What’s new this time round?

The Nissan X-Trail gets treated to a facelift in 2017 – literally. The biggest difference is seen up front where they’ve rejigged the front grille, fog- and headlight arrangement in line with the Qashqai.

Minor changes elsewhere include side chrome sills, a shark-fin antenna and mildly-tickled rear light clusters.

Inside, there’s a new steering wheel, heated rear seats and gesture-controlled tailgate available. There’s also now autonomous emergency braking.

Since the engine range remains the same and we’ve already driven the diesel,  we thought we’d give the petrol engine a go.

Does a petrol-engined X-Trail make any sense at all?

Selecting a torquey diesel engine for a large-bodied SUV usually makes for a more harmonious combination, but for those who cover a low amount of mileage on the road, the 1.6-litre DIG-T might make financial sense.

On the 18-inch wheels fitted to N-Connecta models, this petrol engine emits 149g/km of CO2 and undercuts the equivalent four-wheel drive 2.0-litre diesel with its 153g/km.

The claimed 44.1mpg from the petrol engine might trail behind the diesel’s 48.7mpg, but the 1.6-litre DIG-T has the lower list price in the first place for both five- and seven-seat configurations.

The petrol engine is also cheaper to insure.

But is a petrol-engined X-Trail any good on the road?

Start up the petrol engine and you’d be hard pressed to notice it idling away. The engine delivers its power in a smooth and quiet manner and provides adequate performance; especially for those driving around town.

You do have to plan your gearchanges for overtaking and getting up to motorway speeds, but it’s not a nerve-racking experience that requires a lot of space.

The absence of the off-road drive mode controls is the only giveaway for this being the two-wheel drive model and, for the most part, you’d be hard pressed to notice it on the road too.

The 2.0-litre diesel is the more relaxed option and doesn’t have to work as hard thanks to its higher torque output, but the petrol engine’s smoother refinement will be a fair trade-off for some. Only on steeper inclines will you notice the engine having to work harder to haul this big-bodied SUV along.

With a lighter engine mounted over the front wheels, this petrol-powered X-Trail feels slightly less cumbersome in the bends, while the 18-inch wheels on this N-Connecta model provide the best balance of ride quality, grip and slightly less road noise in the range.

The cloth seats also feel firmer and more supportive for longer journeys than the leather items on the flagship Tekna model.

We managed to hover around 40mpg on relaxed country roads but bear in mind this can drop considerably when working the engine hard – which it will have to do when this SUV is fully loaded or towing.

Provided you don’t have a need to tow or carry a full set of passengers on board over a large number of miles, the 1.6-litre DIG-T might make better financial sense for a select number of customers.

Read the rest of the full Nissan X-Trail SUV review at Parkers below:

Source: Nissan X-Trail 4×4 | Parkers