The History Of Nissan X-trail

The Nissan X-Trail is a compact crossover SUV produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan since 2001. It is Nissan's first crossover SUV and was released at the same time as several companies introduced car-based compact SUVs including Ford with their Escape and its Mazda Tribute sibling, Hyundai with their Santa Fe and GM with their Pontiac Aztek.

The X-Trail is positioned below the truck-based Xterra and Pathfinder. The second-generation X-Trail, launched in 2007, did not arrive to Canada and United States, where it was replaced by the Rogue. The Rogue shares the same platform as the second-generation X-Trail and is very similar to the Qashqai.

The company currently offers a hydrogen fuel cell model named the X-Trail FCV on lease to businesses.

The first-generation X-Trail uses the Nissan FF-S platform, shared with the Nissan Almera and the Nissan Primera. The X-Trail was only sold in Canada for the 2005 and 2006 model years. In the UK the first-generation car was available in S, Sport and SE+ between launch and 2004. The trim levels were then revised to SE, Sport, SVE and T-Spec. At this point all models were equipped with full electric windows, electricity adjustable door mirrors (on SVE & T-Spec they were electrically folding also), climate control, single CD player, 4 airbags and remote central locking. The trim levels were once again revised in 2006.

The 2008 Nissan X-Trail gave its public debut at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show in March, and went on sale in Europe on the third quarter of that year.

Slightly bigger that the previous model, it is based on the Nissan C platform. This X-Trail appeared in Europe in the first part of the 2007 and towards the end of the year in Australia, but not in the United States and Canada where it was replaced by the Rogue.

Available only in the Japanese market is the SR20VET that produces 206kW (280hp). The Australian model is powered by a QR25DE 2.5L 4-cylinder engine initially producing 132kW (177hp) From January 2006, the Australian-spec engine was detuned to 123kW (169hp). Also available is the QR20DE 4-cylinder engine, producing 103kW (140hp) or 110kW (150hp) with manual or automatic transmission. The biggest selling engine in the UK is the YD22DDTi, a 2.2 litre turbo-charged common-rail diesel. The X-Trail has had three model revisions, the Series 1 and Series 2 (using Nissan FF-S platform) and the imminent Series 3 (using Nissan/ Renault C platform). There were various cosmetic and engineering changes made between series 1 and 2 but the series 3 is all new despite a similar appearance with new engines apart from the 2.5L which has been retained.

In 2006, Nissan launched a Nissan X-Trail Bonavista Edition commercial featuring a Nissan dealer speaking in an incomprehensible Newfoundland accent. The commercial itself backfired when Bonavista Mayor Betty Fitzgerald claimed it had portrayed people in Bonavista as people who cannot speak properly. To further expose the commercial's lack of linguistic authenticity, CBC News reported the sales rep was played by an actor from Cape Breton .

That commercial was parodied by a local car dealer in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in a radio ad that takes shots at Ontario marketing companies and Premier Dalton McGuinty's "nondescript" personality.