Nissan X-Trail 2014 Test Drive Review

Nissan X-Trail: Solid, but uninspiring - that’s the Nissan X-Trail story so far.
In this review and road test, John Cadogan test drives the 2014 Nissan X-Trail.
The 2014 Nissan X-Trail model certainly is an upgrade on the previous X-Trail. In fact, SUVs have become the cornerstone of Nissan’s vehicle portfolio. The company now has six different SUVs: The Juke, Qashqai, X-Trail, Murano, Pathfinder and the ‘I’m so big I’ve got my own gravitational field’ Nissan Patrol.
The 2014 Nissan X-Trail is the SUV Nissan has designed to take the fight squarely to Mazda’s CX-5, Subaru’s Forester, Hyundai's ix35 and Kia's Sportage. So it’s fair to say the 2014 Nissan X-Trail is up against some of the SUV market’s most solid competition.
The 2014 Nissan X-Trail is a huge step forward visually. But does it stack up on fundamentals against leading competitors like Mazda’s CX-5? What about Subaru’s Forester? What about the South Korean Hyundai ix35 and Kia Sportage (which are flipsides of the same proposition)?
Should you even bother putting the 2014 Nissan X-Trail on your SUV short-list? Let’s find out in this review and test drive.