To say I was excited to review the brand new Nissan X-Trail was an understatement. In fact, it has been a hot topic of conversation amongst my mummy friends since the Qashqai +2 model was retired from the production line last year.
 
You see, the average family in Ireland has two children, and while the average family car can accommodate this precious cargo reasonably well, including cumbersome child car safety seats, it can be a bit of a challenge to fit much else into the vehicle.
I was becoming anxious. Plans were well laid for the return to school, with uniforms, school books, bags, shoes and pencils all bought. However, I needed a solution to my quandary of the school pick-up.
 
You see, my neighbour and I both have children in the same classes - two starting primary school and two starting Montessori. We planned on sharing the pick-ups and drop-offs but in my 2007 Qashqai, this wasn’t going to be possible. I was reluctant to trade-in my beloved car for a “Mummy Bus” - after all I have an image to maintain - and yet there didn’t seem to be a new 7-seater alternative that was in my price range. School runs, play dates, extended family excursions – my regular car just wasn’t able to cope.
 
 
To say I have fallen in love with the Nissan X-Trail is to put it mildly. From the moment I set my eyes on this beauty, I knew I had found ‘the one’. Its new sleek body is a far cry from the boxy older model, and yet it is not just all brawn and no brains; it is extremely family-friendly and more technologically advanced than myself!
 
The easy-clean seats were an instant hit, as was the extra leg room for mum and any adult passengers I might choose to bring in the main back seating area. I’m also positive that the heated seating option will be a big hit in the colder months too!
 
The height, both in terms of my view of the road, an absolute God send in terms of road safety, and the practical distance between my head and the roof was just amazing.
 
And now to the extra two seats in the boot. I don’t know who was more excited - myself or the kids! In fact, for the week that we had the car, they refused to sit in their own seats, such was their delight to sit in the boot! But it didn’t matter, because the boot still had room to take both an umbrella buggy and a decent amount of shopping even with the extra seats pulled into their upright position. 
 
The life-changing moment for me occurred when I was in a busy supermarket car park. There I was, trolley being guided by one hand, handbag propped on my shoulder, and the hoods of my two children’s coats in my ‘spare’ hand in an effort to keep them safe as we navigated our way to the car. Usually at this time I would be flustered and panicked because I couldn’t find the key to the car, but not with the Nissan X-Trail.
 
There was no need to let go of my wayward shopping trolley or children in order to find my keys because the car sensed my approach! With a quick depression of a button on the driver door handle with my elbow, we were in business! The children could climb into the car in a flash while I could tend to the trolley that was rolling into the path of oncoming traffic.
 
The advanced technology of the new Nissan X-Trail is not to be sniffed at:
  • Economically efficient 1.6 litre engine (seems almost impossible given the size of the car) which tells you how your car is performing in terms of fuel efficiency
  • Stop-start engine technology that tells you how much you have saved in carbon emissions by automatically turning off when the car is in neutral and restarting when the clutch is depressed for take-off
  • Car parking assistance tool and split screen on-board monitor, which, complete with warning sounds, will indicate your car’s position from both a rear and simulated overhead or helicopter view of the car
  • Automatic road speed detector that shows you on your dash the speed at which you should be driving
  • Advanced satellite navigation system
  • On-board access to social media and internet apps
I’ll be sorry to hand back the keys to this clever and stylish mode of transport, but at least I know now, without doubt, the car that I want to put on my Santa list.
 
By Laura Haugh, Mum-in-Residence, MummyPages.ie
 
 

Latest

Trending