Road test: Nissan X-Trail N-Tec

The X-Trail has always been one of the rough, tough members of the Nissan family since it appeared in 2001 and went on to sell 1.7 million cars. Tough, yes, but it was never much of a looker — until the new third generation car came along.

This handsome crossover vehicle has much of the style of Nissan’s bestselling Qashqai. The slab sides have gone, the front end is smooth and, while remaining the same height, it is 8cm longer and there is 20 per cent more rear legroom. For an extra £700 you can have seven instead of five seats.

Despite a raft of safety systems, including Active Ride Control, Active Engine Brake, Blind Spot Warning and Hill Start Assist, the car is 90kg lighter than the previous model and the engine has shrunk from two litres to 1.6, giving 130PS with either two or four-wheel drive.

On the road, it can be a bit wallowy around the bends and the steering can feel a little vague. The lever of the six-speed manual gearbox has a long throw and the auto version, which is really a seven-step CVT, is the more pleasant to use, especially in the lighter 2WD versions.

The cabin quality is much better than before and the car has loads of head and legroom. This is an imposing and roomy car, costing from £23,000 to £31,695, which makes a good family holdall and motorway cruiser.

Nissan X-Trail dCi 130
N-Tec Xtronic 7-seat
Top speed: 112mph
MPG: 52.3
Emissions: 135g/km
Price: £29,345