X-Trail offers options for SUV-lovers

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A bigger engine capacity, better fuel efficiency and easier handling were the main reasons for PT Nissan Motor Indonesia to launch the new Nissan X-Trail last Wednesday at MidPlaza Inter- continental Hotel, Central Jakarta.

The X-Trail -- which is included in the light Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) category -- comes in two options: the Extra Touring (Xt) and the Sport Touring (St).

Both variants are equipped with a 2,500 cc QRDE engine, which can develop a maximum power of 180 horsepower (HP) at 6,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) and maximum torque of 245 Newton meters (Nm) at 4,000 rpm.

"The X-Trail is powerful enough to reach a speed of 100 kilometers per hour within only 10.6 seconds, while it only needs 10.1 liters of fuel to travel a distance of 100 kilometers," said PT Nissan Motor Indonesia senior sales and marketing manager Ronny Tjahjadi.

As a light SUV, both X-Trail models use automatic transmission. PT Nissan Motor Indonesia president director Toru Hasegawa revealed the company's reason for equipping the vehicles only with automatic transmission.

"Currently, the greatest proportion of SUVs are sold with automatic transmission. We shall assess the market response before releasing a manual version of the X-Trail," he said.

Both versions of the X-Trail are 4.51 meters long and 1.765 meters wide. The St version is 1.675 meters high and the Xt 1.75 meters high.

The Xt is also equipped with foglamps mounted on the roof rack while the St version comes without one.

Another distinct feature of the latest models is that the designers decided to put the instrument panel in the center of the dashboard instead of in front of the driver's seat.

Hasegawa pointed out that the X-Trail was designed to overcome various limitations found in SUVs, sedans and multipurpose vehicles (MPVs).

"We are aiming at customers who are active, stylish, young- spirited, independent and dynamic," he said. "We are aiming for a brand position where Nissan is the No. 1 SUV in Indonesia, with both the X-Trail and Terrano."

Unlike the X-Trail, the Terrano is categorized as a heavy SUV, with its latest series launched in February.

The X-Trail Xt is offered at Rp 275 million (US$32,350) while the St is tagged at Rp 248 million.