Likes
- Excellent levels of practicality.
- Resilient interior.
- Showing very good reliability (with exceptions).
- Genuine off-roading ability.
Used Nissan X-Trail (T31) review
2007 - 2013
Dislikes
- Diesel models showing typical modern diesel issues.
- High potential for CVT issues if not serviced.
- Both of the above can become very expensive to repair.
- Driving experience can be too harsh for some.
Stuff you should know
The second-generation or T31 X-Trail was released here in Australia in October 2007, and depending on year and trim spec, in a choice of front-wheel drive 2.0-litre petrol, four-wheel drive 2.0-litre turbo diesel or most commonly on the used market, four-wheel drive 2.5-litre petrol forms, with, (again depending on spec), a 6-speed manual or continuously variable transmission (CVT).
In four-wheel drive form the X-Trail certainly won’t challenge the likes of a Toyota LandCruiser or Jeep Wrangler when the going gets very tough, however thanks to its All-Mode 4×4-i All-Wheel Drive system, the T31 can handle far more serious off-roading than the vast majority of other SUVs in this segment.
In terms of trim specs, here in Australia petrol models were split across three variants, ST, ST-L and Ti while the diesel engined models had to do with two, the TS and TL.
The X-Trail also received a mid life update in 2010 and another smaller update in 2011, featuring improved fuel economy and revised styling while manual ST-L and Ti variants were discontinued.
What goes wrong
Exterior:
The good news is, there are very few issues that we would regard as common.
There are the odd sporadic reports of door lock actuators playing up and windscreen wipers having problems however again, not at all common.
The serious problems we did uncover were generally due to abuse off-road or dodgy repair work after having an accident or being abused off-road.
Interior:
It’s generally the same story, the occasional electronic gremlins but again, not what we’d call common issues as such.
Mechanically:
The less popular 2.0-litre (MR20) front-wheel drive is very reliable. Worn & rattly timing chains and higher than average oil consumption can occur occasionally in poorly serviced examples but if these 2.0-litre engines are well maintained, it’s very uncommon to see serious mechanical issues.
The 2.5-litre (QR25) four-wheel drive is a fairly good unit too and thankfully does not suffer the same chronic head gasket issues these engines had in the older T30 X-Trail. However, head gasket failures are not completely unheard of, although it is nowhere near as common.
The QR25 does have an issue with the drive belt tensioner rattling at idle which is usually caused by a seized alternator over-run pulley and with the age of these now, equates to engine bay plastics (especially radiators) are likely to be getting quite fatigued.
The Renault M9R 2.0-litre turbo diesels, like most diesels of his era have the usual complications with DPFs & EGR vales & EGR coolers. They also tend to leak oil and there are a plenty of issues with the turbos too.
While the diesels are more fuel efficient than their petrol counterparts, the long-term higher cost of servicing and the more expensive repair bill when something inevitably breaks, means that the petrol’s just make far more sense.
Here’s a fun fact too, the petrol’s outnumber the diesels in Australia by nearly 5:1.
The Jatco CVT in these is the problem child in the T31 X-Trail.
Nissan do not schedule regular CVT oil changes at all and only recommend changes under “extreme conditions” (e.g towing or heavy off-roading) and even then, only recommend the fluids to be changed at 90,000km which is honestly, utter madness!
If you want to greatly improve the CVTs chances of it not having major issues, change the CVT and the transfer case oil every 40,000km.
If you’re looking at one to buy one, try and find some evidence that the CVT and transfer case fluids have been changed at least once at some point in the car’s life.
Recalls:
- 18 November 2009 – The pinion shaft of the steering gear to the gear housing which may loosen and cause noisy steering operation. 13,426 T31 X-Trails
Exterior:
The good news is, there are very few issues that we would regard as common.
There are the odd sporadic reports of door lock actuators playing up and windscreen wipers having problems however again, not at all common.
The serious problems we did uncover were generally due to abuse off-road or dodgy repair work after having an accident or being abused off-road.
Interior:
It’s generally the same story, the occasional electronic gremlins but again, not what we’d call common issues as such.
