# Good enough reason to buy an X-trail??



## kubik (Jul 27, 2006)

Hi all, another newb here contemplating an X-trail purchase.

I've been looking at other small SUV's and found out that most these share their platforms with sedans. Example, the Honda CRV rides on a Civic base, the Rav4 on a Corolla, and the Tucson on an Elantra.

My question is, are the suspensions on these small SUV's stronger than their sedan counterparts?

The reason I'm asking is because I live in Montreal and the roads here are just terrible! Pot holes, cracked surfaces, bumps, you name it! I drive a Honda Acord and I have to do suspension repairs every two years. 

I held the belief that SUV's like the X-trail have stronger suspension parts (for mild off-roading) that can handle the potholes and rough roads of my city. I assume this should mean not having to deal with costly suspension repairs.

But if the X-trail shares the same platform with a Sentra for example, then wouldn't it mean it would make it no different than a sedan?


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

kubik said:


> Hi all, another newb here contemplating an X-trail purchase.
> 
> The reason I'm asking is because I live in Montreal and the roads here are just terrible! Pot holes, cracked surfaces, bumps, you name it! I drive a Honda Acord and I have to do suspension repairs every two years.


Are the roads in Montreal THAT bad? see below 



Or maybe



OR



Wasn't show you how bad the road is by the way, look at the performance of the standard factory suspension and tell me of the CRV, RAV and other can do the same 

BTW, the tricks I have done with the factory suspension took place about 2 years ago and I haven't yet replaced any of my shocks or noticed signs of any wear.

This is my favourite one though 






> I held the belief that SUV's like the X-trail have stronger suspension parts (for mild off-roading) that can handle the potholes and rough roads of my city. I assume this should mean not having to deal with costly suspension repairs.


Now this is more like it  You're not wrong in your belief. It is true as you can see from the pics above.



> But if the X-trail shares the same platform with a Sentra for example, then wouldn't it mean it would make it no different than a sedan?


The xtrail is a heavier car than the Sentra. It does not share the same suspension. Only the engine is the same (possibly the transmission too, but I doubt it) Had it shared all that with the Sentra, it would have been called the Sentrail LOL 


Now if you still think that the suspension is not upto scratch for the roads in Montreal, then I think you need this. hehehehe



Welcome to the forum!


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## kubik (Jul 27, 2006)

> Are the roads in Montreal THAT bad? see below


LOL nice pics!
Yeah they can be pretty horrible. The roads aren't built very well and potholes are a ritual every winter and spring. That and other defects can wreak havoc on drivers that face these kinds of daily hazards. Most car owners I've talked to have had suspension work done every 2-3 years.



> Wasn't show you how bad the road is by the way, look at the performance of the standard factory suspension and tell me of the CRV, RAV and other can do the same


You're right the X-trail does look like an exception. I was afraid my only option for a capable SUV would be the Suzuki Grand Vitara. I know it has a strong ladder frame but the V6 engine would be costly to maintain.



> The xtrail is a heavier car than the Sentra. It does not share the same suspension. Only the engine is the same (possibly the transmission too, but I doubt it) Had it shared all that with the Sentra, it would have been called the Sentrail LOL


That's good to hear. Does it have the same engine problems that the new 2.5 Sentra and Altima are afflicted with?

thanks for the warm welcome!


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## ValBoo (May 19, 2003)

kubik said:


> .....
> You're right the X-trail does look like an exception. .....
> 
> That's good to hear. Does it have the same engine problems that the new 2.5 Sentra and Altima are afflicted with?
> ...


Hi & welcome,
Montreal roads? really no problem 
I have been running mine 2 years with no problem at all. You'll hear the same from other QC X-Trail owners. Suspension is great.

As far as the 2.5 L engine (QR25DE) there was a general scare that the older sentra/altima problems would surface but not at all on the X-Trail. Corrections were introduced. The engine first came out in 2002 for the sentra/altima... the X-Trail only made its way to Canada for 2005. Also, the sentra with the 2.5 L was tuned for power and lets face it those owners really pushed the car to get most of that power out of it (I was one of them). And lastly, but not least, the X-trail contrary to the others, is made entirely in Japan.


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## kubik (Jul 27, 2006)

ValBoo said:


> Hi & welcome,
> Montreal roads? really no problem
> I have been running mine 2 years with no problem at all. You'll hear the same from other QC X-Trail owners. Suspension is great.


Good to hear you're running problem free. Let's hope it stays like that for awhile! Nice to know there's a fellow montrealer here! btw; How do you drive in MTL? do you try your best to avoid potholes or do you go right through them?




> As far as the 2.5 L engine (QR25DE) there was a general scare that the older sentra/altima problems would surface but not at all on the X-Trail. Corrections were introduced. The engine first came out in 2002 for the sentra/altima... the X-Trail only made its way to Canada for 2005. Also, the sentra with the 2.5 L was tuned for power and lets face it those owners really pushed the car to get most of that power out of it (I was one of them). And lastly, but not least, the X-trail contrary to the others, is made entirely in Japan.


