# Looking to Buy an X-Trail...



## fastness (Mar 28, 2005)

Hello All! 

I'm new to the Forums and was looking for some info/owner opinions on the 2005 X-Trail. I am looking to replace my 2000 Ford Exploder Sport having had everything under the sun go wrong with it in 5 years.

Of all the SUV in it's class, I'm leaning toward the X-Trail (haven't decided on a model yet) and I just wanted to get some owner opinions on best dealership experiences in Toronto, any major recalls and just anything in general that would really make me buy the X-Trial. 'm looking for a reliable (not in the shop every week) SUV that is roomy, affordable and looks good. 

Any input would be greatly appreciated as I finally decided to go Foreign and watch the dometics drown in recalls, poor quaility control and terrible customer service. Thanks in advance!

Daniel


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## bcuzau (Mar 25, 2005)

Hey Daniel,

Welcome to the forum,

Here's some info for ya..
Have you read the test drive at Canadian Driver? if not here it is it's great!..
http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/05x-trail_le.htm
Also there are great video clips if you haven't checked out some of the X-trails features..
http://nissan.ca/en/vehicles/xtrail/index.html

Nam



fastness said:


> Hello All!
> 
> I'm new to the Forums and was looking for some info/owner opinions on the 2005 X-Trail. I am looking to replace my 2000 Ford Exploder Sport having had everything under the sun go wrong with it in 5 years.
> 
> ...


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## dubberwithanxtrail (Mar 14, 2005)

*X-trail review*

Welcome, 
From my own experience I had it down to 2 vehicles, the X-trail and the Subaru Forester. What made the decision in favor for the X-trail was 3 things:
-the wife like it better especially the sunroof, (I actually liked the Forester myself) 
-for the price vs features/convenience the X-trail wins over the Forester
-the Subaru dealer in my area has a poor rep, the next nearest one is about 300km from here.

I have had the X-trail for 4 months now and have really enjoyed it overall, and find it quite comfortable and pleseant to drive with no problems so far. :thumbup: 

There is a few things I don't like: 
:thumbdwn: the damn temp. gauge keeps flashing anytime the temp is below 3 
:thumbdwn: there is a rubbing/creaking sound from the passenger side, more on colder days 
:thumbdwn: the controls for the side mirrors make you lean forward out of the driving position 
:thumbdwn: without carpet in the back stuff tends to slide around a lot 
:thumbdwn: for me personally I would have liked a more powerful engine, although this one is more then adequate for tooling around town and easy on the wallet for gas 

So just take one for a drive and see how you like it, you will get used to the instrument panel being in the middle, and will find it handles pretty well. Oh yeah, there have been no recalls or common problems that I am aware of on the Canadian model to date. If you skim through some of the old posts in this section you will find few problems X-trail owners have had. :thumbup:


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## XTrail1 (Feb 24, 2005)

My X-Trail will hit 40,000k today, no problems to date. It is more rugged than the other small SUV's, it is more truck like than car like. Fuel economy is very good!


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## AlexP (Feb 24, 2005)

I've put about 1,700 km on my new SE in the past two weeks, Daniel, and I've been very happy with it. Dubber's list of gripes covers off a few weak spots, except that I think the engine is a good fit for the vehicle and strikes a nice balance between performance and economy. Sure, we'd all like more power, but that craving gets satisfied by my ZRX1200 (bike season's just about to start :thumbup: ). I'd add another small gripe about the front cupholders - they're a bit small and a little spill from an overfilled large coffee drips down into the air vent and is hard to clean up. Do a web search on X-Trail reliability and you'll see a lot of positive articles.

There are some good dealerships in the Guelph/Kitchener area who will negotiate decent deals if you want to go a bit ouside the GTA.

I went to the Toronto auto show in Feb. to look at the Frontier and other crew cab pickups, and fairly quickly ended up comparing the X-Trail to the Escape, Equinox, Forester, Liberty, etc. I have no regrets about getting the X-Trail instead of a pickup or a larger SUV.

Al


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## Avery Slickride (Jan 6, 2005)

The X-Trail has been sold around the world since 2001, with overwhelmingly positive responses from auto critics and -- more importantly -- owners.
It's won too many awards to mention but the best might be one of the latest: The UK consumers association magazine named it one of the five most reliable vehicles of any kind. It was the only SUV or crossover on the list. The association of fleet buyers over there also named it the most reliable 4x4.
I find the engine powerful enough where it counts: off the line and passing from 80 km/h to about 120. Compared to its direct competitors, it rates high for performance. In fact, it's quicker than a lot of bigger V6 SUVs.


