2014 X-Trail

[Vratenza]

many consumers buy car not so much for utilitarian purposes but more for lifestyle purposes.  the fact that there are buyers doesn't just ratify the car as well-designed.  it is merely well-positioned or well-marketed.  or for that matter, it is very easy to sell Japanese cars to Singaporean buyers anyway.   I probably should take back my word about Japanese design though as I find Honda and Toyota cars very well-designed but generally cannot say the same of their Japanese counterparts.

 

as you said, kia sorento is a bigger car.  the design for 7-seater capacity is therefore better thought out.  enough said.  it is not 125% more expensive than xtrail.  I suggest you check out the prices before passing this remark.  x-trail is already the bigger suv amongst the Nissan stable.  if it is not fair to use xtrail to compare against sorento then there is nothing comparable at all.

 

funny why you have to suggest I budget more when I didn't tell of any budget restriction or the stage of car viewing I am at.  I am still at the window shopping stage but that doesn't mean I should pass a heartfelt feedback of the car I see right?  have I ruffled some feathers or bruised some ego?

 

sorento 2.4GDi sx 155,999 -159,99

vs

xtrail premium 122,988 - 124,988

 

I did not say it is 125% more expensive...i said it is 125% of the xtrail.

 

Anyway, not here to nitpick on percentages.

 

by your method of comparison, I have to take the largest SUV offered by a marque to compare to the largest SUV offering of another marque? The larger and largest Nissan SUV did not make it to singapore market (at least not yet)....look up Murano and Patrol.

[Chrispie]

many consumers buy car not so much for utilitarian purposes but more for lifestyle purposes. the fact that there are buyers doesn't just ratify the car as well-designed. it is merely well-positioned or well-marketed. or for that matter, it is very easy to sell Japanese cars to Singaporean buyers anyway. I probably should take back my word about Japanese design though as I find Honda and Toyota cars very well-designed but generally cannot say the same of their Japanese counterparts.

 

as you said, kia sorento is a bigger car. the design for 7-seater capacity is therefore better thought out. enough said. it is not 125% more expensive than xtrail. I suggest you check out the prices before passing this remark. x-trail is already the bigger suv amongst the Nissan stable. if it is not fair to use xtrail to compare against sorento then there is nothing comparable at all.

 

 

funny why you have to suggest I budget more when I didn't tell of any budget restriction or the stage of car viewing I am at. I am still at the window shopping stage but that doesn't mean I should pass a heartfelt feedback of the car I see right? isn't a forum meant to elicit comments, feedback and discussions?

Fact is that xtrail is not a full fledge seven seater suv. If you watch various video reviews, the limitations of the last row are frequently addressed. In many countries the last row isn't even available.

 

The last row serves as a 'emergency' option when the need arises. And by saving seven pax, if one is to have the notion that pax means adult, then right from beginning he'll be looking the car with falsely placed expectations.

[Acemundo]

I went to kia showroom and gotten the price list and it was 14x,xxx.

 

I don't know if sorento is the biggest sized suv of the kia marque but such a way of comparison you urged would not be meaningful to consumers.  we are not professional car reviewers that are benchmarking cars all over the world. we are only doing comparisons of same category of cars (7-seater suv) that are within our reach of local market to buy.  if you deemed them not comparable, I would agree to disagree. but I certainly don't think my comparison have been out of line.    

sorento 2.4GDi sx 155,999 -159,99

vs

xtrail premium 122,988 - 124,988

 

I did not say it is 125% more expensive...i said it is 125% of the xtrail.

 

Anyway, not here to nitpick on percentages.

 

by your method of comparison, I have to take the largest SUV offered by a marque to compare to the largest SUV offering of another marque? The larger and largest Nissan SUV did not make it to singapore market (at least not yet)....look up Murano and Patrol.