Mechanically:
The less popular 2.0-litre (MR20) front-wheel drive is very reliable. Worn & rattly timing chains and higher than average oil consumption can occur occasionally in poorly serviced examples but if these 2.0-litre engines are well maintained, it’s very uncommon to see serious mechanical issues.
The 2.5-litre (QR25) four-wheel drive is a fairly good unit too and thankfully does not suffer the same chronic head gasket issues these engines had in the older T30 X-Trail. However, head gasket failures are not completely unheard of, although it is nowhere near as common.
The QR25 does have an issue with the drive belt tensioner rattling at idle which is usually caused by a seized alternator over-run pulley and with the age of these now, equates to engine bay plastics (especially radiators) are likely to be getting quite fatigued.
The Renault M9R 2.0-litre turbo diesels, like most diesels of his era have the usual complications with DPFs & EGR vales & EGR coolers. They also tend to leak oil and there are a plenty of issues with the turbos too.
While the diesels are more fuel efficient than their petrol counterparts, the long-term higher cost of servicing and the more expensive repair bill when something inevitably breaks, means that the petrol’s just make far more sense.
Here’s a fun fact too, the petrol’s outnumber the diesels in Australia by nearly 5:1.
The Jatco CVT in these is the problem child in the T31 X-Trail.
Nissan do not schedule regular CVT oil changes at all and only recommend changes under “extreme conditions” (e.g towing or heavy off-roading) and even then, only recommend the fluids to be changed at 90,000km which is honestly, utter madness!
If you want to greatly improve the CVTs chances of it not having major issues, change the CVT and the transfer case oil every 40,000km.
If you’re looking at one to buy one, try and find some evidence that the CVT and transfer case fluids have been changed at least once at some point in the car’s life.
Recalls:
- 18 November 2009 – The pinion shaft of the steering gear to the gear housing which may loosen and cause noisy steering operation. 13,426 T31 X-Trails were affected.
- 27 October 2010 – The Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) specification on the locally printed compliance label may be incorrect. This affected 68 X-Trails.
- 20 September 2012 – The bulkhead lower front insulator may warp and so the clearance to the turbocharger becomes insufficient. 8,136 X-Trails were affected.
Exterior:
The good news is, there are very few issues that we would regard as common.
There are the odd sporadic reports of door lock actuators playing up and windscreen wipers having problems however again, not at all common.
The serious problems we did uncover were generally due to abuse off-road or dodgy repair work after having an accident or being abused off-road.
Interior:
It’s generally the same story, the occasional electronic gremlins but again, not what we’d call common issues as such.
Mechanically:
The less popular 2.0-litre (MR20) front-wheel drive is very reliable. Worn & rattly timing chains and higher than average oil consumption can occur occasionally in poorly serviced examples but if these 2.0-litre engines are well maintained, it’s very uncommon to see serious mechanical issues.
The 2.5-litre (QR25) four-wheel drive is a fairly good unit too and thankfully does not suffer the same chronic head gasket issues these engines had in the older T30 X-Trail. However, head gasket failures are not completely unheard of, although it is nowhere near as common.
The QR25 does have an issue with the drive belt tensioner rattling at idle which is usually caused by a seized alternator over-run pulley and with the age of these now, equates to engine bay plastics (especially radiators) are likely to be getting quite fatigued.
The Renault M9R 2.0-litre turbo diesels, like most diesels of his era have the usual complications with DPFs & EGR vales & EGR coolers. They also tend to leak oil and there are a plenty of issues with the turbos too.
While the diesels are more fuel efficient than their petrol counterparts, the long-term higher cost of servicing and the more expensive repair bill when something inevitably breaks, means that the petrol’s just make far more sense.
Here’s a fun fact too, the petrol’s outnumber the diesels in Australia by nearly 5:1.
The Jatco CVT in these is the problem child in the T31 X-Trail.
Nissan do not schedule regular CVT oil changes at all and only recommend changes under “extreme conditions” (e.g towing or heavy off-roading) and even then, only recommend the fluids to be changed at 90,000km which is honestly, utter madness!
If you want to greatly improve the CVTs chances of it not having major issues, change the CVT and the transfer case oil every 40,000km.
If you’re looking at one to buy one, try and find some evidence that the CVT and transfer case fluids have been changed at least once at some point in the car’s life.