Yeah the "made in Japan" label is quite rare these days. I do believe the build quality would be higher than if it was made in Mexico.
I'm anxious to pay a visit to my local Nissan dealer for a test drive.


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## ValBoo (May 19, 2003)

kubik said:


> ... do you try your best to avoid potholes or do you go right through them?


I usually go from A to B regularly on the same road and of course become acustomed to the road and, yes, I therefore avoid potholes.
Perhaps other members with higher km would comment on the ride, since I am only at 36,000 km.



kubik said:


> Yeah the "made in Japan" label is quite rare these days. I do believe the build quality would be higher than if it was made in Mexico.


FYI actually we have members from Mexico here as well... ooops! hi hi hi




kubik said:


> I'm anxious to pay a visit to my local Nissan dealer for a test drive.


I don't know your driving preference, but there is a big difference in the feel of power/torque between automatic & manual tranny. Thankfully, I test drove both at the time..... amazing manual tranny  that was my pick!


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## kubik (Jul 27, 2006)

ValBoo said:


> FYI actually we have members from Mexico here as well... ooops! hi hi hi


Sorry but that wasn't meant to be negative. Manufacturing automobiles is fairly new for Mexico and it would take awhile before things improved. Just like when the Japanese manufacturers started their plants in N. America. I remember the problems VW had with their Beetles and not to mention the early Sentras being produced in the late 90's.
I expected the quality control to be much higher if the X-trail was made in Japan just for the fact that they've been doing it for an awful long time.



> I don't know your driving preference, but there is a big difference in the feel of power/torque between automatic & manual tranny. Thankfully, I test drove both at the time..... amazing manual tranny  that was my pick!


Definitely I'm an automatic man. Couldn't stand to constantly shift in traffic on the 40 during rush hour.  
I don't mind the auto as long as the X-trail can give me enough power to safely speed up when I need it (passing, merging lanes).


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

kubik said:


> I don't mind the auto as long as the X-trail can give me enough power to safely speed up when I need it (passing, merging lanes).


You gonna love the auto in this regard for sure. I have picked one up because I also get stuck in the rush hour traffic nearly everyday going to work and back. The acceleration of the auto and the speed of gear shift is amazing for the xtrail and I haven't come across such a comfortable auto transmission before in any of my previous auto cars.

As for power and torque...Catch me if you can LOL


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## jeff323 (Jul 26, 2006)

We have a 05 Se with 2 and 4 wheel drive ( i love getting to chose) x trial that's has about 26 000 Km's on it. ours has the auto tranny, and i can tell you it has no problem getting on the 40, or passing on the highway! Even Montreal roads do not feel as bad under this ride. We test drove a CRV for a weekend before we bought and hated the thing. The X trail has a few set backs, but for ride comfort and dealing with Montreal you will love the X trail. Winter was no problem for our X trail with all seasons tires, we just put the wheels on auto and let the computer deal with 2 wheel or 4 wheel drive. Never got stuck once with it. Even with the poor cleaning of the roads.


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## kubik (Jul 27, 2006)

jeff323 said:


> We test drove a CRV for a weekend before we bought and hated the thing.


Yeah I also tried out a CRV and it felt like a car. I didn't mind but I can't stand the placement of the spare wheel, the rear door opening to the wrong side, and the asking price. 



> The X trail has a few set backs, but for ride comfort and dealing with Montreal you will love the X trail.


What are the set backs that you don't like?



> Winter was no problem for our X trail with all seasons tires, we just put the wheels on auto and let the computer deal with 2 wheel or 4 wheel drive.


That's good to know but one word of advice: you should have winter tires for our harsh winters. All seasons rubber can turn hard at -20C and can be quite dangerous at high speeds or for sudden braking.


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## jeff323 (Jul 26, 2006)

The downsides are small. Like has been spoken of in other post, the darn arm rest in the middle. It is too low and too far back to be used as a real arm rest, which can be a bit of a pain on long trips. Another member had a point as well, there is no ash try, I am not a smoker but i like to thow my change and gas bills in there. The cup holder are in a werid place right besides the windows, makes the driver use thier left hand to drink.


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## BC X-Trail (Jul 26, 2006)

Try this car report. It helped us decide.
http://www.auto123.com/en/info/news/roadtest,view,Nissan.spy?artid=63067&pg=1


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## Avery Slickride (Jan 6, 2005)

The X-Trail suspension manages a pretty comfortable ride while being tough enough for some pretty tough terrain. I purposely take the worst routes I can find just for the fun of it, like the dry stream bed that runs parallel to my cottage road. The whole vehicle just feels more substantial than its rivals. And it's not based on the compact Sentra platform, but on the midsized Infiniti G20.


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