GRR Garage: Nissan X‑Trail ‑ welcome the new steed

At the end of 2017 we waved a teary goodbye to our old Volkswagen Passat Alltrack as it went back to HQ for a tart up before heading on it its next stop. So this month we begin by introducing you to the newest addition to the car parks of Goodwood – our new, and impossible to miss, Nissan X-Trail.

As always we’ve approached the quandary of what to have as our long-termer with a focused head-on, needing something to lug all our video and photography kit around – as well as the odd pencil and notepad – and wanting to move to something different to those that have gone before.

So it’s goodbye grey estate, hello orange SUV, a big shiny 4x4 to lug us around Britain and Europe with as many mod-cons as we could stuff inside it.

Our X-Trail features Nissan’s 1.6-litre diesel motor, attached to a six-speed manual gearbox. That means it’s good for 130PS (128bhp) and a more impressive 320Nm (236lb ft) of torque through either all four wheels or just the front pair depending on how you’re feeling. The Orange machine is kitted to “Tekna” spec which brings Nissan’s full Safety Shield Plus system (Intelligent Park Assist, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Driver Attention Alert), Blind-sport warning system, Active LED headlamps, 19-nch Machine-cut alloys, heated and electrically adjustable front and rear seats and – heaven of all heavens – a heated steering wheel.

We’re still getting used to our new steed, but over the next few months we’ll be bringing you all the details you need to know about living with the brightest machine in West Sussex – and yes, it really is that orange. 

MPG this week: 37.8