[Raosaheb Desai]

Hi Everyone,
This is my first post hence kindly ignore any mistake and advice to improve.

History

Being in marketing I need to travel a lot. My first car was Zen (carburetor version). The excitement of first car was so much that I felt there is no better vehicle other than Zen. As it was given by company I had to return it when I left the job. I can not express that sinking feeling in words.
I moved on with my own business and first bought Wagon R and then Swift Diesel. Swift served me very well (till date 94000 Kms). I loaded it with all kind of accessories (and removed afterwards). I always wants to be different and that worked for Swift decision cos initially (2006) most of the people were skeptical about diesel by Maruti. Even my partner asked me to wait for at least six months to check the Maruti diesel reviews. But I took the delivery of Gold Swift VDI within three days and very happy for that HATKE decision. Afterwards its history, because Gold color discontinued and since that day no ready delivery of diesel Swift.

OK it became a little lengthier but I can't help.

In mid 2010 I felt to have a bigger car. My partner bought Laura (AT) and then Cruze LTZ. For long journeys (to Kolhapur) I used to take Laura. I was happy with its performance but never got that ‘connected’ feeling.

I heard about BMW 320 D Corporate edition and was planning to have TD because I never drove a Bimmer before. Also I got some good reviews from Team BHP about 320 D. I was concerned about two things
- no service station in Surat(2010)
- no spare tire as I have to cover long distance daily in industrial area and I can't imagine not to have a extra tire.

Meanwhile one of my customer bought X6 from Mumbai dealer. I was so impressed with the vehicle but his nightmare came later.
I saw X6 being stranded on my way home twice. The reasons given were silly- first diesel quality was not good, second reserved fuel tank sensor not working. Owner told me he has got BIS, SECURE so he will not pay anything. But I could not understand who will pay for the inconvenience caused due to vehicle malfunctioning. After all this drama he once took the car to Shirdi. Surat- Shirdi road condition always remains pathetic and front left tire got punctured. As told by him he had to pay for new tire as well as rim.

Here I stopped dreaming about European beauty because I feel our road conditions are no good to really enjoy these machines and I started looking eastward.
I am not convinced with Honda (no diesel) nor impressed with Toyota (built for price). Meanwhile my reliable Swift stopped in the middle of the road (thankfully near to home) reason was diesel leak from fuel pressure pump. It was not pump fault, culprit was Pete's tuning box which increases pressure and stock pump is not designed for extra load in long run. Got fixed within a day and removed the tuning box. So now I wanted new car immediately for daily use.
This time I came across video review from GTO on youtube. It was about not so popular Nissan X Trail. Also read in Autocar about the same car and both appreciated the vehicle except price.
My first requirement to stand in crowd can only be fulfilled by such vehicle only.(Till that day I never thought to buy a SUV) Also I wanted a sturdy built quality which is a strongest point of X Trail.

During that span I was also impressed with reviews of Skoda Yeti. I inquired about it but local dealer was clueless about launch date and engine details. Then also he was insisting to book with 50000/-.Not convinced.

Also visited VW showroom for TD of new Jetta (140 BHP/manual version) as reviews were good.
It was a funny experience. That day I went there on Activa and parked it in front of show room. Also without any reference. The salesperson’s behavior was such that he is selling Zonda. He was reluctant to give details so I stopped wasting my time and left.

I visited Japan in Oct for business. The person I met was living in Yokohama and he introduced me to his brother who runs a tuning shop in same area. I drove tuned (450 BHP) 370z. It was a thrilling experience. He didn't allow me to drive on main road as I don't have international driving license. Then he showed me his own car and for my surprise it was X trail. I drove it on industrial road and the ride quality and handling was very good. It was petrol and had fantastic pick up.

As soon as I came back I took TD of X Trail auto as well as manual version. My daily run consists of average 12 to 15 km in city and 50 to 60 km on highway so I preferred auto. City driving is now days real pain because everywhere road construction and expansion work is going on.
In December booked the Grey SLX AT and took delivery within 15 days.

What a car.

• Excellent build quality.

• Every part feels like build to last (In Swift I spent nearly 20K for damping sheets -though no regrets)

• Comfortable seats.(Seat heating is of no use in this part of India)

• Meaty steering (no telescopic adjustment)

• Space in front is adequate for drivers with long legs (which is a problem in Laura as well as Cruze)

• Huge Sunroof

• Lots of storage space in dash and glow box.

• Small door pockets (can’t hold full size water bottle)

• Cabin lights are bright.

• Cooled cup holders is nice.

• AC is a chiller.

• Rearview mirrors are big and practical.

