manuelga

Ok, I'll try to take some pics along with my B14 Sentra for comparison.

But it won't come with a Sammich.

 

ViperZ

These are the same direct comparisons for us, it has come down to the CRV and the XTrail.

There are some things I like about the CRV, that being I think they hold there value slightly better, and it is a Honda. The Honda comes with more standard safety features as well.

The Xtrail we like the functionality of more, and it has a few more features we like. Personally we like the XTrail the most.

Will be test driving both tomorrow.

chadt

Other than our dog being about 30 lbs instead of 70 we were in the same situation as 350Z and spent nearly two months test driving and researching every small ute on the market before deciding on the Xtrail. We went with the AWD SE (my wife loves the roof) and just clicked over the first 1000k this week. We looked at overall costs, power, available options, style, reputation, resale value and operating costs (fuel consump., maintenance, etc.) It came down to the Xtrail and CRV in the end. The CRV lost due to its ridiculous tailgate setup and the fact that the legroom (I'm 6'3") just didnt cut it. So far, we are very happy with our decision.

trekker

Yet another thing to consider is what you will carry in it. if all you carry is two people and 2 mtn. bikes cool. However, you may wish to ask if the Element has upgraded it's carry weight. Last year the max carry was around 750 lbs. i can't speak for the rest but if you put four people and gear for a week tramp it may be riding a litle low.

Trekker

ViperZ

Well, we took a CRV for a drive shortly after driving an X-Trail.

My first impression was one of very slight dissapointment when compared to the X-Trail. Not that the CRV was bad, but it just didn't feel as exciting as the X-Trail to sit in and drive. My first impression upon backing it out of the lot was that it felt darker than the X-Trail, and the rearward vison did not seem as open or clear.

The CRV felt very car like, more than the X-Trail. This is neither is good or bad, depending on what a person wanted. Just an observation. I (we) prefered the more truck/SUV feel of the X-Trail.

The CRV had slightly more road noise than the X-Trail when I took it on the highway, and it did not isolate the speed as well as the X-Trail. In the X-Trail when I was doing 120 kph, it felt very smooth. The CRV felt slightly more ragged at 120 (slightly).

The VSA system on the CRV was astounding! I did not think it could work this well and I hope the Nissan's system works as well. I took it into our Hockey Arena's empty snow and ice covered parking lot and tried lots of over/under steer situations with the VSA enabled and disabled. With it enable the car was always predictable, and did not have the strange take over control that I though it would. Rather it responded to US/OS with they responsive feedback that was intuitive, using very slight driver input. Basically you just kept the wheel pointed to where you wanted to go and the CRV's VSA system made it happen. No braking was required as the VSA handled it all.

I then disabled the VSA and drove it in in the classic steer, counter steer depending on if the car was under or over. swinging the car back and forth like this wjile approching a slight decrease in snow covered pavement elevation, really started to throw the CRV out of control. I was able to maintain control of the car, however, this was an empty parking lot with virtually no barriers, curbs or obstructions. In real road conditions, it would be different and I could be in the ditch regarless, I then tried this same path with the VSA enable, and could not get the CRV out of control. My wife was very impressed

I then let her drive the CRV to try the VSA. She never did get the car wildly out of control as I did, but then she's kind of timid when it comes to this. She stated that it would definitely feel it acting and reacting and it would help her out on snowy roads or slippery situations.

Seeing as this SUV is for her, we have decided this VAS/VDC is a must for either of our choices. I never thgough I would use it, but I can see the benifits to just leaving it on most times.

Overall, the CRV was comfortable, however I think the X-Trail is just a bit more comfortable in beathing room. In the CRV, my 6 foot frame felt as if I was in a compact sedan. In the X-Trail, I felt as I was in a Sport Ute.

Both of the vechicals in comparison have great features, and a person could not go wrong with either choice..

We chose the X-Trail for the features set fit our needs the best, and generally, it felt more exciting for both of us to drive and sit in the X-Trail.

