Nissan X-Trail (2001 – 2007) Review

Nissan X-Trail (2001 – 2007) At A Glance

3/5

+Excellent, honest vehicle, decent to drive on road and best in class off road. Better than original Freelander.

-Marred by diesel engine failures, especially turbo failures on 136.

On average it achieves 95% of the official MPG figure

Now and again a car surprises me. I should have had an inkling from the delivery driver who said he'd really enjoyed his job that morning. All I'd been anticipating up until then was a biggish mid-size SUV with a smallish 2.2-litre diesel engine, so I wasn't expecting it to set my pants on fire.

But the X-Trail is one of those vehicles that impresses with its basic honesty and grows on you.

For a start, it doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't. Big plastic lights. Bluff front. Rubber mats. Plastic wings. Chunky 215/65 x 16 tyres. It's a solid, sensible, practical vehicle, not an in-your-face status symbol.

Nissan X-Trail 2.2DI 115PS 2002 Road Test

Nissan X-Trail 2.2 dCi 136PS 2004 Road Test

 

Real MPG average for a Nissan X-Trail (2001 – 2007)

RealMPG

Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.

Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.

Average performance

95%

Real MPG

20–45 mpg

MPGs submitted

251

Diesel or petrol? If you're unsure whether to go for a petrol or diesel (or even an electric model if it's available), then you need our Petrol or Diesel? calculator. It does the maths on petrols, diesels and electric cars to show which is best suited to you.

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Ask Honest John

What are the best all terrain tyres for my Nissan X-Trail?

"I have a 2006 diesel Nissan X-Trail 4x4 and occasionally use it in forestry which can be mud snow or ice, also farm tracks which are either bone dry or wet and slippery. My main driving is village roads and bypasses approx 5k a year. What would be a good tyre and should I change them all the same time?"
We would suggest an all-season tyre for your Nissan, which would give you good grip in all of these conditions, and with the relatively low mileage they won't suffer by being driven on normal roads. You don't mention your tyre size, but assuming they are 215/60R17 they are plenty of options. A quick look on www.blackcircles.com brought up options such as the Yokohama BluEarth-4S AW21 or the Avon AS7 All Season. You could switch to a proper all-terrain tyre such as the Cooper Discoverer ATT All Terrain which would give you the best grip in tough conditions, but it would compromise the performance on-road so for only occasional use off-road you may find them too extreme. It is not wise to mix different types of tyre so we would suggest replacing all four tyres at once, but one option would be to get a second set of steel or alloy wheels and fitting your new tyres to them. This way you can switch between tyres as the seasons require and get full use of both sets, rather than scrapping your existing tyres.
Answered by David Ross

Can I store my car for months on end because of Coronavirus with a full tank of fuel?

"If I store my 2006 Nissan X-Trail 2.5-litre petrol with nearly a full tank of super unleaded, will the petrol have deteriorated too much when I start using it again?"
Fuel can be stored in a vehicle for around six months before deterioration starts to become an issue. If you plan to keep your car parked up for longer than six months then you might want to consider adding a fuel stabiliser to the tank. Coronavirus: Advice on buying, running and owning a car during the outbreak https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/coronavirus/coronavirus-what-it-means-for-car-buyers-and-owners/
Answered by Dan Powell

How can I re-programme a key for my car?

"The remote functions on one of my keys for a 2005 Nissan X-Trail does not work. I have replaced the battery. It may be the circuit board is faulty or that it has lost its programming. How do I try to reprogram the key? What is the procedure?"
If you have another key that does work, then take both to a branch of Timpsons and they should be able to clone to the code from the good key to the non functioning key. Worth remembering that you only have 10 seconds to change a key battery before the key loses its code, so get the replacement battery out of its packet and ready before you start.
Answered by Honest John

Which Nissan X-Trail to tow my caravan?

"I've been looking at the X-Trail to tow my caravan but people are reporting fuel pump issues and going into limp mode are both these models affected by this. My caravan is 1400kg. I am looking for something with a budget of £3000 that is sort of reliable with the best fuel returns. I have been looking at Mondeos, but these suffer from injector issues was this on all three models can you recommend anything? I have also been looking at the BMW 3 Series, but these also have cam chain braking the m47 engine. I am stuck and just don't know what to look for i know every car has its problems but some have more than others and frequently."
For a towcar for £3,000 you could get trouble with anything. Maybe the answer is something very robust like a Nissan Terrano II. The original X-Trail 2.2 diesel was an excellent, honest car apart from the problems that developed with it, but complaints now seem to have died down (possibly because people don't complain as much about old cars). See: http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/nissan/x-trail-2001/?section=good
Answered by Honest John
More Questions

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