Driving the come-backing Nissan X-Trail CVT

MANILA, Philippines - If running is the new badminton, and mountain biking is the new running, someone better classify come-backing as a sport, because it seems that everyone is doing it lately. Just take a look at this year alone. We’ve seen Michael Schumacher making a dramatic comeback in a Mercedes, Erap staging the mother of all political comebacks in his bid for the Presidency, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. coming out of retirement – albeit to duck Manny Pacquiao – and even the Karate Kid making a silver screen comeback.

There’s something special about a comeback, I guess. Regardless of the risks involved, everyone loves a fighter. Sure it can be tragic when it all goes south, but make a success of it and the world is your oyster.

Well, against all odds, Nissan is doing just that. After years of hibernation, the Japanese brand is bravely putting all its chips behind their all-new X-Trail CVT and Sentra 200 – two models that have brought them most of their glory and continue to embody the entire image of their local operations.

Fittingly, their first official media ride and drive was held in the extravagant Fort Ilocandia casino hotel in the beautiful province of Ilocos Norte. And they bet big, too, taking a total of 18 motoring and lifestyle journalists on a two day tour of the great North in a convoy of five X-Trail CVTs and one Sentra 200.

The tricky part was that most, if not all the media present, have had the privilege of visiting Ilocos several times, so many of us were somewhat concerned about what wild card Nissan could pull to not get lost in the wash of previous events that have already staked their marketing claim and co-branded their vehicles with the historical landmarks in every relevant glossy magazine and daily. Nissan wasted no time and took us straight to Kapurpurawan rock formation in Burgos, which could easily serve as a location shoot for Book of Eli, or any other end of the world/humanity movie. Best part was, most, if not all of us, had never been there.

It is quite a breathtaking freak of nature that served as a spectacular backdrop for countless Facebook profile pictures that day. Sadly, there is no vehicle access – 4WD or otherwise – to take similar glory shots of the cars.

But at least the trail leading in gave us all a good chance to experience the upgraded suspension of the new X-Trail CVT, which is now longer and larger than the one it replaces. It handled itself confidently over the loose surface, even if this could not be considered a 4X4 trail by any standards. But these vehicles, just like the ones they compete with, are not designed to tackle Pinatubo or Pulag, but to get you through the milder stuff like shallow sand and muddy trails. But had the need arisen, a quick flick of the switch is all it would take to get this Nissan on all fours, without the need to come to a full stop.

The seats are extremely supportive without losing any of the comfort, plus there’s enough room now for tall passengers to sit in the back. Luggage room is not just improved in total size, but in practicality as well with the introduction of the special drawers that sit under the false floor, giving you easy access to essentials without removing the heavier baggage on top.

It still offers all the practicality of the previous model, with air-conditioned cup holders, light and nimble steering, good visibility and a set of roof mounted lights that could blind an oncoming town, but is now in a more refined, modern package that is a lot easier to live with.

The following stops took us to the more popular destinations, like the famous Spanish light house, Paoay church, Sitio Remedios and of course the Bangui windmills and Pagudpud viaduct, which sadly I missed due to a deadline that had snuck up on me like a traffic enforcer leaping from behind a faded “No Right Turn on Red Signal” sign. I was told, however, by my colleagues that even though the destinations were familiar, the journey was unique as they diced it out on beautiful roads that hugged the jagged coastline and worked the CVT transmissions like the local artists work the lumps of soft clay on their pottery wheels.

Curiously, the X-Trail CVT is down on power from its predecessor despite the increase in body weight and size. It loses 10 horsepower but gains a new continuously variable transmission that makes for a better delivery of power and an improvement in fuel consumption. We weren’t able to monitor fuel consumption, but initial impressions seem to suggest that the former 180 horsepower 250X was a bit more urgent, while the new model seems a lot smoother. Insert priorities here.

As there was only one Sentra 200 available between 18 of us, I missed out on my opportunity to drive. So I’ll reserve my comments for another article. But all in all, Nissan is in the right direction here. They will have their work cut out for themselves, what with the aggressive pricing of their Korean counterparts, but they now offer a Japanese alternative that supports local industry by being proudly assembled in Santa Rosa, Laguna, and give their loyalists something worthwhile to come back to.