Recalls:
- 18 November 2009 – The pinion shaft of the steering gear to the gear housing which may loosen and cause noisy steering operation. 13,426 T31 X-Trails were affected.
- 27 October 2010 – The Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) specification on the locally printed compliance label may be incorrect. This affected 68 X-Trails.
- 20 September 2012 – The bulkhead lower front insulator may warp and so the clearance to the turbocharger becomes insufficient. 8,136 X-Trails were affected.
Should you buy it?
It’s a tentative yes, you should buy one, although it depends not only on the particular example you’re looking at but which of the X-Trails you’re referring to.
Firstly we’d recommend sticking with the 2.5-litre petrol engined variants as the 2.0-litre, according to many owners, is a bit gutless and even though it is claimed to return good fuel economy, the fact you will have to rev it out to get anywhere equates to eating into any of those fuel savings.
Secondly, while a fastidiously maintained Diesel X-Trail can potentially be a reliable option, unfortunately many owners fail to fastidiously maintain, resulting in expensive repair bills that again will eat into any of the fuel savings you may have made.
Thirdly, we’d highly recommend sticking with a manual, or a CVT that has a solid service history.
As Jim mentioned, neglected CVTs can turn very nasty so it is absolutely critical that you check the service book and history of the car and have a full pre-purchase inspection carried out before you buy.
Finally, and this seems like common sense but obviously avoid any X-Trail that show any signs of abuse or mistreatment and with so many X-Trails on the used market, there’s no need to rush in to buy the first one you see, there will always be another X-Trail.
Just do your homework, be cautious, find the right example and you’ll end up with an awesome SUV.
It’s a tentative yes, you should buy one, although it depends not only on the particular example you’re looking at but which of the X-Trails you’re referring to.
Firstly we’d recommend sticking with the 2.5-litre petrol engined variants as the 2.0-litre, according to many owners, is a bit gutless and even though it is claimed to return good fuel economy, the fact you will have to rev it out to get anywhere equates to eating into any of those fuel savings.
Secondly, while a fastidiously maintained Diesel X-Trail can potentially be a reliable option, unfortunately many owners fail to fastidiously maintain, resulting in expensive repair bills that again will eat into any of the fuel savings you may have made.
Thirdly, we’d highly recommend sticking with a manual, or a CVT that has a solid service history.
As Jim mentioned, neglected CVTs can turn very nasty so it is absolutely critical that you check the service book and history of the car and have a full pre-purchase inspection carried out before you buy.
Finally, and this seems like common sense but obviously avoid any X-Trail that show any signs of abuse or mistreatment and with so many X-Trails on the used market, there’s no need to rush in to buy the first one you see, there will always be another X-Trail.
Just do your homework, be cautious, find the right example and you’ll end up with an awesome SUV.
Should you buy it?
It’s a tentative yes, you should buy one, although it depends not only on the particular example you’re looking at but which of the X-Trails you’re referring to.
Firstly we’d recommend sticking with the 2.5-litre petrol engined variants as the 2.0-litre, according to many owners, is a bit gutless and even though it is claimed to return good fuel economy, the fact you will have to rev it out to get anywhere equates to eating into any of those fuel savings.
Secondly, while a fastidiously maintained Diesel X-Trail can potentially be a reliable option, unfortunately many owners fail to fastidiously maintain, resulting in expensive repair bills that again will eat into any of the fuel savings you may have made.
Thirdly, we’d highly recommend sticking with a manual, or a CVT that has a solid service history.
As Jim mentioned, neglected CVTs can turn very nasty so it is absolutely critical that you check the service book and history of the car and have a full pre-purchase inspection carried out before you buy.
Finally, and this seems like common sense but obviously avoid any X-Trail that show any signs of abuse or mistreatment and with so many X-Trails on the used market, there’s no need to rush in to buy the first one you see, there will always be another X-Trail.
Just do your homework, be cautious, find the right example and you’ll end up with an awesome SUV.
