Boxy is the obvious word to describe X-Trail. Among the crop of road-biased mid-size SUVs nowadays, X-Trail is easily the toughest-looking. Styling-wise, it sits at the opposite end to the rounded, curvy Honda CR-V. Safe, predictable and composed on-road, X-Trail is tuned for ride comfort than agile handling. Body roll is pronounced but the grip levels are decent. The nicely-weighted steering can provide more feedback. Off-road handling is, as expected, not outstanding. The four-wheel-drive X-Trail however performs better than many direct rivals on mud-tracks. Ride comfort is good over urban bumps and rough surfaces. Noise insulation is similarly well-done, with little wind or road noise at cruising speeds, giving X-Trail class-leading refinement. Driver seat does not adjust for height, while steering column does not adjust for reach. But the driver seat is supportive and the neatly-placed controls are easy to use. Front view out is unhindered, but rear view is limited due to the thick rear pillars. Although short on flair, the cabin is high on quality. The well-finished, solidly-assembled cabin uses high-grade materials throughout. As for all cars wearing the Nissan badge, we expect X-Trail to be reliable mechanically in the longer run. There are two available engines: 2.0-litre with 148 bhp and 200 Nm, and 2.5-litre with 178 bhp and 245 Nm. The 2.0-litre puts up a quick performance on the roads. The more powerful 2.5-litre is faster, but not significantly so. For most city-dwelling buyers, the 2.0-litre should prove adequate. Both engines are paired to a smooth-shifting four-speed automatic transmission. Honda CR-V, however, has one more gear ratio. Front room is excellent, but rear legroom clearly lags the best in the class. The rear can seat four occupants in comfort, and five at a squeeze, with the rear middle occupant having to content with a raised rear middle floor section. The boot capacity is generous, and can be enlarged using the 60:40 split fold-down rear seats. Furthermore, Nissan claimed that X-Trail has class-leading cargo-carrying capacity. Fuel economy for both engines is about average in the mid-size SUV class. The 2.0-litre finds the better balance between fuel economy and performance. We expect both servicing bills and depreciation to be reasonable. The popular Nissan brand, while still not as strong as Honda or Toyota, will help X-Trail maintain fairly competitive second-hand values. The great thing about X-Trail is how consistently it performs across the various criteria. While only its refinement is class-leading, X-Trail also performs admirably in other areas such as off-roading, ride comfort, cabin quality and cargo-carrying capacity. Price-wise, X-Trail undercuts key rival Honda CR-V significantly, too. 2.0-litre version comes with 15" alloy wheels, front fog lamps, reverse sensor, central locking, power windows, electric door mirrors, manual air-conditioning, leather steering wheel, fabric seats, 1-Din AM/FM/MP3/WMA/CeNet player and 4 speakers. 2.5-litre version adds 16" alloy wheels, xenon headlamps, roof rails, automatic air-conditioning, and 6-CD in-dash auto-changer. Safety kit for both versions includes ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution), BA (Brake Assist), and dual front SRS airbags. Both engines have carbon dioxide emissions in excess of 200 grams/km and fuel economy that is merely class-average. X-Trail's numbers may stand up well against SUV rivals, but in absolute terms, X-Trail and most other SUVs are more polluting than other car types.