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## fastness (Mar 28, 2005)

Thanks for all the input. I've scoured the internet for news/reviews/test drives and all info I've gotten has been positve. I wish I would have done the same before buying my 2000 Ford Explorer that had everything under the sun go wrong with it including a new engine at 30K! 

Anyway, I was leaning toward the X-Trail all along and I can't seem to find any major problems or concerns with it. 

Any suggestions on model type? I'm liking the SE FWD but was debating bewteen that and the SE AWD.


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## Winterpeg (Jan 31, 2005)

As just a point of reference, I told my father-in-law that we are pretty much decided on buying an X-trail. They are looking at a new car as well, so he went to test drive one for fun. I asked him his opinion and he said it was pretty nice with one exception. He couldn't help but notice the lack of a proper arm rest (too low). When he asked about it, the salesman said it's quite a common question and just shrugged his shoulders.

I think there was another thread that talked about an adapter you buy to raise the height of the armrest they provide but I don't know if it's available here in Canada.

I would be nice if we could buy two X-trails at the same time and save a few bucks, but I suspect he's thinking about a bigger badder SUV.


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## fastness (Mar 28, 2005)

One thing that did baffle me is that I can't seem to find anyone driving an X-Trail on the road. I did over 500 KM this weekend, through Toronto, Missisauga, Markham and I still didn't see one. I've been looking for 2 weeks now and still haven't seen one on the road.

How are the sales in Canada for the X-Trial??


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## mike dockal (Dec 20, 2004)

fastness said:


> One thing that did baffle me is that I can't seem to find anyone driving an X-Trail on the road. I did over 500 KM this weekend, through Toronto, Missisauga, Markham and I still didn't see one. I've been looking for 2 weeks now and still haven't seen one on the road.
> 
> How are the sales in Canada for the X-Trial??


As soon as you buy one you will see hundreds of them


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## AlexP (Feb 24, 2005)

fastness said:


> Thanks for all the input. I've scoured the internet for news/reviews/test drives and all info I've gotten has been positve. I wish I would have done the same before buying my 2000 Ford Explorer that had everything under the sun go wrong with it including a new engine at 30K!
> 
> Anyway, I was leaning toward the X-Trail all along and I can't seem to find any major problems or concerns with it.
> 
> Any suggestions on model type? I'm liking the SE FWD but was debating bewteen that and the SE AWD.


You can't get a manual transmission with FWD, so that made AWD an easy choice for me. The manual shifts well and the clutch has a nice feel, and the lower cost of the manual helps offset the extra cost of AWD.

As Mike said, you'll start seeing more when you have one. Saw two others on the 401 west of Toronto yesterday afternoon...


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## ValBoo (May 19, 2003)

AlexP said:


> You can't get a manual transmission with FWD, so that made AWD an easy choice for me. The manual shifts well and the clutch has a nice feel, and the lower cost of the manual helps offset the extra cost of AWD.
> 
> As Mike said, you'll start seeing more when you have one. Saw two others on the 401 west of Toronto yesterday afternoon...



I can only agree with the above.
The manual transmition is smooth like butter on hot summer day! I love it.

True also about the X-Trail on the roads. Once you get one you notice them more. I'm sure they are selling like "hot cakes" (EAT YOUR HEART OUT CRV & RAV4).


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## Avery Slickride (Jan 6, 2005)

fastness said:


> One thing that did baffle me is that I can't seem to find anyone driving an X-Trail on the road. I did over 500 KM this weekend, through Toronto, Missisauga, Markham and I still didn't see one. I've been looking for 2 weeks now and still haven't seen one on the road.
> 
> How are the sales in Canada for the X-Trial??


Funny you should mention that ...
There are three new X-Trails on my street in Ottawa, and I saw five more on my way to the mall the other day, so they're doing well here.
Strangely enough, I drove 1,000 km to Windsor on Friday and turned around yesterday and came back, and I didn't notice one other Txy until I crossed the line back into Lanark County, and I started seeing them again. Well, we like 'em around Ottawa, anyway.


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