 

[Acemundo]

are consumers expected to watch video reviews before passing comment on the design?  I do agree if that is designed as the "emergency" option, it becomes sensible as a design.  but did Tan Chong Nissan and their SE bring this concept of the design across well to viewers?  I can't say definitely they didn't (because I wasn't there all the time) but at least when I was there and from the advertisements I have seen they put up, this message definitely didn't get across.

 

we can argue till the cow comes home about what is appropriate age group of "pax", I do not see the need to engage in this argument.  but the size of the seats just about caters to a very small group of people (short and young kids)

Fact is that xtrail is not a full fledge seven seater suv. If you watch various video reviews, the limitations of the last row are frequently addressed. In many countries the last row isn't even available.

The last row serves as a 'emergency' option when the need arises. And by saving seven pax, if one is to have the notion that pax means adult, then right from beginning he'll be looking the car with falsely placed expectations.

 

[Vratenza]

I went to kia showroom and gotten the price list and it was 14x,xxx.

 

I don't know if sorento is the biggest sized suv of the kia marque but such a way of comparison you urged would not be meaningful to consumers.  we are not professional car reviewers that are benchmarking cars all over the world. we are only doing comparisons of same category of cars (7-seater suv) that are within our reach of local market to buy.  if you deemed them not comparable, I would agree to disagree. but I certainly don't think my comparison have been out of line.    

 

attached for you the pricelist updated 19 Feb. which was what I based on in my comments as well as from my visit to Kia showroom last week.

 

We have to agree to disagree on that front then.

 

the difference between our point of view is that while I prefer Sorento vs Xtrail, I see each on their own merits and price point. I agree the last row of Xtrail is disappointing compared to Sorento but I do not put down the choice of 7 seat that the designer tries to squeeze in a smaller body. Just by the fact that the 2nd row can be shifted forward to help with the entrance is already a good effort by the designer imho.

[Acemundo]

I think you have based on list price to comment it is 150+k.  from your list, the after discount price is 145,999

 

well, at the back of hearing @chrispie comments that the 2 seats is emergency option, I wouldn't say it is poor design then.  but still, as @sabian and myself can attest, it wasn't that easy to move the 2nd row seats or for that matter the Nissan SE didn't even wanted to demonstrate.

attached for you the pricelist updated 19 Feb. which was what I based on in my comments as well as from my visit to Kia showroom last week.

 

We have to agree to disagree on that front then.

 

the difference between our point of view is that while I prefer Sorento vs Xtrail, I see each on their own merits and price point. I agree the last row of Xtrail is disappointing compared to Sorento but I do not put down the choice of 7 seat that the designer tries to squeeze in a smaller body. Just by the fact that the 2nd row can be shifted forward to help with the entrance is already a good effort by the designer imho.

 

[Vratenza]

I think you have based on list price to comment it is 150+k.  from your list, the after discount price is 145,999

 

 

I assume you are talking about EX trim. SX trim is the only trim that matches the cars in equipment level if you want to even start comparing.

 

KIA list prices are all after inhouse insurance/loan discounts. If you take your own insurance or loan, the surcharges applies. Any other discounts ae pretty stiff at  most 1-2K. 

 

I am not TC SE neither am I C&C SE. Just sharing with you the details if you are really interested to compare once you are done with your window shopping.

[Sabian]

funny why you have to suggest I budget more when I didn't tell of any budget restriction or the stage of car viewing I am at.  I am still at the window shopping stage but that doesn't mean I should pass a heartfelt feedback of the car I see right?  isn't a forum meant to elicit comments, feedback and discussions?

You hit a raw nerve hence the backhanded comment. 

 

TC markets it as a 7 seater SUV so it is natural to compare it with other 7 seater SUVs. 

https://www.nissan.com.sg/vehicles/x-trail/

 

I believed the description TC's website and the earlier comments about it being a 7 seater. A bit disappointed when I viewed seats in the actual unit.

 

As a 5 seater SUV at that price, it's decent when compared to other 5 seater SUVs.

 

I wouldn't bother with deploying the 3rd row unless the passengers are kids below 9 or folks I don't enjoy giving a lift to.

