Date Published: 17th December 2010
The X-Trail has long been regarded as one of the soundest, most practical trucks in its class, but some of our testers detected the first signs of it starting to show its age. Quibbles about build quality were few and far between, but the folding mechanism on its rear seats raised an eyebrow and what was once a ground-breaking cabin no longer feels special.
The dash is good and clear, but some of the fascia materials are a bit shiny and hard. Some of the controls feel big and gauche, as does the steering wheel; again, no issues with quality, but the overall design is no longer fresh.
There’s still a useful dash-top box and immense glove compartment, but other vehicles now do a better job of providing usable stowage space. At the back, the rear seats are rather cramped – and our testers made the point that this is not a small vehicle.
Once they’re folded (for which you need to take the headrests off), you’re left with a long and flat cargo floor with a tough, waterproof surface. This has false floor panels concealing a long stowage drawer; the whole lot can also be lifted out if you need to load taller items.
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