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Models, pricing & features
Tech specs
Body Style:
5-door SUV
Engines:
- 2.0 litre 4-cylinder petrol (ST, ST-L) – from 2011
- 2.5 litre 4-cylinder petrol (ST, Adventure, ST-L, Ti)
- 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (TS, TL)
Power:
- 102kW – 2.0 litre 4-cylinder petrol
- 125kW – 2.5 litre 4-cylinder petrol
- 127kW – 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (6-speed manual)
- 110kW – 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (6-speed automatic)
Torque:
- 198Nm – 2.0 litre 4-cylinder petrol
- 226Nm – 2.5 litre 4-cylinder petrol
- 360Nm – 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (6-speed manual)
- 320Nm – 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (6-speed automatic)
Transmission & drivetrains:
- 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive (FWD) – ST, ST-L
- 6-speed manual, all-wheel drive (AWD) – ST, TS, Adventure, ST-L, Ti, TL (manual not available on the ST-L and Ti from 2010)
- 6-speed automatic, all-wheel drive (AWD) – TS, TL
- Continously variable transmission (CVT), front-wheel drive (FWD) – ST, ST-L
- Continously variable transmission (CVT), all-wheel drive (AWD) – ST, Adventure, ST-L, Ti
Fuel consumption:
7.4 – 9.5L/100km
Length:
4630mm
Width:
1785mm
Height:
1685mm
Kerb Weight:
1482 – 1651kg
Body Style:
5-door SUV
Engines:
- 2.0 litre 4-cylinder petrol (ST, ST-L) – from 2011
- 2.5 litre 4-cylinder petrol (ST, Adventure, ST-L, Ti)
- 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (TS, TL)
Power:
- 102kW – 2.0 litre 4-cylinder petrol
- 125kW – 2.5 litre 4-cylinder petrol
- 127kW – 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (6-speed manual)
- 110kW – 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (6-speed automatic)
Torque:
- 198Nm – 2.0 litre 4-cylinder petrol
- 226Nm – 2.5 litre 4-cylinder petrol
- 360Nm – 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (6-speed manual)
- 320Nm – 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (6-speed automatic)
Transmission & drivetrains:
- 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive (FWD) – ST, ST-L
- 6-speed manual, all-wheel drive (AWD) – ST, TS, Adventure, ST-L, Ti, TL (manual not available on the ST-L and Ti from 2010)
- 6-speed automatic, all-wheel drive (AWD) – TS, TL
- Continously variable transmission (CVT), front-wheel drive (FWD) – ST, ST-L
- Continously variable transmission (CVT), all-wheel drive (AWD) – ST, Adventure, ST-L, Ti
Fuel consumption:
7.4 – 9.5L/100km
Length:
4630mm
Width:
1785mm
Height:
1685mm
Kerb Weight:
1482 – 1651kg
Body Style:
5-door SUV
Engines:
- 2.0 litre 4-cylinder petrol (ST, ST-L) – from 2011
- 2.5 litre 4-cylinder petrol (ST, Adventure, ST-L, Ti)
- 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (TS, TL)
Power:
- 102kW – 2.0 litre 4-cylinder petrol
- 125kW – 2.5 litre 4-cylinder petrol
- 127kW – 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (6-speed manual)
- 110kW – 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (6-speed automatic)
Torque:
- 198Nm – 2.0 litre 4-cylinder petrol
- 226Nm – 2.5 litre 4-cylinder petrol
- 360Nm – 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (6-speed manual)
- 320Nm – 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel (6-speed automatic)
Transmission & drivetrains:
- 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive (FWD) – ST, ST-L
- 6-speed manual, all-wheel drive (AWD) – ST, TS, Adventure, ST-L, Ti, TL (manual not available on the ST-L and Ti from 2010)
- 6-speed automatic, all-wheel drive (AWD) – TS, TL
- Continously variable transmission (CVT), front-wheel drive (FWD) – ST, ST-L
- Continously variable transmission (CVT), all-wheel drive (AWD) – ST, Adventure, ST-L, Ti
Fuel consumption:
7.4 – 9.5L/100km
Length:
4630mm
Width:
1785mm
Height:
1685mm
Kerb Weight:
1482 – 1651kg
Warranty & servicing
Warranty:
3 years/100,000kms
Servicing:
6 months/10,000kms
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Disclaimer
Please note that pricing information is subject to fluctuations in the automotive market.
Information correct as of October 28, 2022.
The advice provided on this website is general advice only. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs.
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