhs.

Source – AutoCar India

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