• Bi xenon headlamps are excellent and have wide throw (it becomes little yellowish after some time hence I feel to have better visibility compare to xenon’s on Luara)

Fantastic engine.

• Bit vocal in morning but smoothens when warm. No hesitation in high revs.

• Silky smooth gear box.

• City drive or highway it shifts smoothly

• In manual override its joy to drive. Though my Boy racer attitude has mellowed down I still enjoys to play around that tailgating Superb/Accord/Fortuner !!!

• After 5000 kms I changed oil to fully synthetic.

• Performance is not shattering but more than adequate for enthusiast.

Add on
Rear parking sensors (after kissing a pillar at apartment parking)
Replaced stock speakers with Velocity
3 M Films on window
LLumar on front windshield


I like boxy look




Head lamps are excellent




Ground clearance is enough to stop worrying about the road conditions.




No telescopic adjustment for steering.


Enough space for rear passengers.


Big boot with detachable drawers and its washable.


wide opening doors


Small door pockets.


Small foot rest

[amitwlele]

Good review Raosaheb. Some quick questions:

- Kitna deti hai?

- You have listed the good points. Any dislikes?

- NISSAN on the bonnet has been done later by you?

- Why are the snaps small in size? Not a big problem but bigger snaps would have been better.

[ajmat]

Raosaheb

Thank you, this is a good comprehensive review. How does the car feel at speed compared to the Laura?

[shankar.balan]

lovely vehicle indeed. well done and congrats!!
have a great time motoring around in your X Trail!
Keep sharing more info and posts on this - I am quite interested in the X Trail and shall be happy to learn more about your experiences with it!

[Raosaheb Desai]

Quite excited about first post so could not cover all the points in one go.
combined average is 10.5 kmpl (as shown by computer)

Dislikes
Very big boot. Which is of no use for me.
No telescopic adjustment is big let down.
No hydrolic assist for bonnet (it is very heavy)

OK thats it. Other than this I love this machine.

In Laura I never drove above 140. X Trail is MASKAA at any speed upto 170. On Baroda-Ahmedabad Expressway I touched 185, I wanted to cross check top speed of 200 but wife was nervous in back seat

[kaviprem]

Congratulations [COLOR=#777]Raosaheb, [/COLOR]but does this review deserve to be in "Long term Ownership" ?

[GTO]

Superb review! Except for the quirky styling, I'm a big fan of the X-Trail. This soft-roader handles like a sedan, has an excellent engine and better ride comfort than the CRV. Equally, I might add, the Yeti proves a formidable competitor. The Skoda nearly does all of the same things in the same way, albeit at a lower price. Downside is Skoda after-sales and reliability.

I'm certain that the Nissan will prove it's Japanese reliability in the longer term, and serve you very well. Few people test-drive the X-Trail. Those that do are usually hooked!

Drive save Raosaheb.

Originally Posted by Raosaheb Desai

After 5000 kms I changed oil to fully synthetic.

I would be very surprised if your X-Trail didn't have synthetic from the factory. Premium cars don't use mineral oil.

[Raosaheb Desai]

I would be very surprised if your X-Trail didn't have synthetic from the factory. Premium cars don't use mineral oil.

No idea about stock oil. I filled Mobil OW 40.

[sudev]

Nice buy.

Any "off road" experience to test the 4x4 capability?

Did you TD Fortuner in the selection process? Or you can do it now and post a comparison?

Only thing that holds me back from recommending this is very sparse A.S.S. network.

[shankar.balan]

In most respects I am inclined to agree with you on this statement - but certainly not in terms of interior space and luggage carrying capacity.

The Yeti cannot manage to fit a standard sized set of golf clubs in its otherwise cavernous boot, without the rear seats being folded down.

The Nissan X Trail fulfills that particular need admirably, without the seats having to be put down.

Originally Posted by GTO

Equally, I might add, the Yeti proves a formidable competitor.

[Raosaheb Desai]

Recently completed 12000 kms and till date very much satisfied with the practical nature of this crossover.

In last two months searched many forums to add some extra horses.
After noting the advice of experts and discussion with Engineer at dealership, dropped the idea of ECU remapping.
Finally zeroed on to have Tunning Box.

Pete's and Tunit boxes are felt overpriced.

No credible info about other boxes in India.

During the span read review of kdadi about Linea with Racechip box and started searching more about Racechip.

Found quite a few reviews about X Trail with Racechip, also no definitive review for auto box.
I had no good experience with Pete's box, when fitted on Laura DSG hence was double minded to have Tunning box for auto transmission.
Also read about 4.2 tdi Audi Q 7,which had no gain in power after installing Racechip box.

