Even the most boring stuff can look good in a fetching presentation. Behavioural studies have shown that it’s a general human tendency to believe more in something lofty and pleasing to the eyes. It could be meaningless — false, even — but the first reaction is always to give a nod of acceptance. Not approval, mind you; acceptance. No wonder there are countless startups raising sacks full of cash and going bust shortly after — all because their decks were sexy and sassy. Canva — you masterful SaaS product. If only people could talk and do as beautifully as well. Anyway.
I browsed the Nissan X-Trail’s web page recently. It’s not half bad, considering that some of the most premium cars have had appalling microsites to them. Even the product presentation in the media briefing was nicely done. But when an entire page in the product brochure is dedicated to butterfly opening type centre console — among a couple of actually important things, I will submit — it’s telling.
I’ll come to the other things later in this commentary piece, but what struck me first about the X-Trail is that it doesn’t come with wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. This product will likely retail in the vicinity of INR 50 lakh. An argument can be made that it’ll mostly be chauffeur-driven and the owners will be doing businessy things on their iPads, so not giving access to the infotainment can be forgiven. It’ll be a weak argument.
It doesn’t even have an in-fashion infotainment screen. It’s a bit 2010s.
What’s definitely not 2010s is — in fact, it is because the tech was first showcased back in 2016 — the variable compression engine. Yes, I hear you — it’s only a 1.5-litre; and not even a 4-pot. Hyundai and Maruti do better with their substantially cheaper cars. I get it. I’ve heard all this and more. I’ll still fight you because this is a worthy engine.
But first, a disclaimer: the 2.0-litre (KR20DDET) and the 1.5-litre (KR15DDT) variable compression engines have been troublesome for customers in the international markets. They’ve been known to cause issues ranging from total engine failure to loss of power and metal shavings in oil pans. Ah oh.
Why do I still say this is a worthy engine after that disclaimer? That’s because of its overall performance and flexibility. It’s not some power-mad, lights-to-lights type of engine. And it’s not even dull and torque-full of slow pull. It’s somewhat of a sweet spot. The power supply through the fairly good CVT is impressive. Forget about whether 163 PS and 300 Nm look good on paper or not, you’ll not complain about the performance, that’s certain. And it’s, likely, mostly to do with the variable compression technology.
And it’s here that we do some nerdy tech talk. As against the conventional engine, variable compression is achieved by altering the elemental setup. An actuator arm links an electric motor to a control shaft which in turn links to the crankshaft at one end. At the other end is another link for what Nissan calls U-link and you can think of as the connecting rod which moves the piston. Is it complex? In retrospect, maybe not as much, but no one else thought of it and it’s a fantastic solution. Sensing the feed on the throttle, the motor will move fore or aft altering the angle of the crankshaft for a more powerful (low compression) or relaxed (high compression) reponse. Imagine a rotary engine spinning — the crankshaft in this VC engine is a bit like that… if you suffer a squint in the eye and a dent in the head.
The engine sounds quite good too. It’s like a chihuahua that’s been smoking cigars all its life — a bit of a gruff tone from this 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder is superbly cute. And the engine is nicely complemented by the chassis. The ride is superbly confident on the nastiest of roads, the steering talks well to the wheels and it’s quite a good turner. Not in the league of the VW Tiguan, perhaps, but just about there.
Okay, now the cabin — the place where you spend all of the time when you’re in a vehicle. It’s not great. The X-Trail does not offer the most basic things. Powered seats in a 50-lakh SUV, or leather seats or some connected car tech: too much to ask? It doesn’t even come with a spare wheel. The HVAC works well though, and the front seats are quite good.
But the middle seat is far too small and doesn’t offer enough under-thigh support to tall-ish people. There’s enough space, however, and the middle seats slide on rails to give the occupants more room. The third row? If you feel intense hostility against someone, that’s where you put them. They’ll cut their body in half and still be uncomfortable. Think you can fit kids in there? Nope. Put your toddlers or adolescents at your peril. Their constant bickering and complaining will make you chop your ears off. It’s not a 7-seater, plain-and-simple.
There’s not even proper SUV street cred to flaunt. It’s a front-drive car with brake limited slip differential (B-LSD) which works off the ABS. Imagine a scenario where you’re stuck in a slightly slushy terrain. When the system senses a wheel slipping, it’ll automatically apply brake pulses to that wheel — that’s what it does. It’s not an off-road mean machine. It’s a simple two-wheel-drive SUV which’ll go over some twigs and wet leaves.
The X-Trail doesn’t stand out. It’s a bit generic in design, there’s not enough substance inside and it’s not cleverly trimmed out. It’s not even at the ‘that’ll suffice’ level. The engine is great and the CVT is quite possibly the best version of its type so far. I’m glad this is not a ‘numbers’ product for Nissan. It’ll be for brand fanatics who want something oblique. Even to them, it’s still not an easy sell.