Models Tested:

05 XE X-Trail, Auto, White with Grey interiour
05 EX CRV, Auto, Black with black interiour


Thanks for reading!

X-Traction

Thanks for going to the trouble of writing that excellent review. I didn't know the CRV had a stability control system, so I'll have to compare its specs and price to the X-Trail and the Hyundai Tuscon.

I guess you know that to get the VS/TC option on the X-Trail you're forced to shell out for the LE. (My pet peeve)

ViperZ

Thanks, yes all levels of CRV's have very high standard safety features Like VSA, Side air bags...etc.

We wanted the top line variant in either model anyway, so for us the Nissan VDC offering was moot, however, it's too bad Nissan has not introduced VDC on the other models as an option or standard. I think it was smart of Honda to do that across the board. For if were did not go for the LE, the VSA of the Honda would have strongly been in it's favor.

The CRV is a very nice unit, and I somehow felt saddened that I did not prefer it over the X-Trail. I have been a Honda supporter for many years, and always loved their cars. The X-Trail just seemed better suited to our needs and likes.

newxtrailforme

I found myself in the same situation about 8 months ago. I test drove all three, and even a santa fe, but I found the x-trail SE AWD came out ahead. The only down fall was it had a stiff ride compared to the others, but the ride changes dramatically if there are a few people in it. With the seat warmers, the sunroof, and the 4WD, you really get the most bang for your buck!

Btw, with the 4WD and a good set of winter tires...this vehicle is a tank in the snow & ice. I've never found it too snowy or too slippery to drive.

Ynott

Actually I found even with the factory tires and FWD, have not had any issues this winter..(knock on wood)

qdwater

It's my first new car, I like it very much so far. It saved me around $3000.00 comparing to buy CRV.

Avery Slickride

Ynott, I planned to suffer through this winter on the factory rubber and get snow/ice tires next fall. Now I'm not sure I'll bother with winter tires at all. So far, I've driven through heavy snow, ice pellets, slush, freezing rain and all conceivable combinations of the above, with no trouble at all. Mine came with the Bridgestone Duelers. Maybe it's the OE Dunlops, which look much more like a car tire, that people are complaining about. My X is AWD.

newxtrailforme

Well I don't know where you live, but in any real winter scenario FWD is no comparison to 4WD and all season tires and not remotely comparable to winter tires. Even if you're driving a Hummer, if it's FWD w/all season tires, you're going to slip, slide and get stuck! And as far as all season tires, winter is not an "all season", it's WINTER!!

Winterpeg

I agree with the winter tire idea, but I disagree on the necessity of AWD. AWD is for people who legitimately drive off the road. The X-Trail is not designed for that type of usage, so having AWD for road driving is hardly beneficial. I think more people are interested in the warm fuzzy they get (read: false confidence) when driving AWD than actual benefits.

I live in Winnipeg and we get huge dumps of snow and I've driven through all of it in my FWD, low ground-clearance Acura Integra. If anything, I think the most beneficial aspect of an SUV is the increased ground clearance.

I would be concerned with long-term maintance of those extra moving parts, and decreased gas mileage from the extra weight. I am still considering the AWD version of the X-Trail though because I love standard transmissions and that's not offered in the FWD version.

ViperZ

The benifits of AWD are well known. It's not a false security, rather it just provides better footing and traction overall.

Having proper tires is probably more important, but having the extra drive wheels gives it that much more control, esp at launch with the curling rinks of roads we have in Canada.

The aurgument of the extra drive components, and more gas consumption is valid, however if it was a real concern, I would not be even looking at a vechicle like this and would just get a station wagon. Maybe an AWD wagon?

Winterpeg

I guess I think of AWD in terms of not getting stuck. I drive like a son of a gun in most bad conditions, but the average person might not feel as confident. The odd time where I got stuck in the snow, I wondered if AWD might have helped me out but then there was always someone who pulled over and helped me out (just as I've done for others). I guess that's why they call us 'Friendly Manitoba'.

It's probably a good thing that Nissan didn't design the dial on the dash to read: Station Wagon|Auto|Lock