But after learning about the price I decided to go for it (if not worked, it won't be a big loss)
I ordered online on 24 May.
Received the parcel on 28 morning.
Cost 237.87 Euro ( Racechip Box + K & N Filter + Shipping cost )
Paid 3900 towards Custom duty.

As soon as I received it, I first replaced the filter,then struggled to find CRDI connector in engine bay.
Rather wasting time I drove to the dealership. Due to oddly placed connector it was a tough job to do. Though he did it promptly and also run dignosis program to check any corrections required.

Ok, initial run was normal (no extra gain in power, also no turbo lag)
I thought I wasted couple of hundred Euros.

But wait!!!!!
As I hit the open stretch I floored the pedal and first time in last 12000 kms I could feel the drama of wheelspinning and the power surge was just awesome !!!
Racechip claims 190 bhp, I doubt that but gain in power is noticeable.
At any speed I get this serge whenever floor the throttle (it's funny to see ESP workout when I do this)
As mentioned in Audi Q7 review, Audi must have used every cubic mm of that 4.2 tdi engine and Nissan must have some place left for tuners in this Reno 2 lt engine. And that is utilised by Racechip box.

[Raosaheb Desai]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Raosaheb

Thank you, this is a good comprehensive review. How does the car feel at speed compared to the Laura?

Composure at high speed (150 +) is "Rock Steady"
Comparing Laura, you can feel body roll but as you drive it more, X Trail is a crossover which handles better than many of the sedans.

[infotech58]

lovely vehicle.

I used to have a Nissan Xterra (which I think is built on the same platform) until Jan 2011; I was never an SUV/crossover person but I must say the way this truck handeled converted me; stability at high speeds and sheer reliability were two major positives.

Enjoy your ride and keep on updating the thread.

[swiftnfurious]

Congrats on your HATKE decision on X-trail too! Another favorite of mine. And I LOVE boxes. Wish you miles of happy & safe motoring !

Couple of points:

The "Nissan" sticker looks nice on the bonnet & boot. Done from the factory or aftermarket? The color choice is tasteful !

Did you do some R&D on the spare costs / service costs / long term reliability? Please share those points if you have !

Originally Posted by Raosaheb Desai

Owner told me he has got BIS, SECURE so he will not pay anything.

Originally Posted by Raosaheb Desai

As told by him he had to pay for new tire as well as rim.

From some reviews where I read on the BIS, some tire replacements are free every year or so. How come the owner had to pay even then[just curious] ?

Originally Posted by Raosaheb Desai

Though he did it promptly and also run dignosis program to check any corrections required.

This is surprising as installations like a tuning box voids warranty & the service engineers used to deny in checking up such things. Here you have a very nice guy who even does a diagnosis to check whether something is wrong. Good thing. Please do keep up the rapport, will help you many a times.

Originally Posted by Raosaheb Desai

But after learning about the price I decided to go for it (if not worked, it won't be a big loss)
I ordered online on 24 May.

Pointers to the website / info please !

Originally Posted by Raosaheb Desai

Ok, initial run was normal (no extra gain in power, also no turbo lag)
I thought I wasted couple of hundred Euros.

But wait!!!!!
As I hit the open stretch I floored the pedal and first time in last 12000 kms I could feel the drama of wheelspinning and the power surge was just awesome !!!

Does the tuning box make all the extra power so instantly visible?? I guess not. We might need to wait for couple of start / stops and some kilometers before the visible difference I assume.

PS:: Would you mind providing the service costs that you are spending on the car? Also what is the service interval of the car, every 10K or 15K kms?

[Raosaheb Desai]

Thanks Swiftnfurious,

Service interval is of 20k, but I changed all filters at 5000 and will change oil after 15k.

Every year in Autocar December issue you get spare's cost comparison, after studying it I believe X Trail spares are priced competitively against Fortuner, Captiva and Endy.

For air filter and oil filter I paid 1500.

I always keep a good rapport with service engineer, whether it is Maruti or Nissan.
Unfortunately, could not have the same with Skoda people !!!!

Chiptuning von RaceChip - Prof. Motor Tuning gnadenlos preiswert

Yes, any tuning box gives instant results. I experienced same with Pete's box in Swift and also in Octy. As per my understanding,they alter the ECU signals to pressure pump which increases as required in heavy acceleration.
So it should give instant result with healthy pressure pump.

Originally Posted by infotech58

lovely vehicle.

I used to have a Nissan Xterra (which I think is built on the same platform) until Jan 2011; I was never an SUV/crossover person but I must say the way this truck handeled converted me; stability at high speeds and sheer reliability were two major positives.

Enjoy your ride and keep on updating the thread.

Yes, the handling of these Nissan machines is praiseworthy.
The practical and no nonsense nature of this car grows over you.

As you drive it more you will love it more and more.