[Acemundo]

 you noticed it as well.

 

besides the above, wanted to comment that I had the same views about the last row as well and its telepathic your estimate of it being for kids age 9 and mine about it being for kids 1.35m and below are thereabout the same.  I was at 1.32m at age 9.   

You hit a raw nerve hence the backhanded comment. 

 

TC markets it as a 7 seater SUV so it is natural to compare it with other 7 seater SUVs. 

https://www.nissan.com.sg/vehicles/x-trail/

 

I believed the description TC's website and the earlier comments about it being a 7 seater. A bit disappointed when I viewed seats in the actual unit.

 

As a 5 seater SUV at that price, it's decent when compared to other 5 seater SUVs.

 

I wouldn't bother with deploying the 3rd row unless the passengers are kids below 9 or folks I don't enjoy giving a lift to.

 

[Darthkk]

You hit a raw nerve hence the backhanded comment. 

 

TC markets it as a 7 seater SUV so it is natural to compare it with other 7 seater SUVs. 

https://www.nissan.com.sg/vehicles/x-trail/

 

I believed the description TC's website and the earlier comments about it being a 7 seater. A bit disappointed when I viewed seats in the actual unit.

 

As a 5 seater SUV at that price, it's decent when compared to other 5 seater SUVs.

 

I wouldn't bother with deploying the 3rd row unless the passengers are kids below 9 or folks I don't enjoy giving a lift to.

 

I thought Nissan always market XT as a crossover, not a 7 seater SUV...... the last 2 seats are for 'just in case' purpose only?

[Chrispie]

It is like when you are looking for a property. 

 

If a property has an area of 850sf (say compact 3BR) and it has 3 bedrooms, then you cannot possibly go for a viewing and keep lamenting why one of the rooms is so small. And if one still chooses to take a look at that place, he/she will probably need to understand why that particular room is smaller than it should as compared to his notion of how big a normal bedroom should be.

 

So if having 3 'decent' bedrooms is important to me, i will not even bother looking at any place that is less than 1000sf as that is probably the minimum base area required. 

 

So in conclusion, to get decent 3 rows for a suv, look for the XC90. That one is a clear cut winner. But you can probably buy 2 Xtrails with that money.

 

 

or Q7

 

Edited March 4, 2016 by Chrispie

[Vratenza]

You hit a raw nerve hence the backhanded comment. 

 

TC markets it as a 7 seater SUV so it is natural to compare it with other 7 seater SUVs. 

https://www.nissan.com.sg/vehicles/x-trail/

 

I believed the description TC's website and the earlier comments about it being a 7 seater. A bit disappointed when I viewed seats in the actual unit.

 

As a 5 seater SUV at that price, it's decent when compared to other 5 seater SUVs.

 

I wouldn't bother with deploying the 3rd row unless the passengers are kids below 9 or folks I don't enjoy giving a lift to.

 

IMHO, when I looked at this official website picture, I have no illusion that it is going to be a very spacious 7 seater. The entry looks like it takes some yoga movements to get in. So I dare say there is no misrepresentation by Nissan here. If you bother to look for youtube reviews before going down to the showroom, all of them are pretty honest in the rear seat situation with some reviewers huff and puff to get into those seats.

So, seem like your disappointment stems from an unrealistic expectation of just 2 words "seven seater" and ignorance of the rest of the photographic representations as well as other independent sources of product review.

[Acemundo]

I agree with your rationale but the analogy or illustration selected is not most appropriate though.

 

for house, most guys (not most gals, though) have a roughly good understanding of square feet's translation into space.  for car, there's no such definitive guide, not even the wheelbase measurements comes close.  hence for car, it is always more convincing to see the physical car itself than to look at brochures or even videos.  yes, the video reviewer's comments will help but I dare say it is not in the culture of most showroom goers to do a pre-visit expectation check by looking at review videos, review articles or even scrutinise photos in the dealer's website.

 

don't forget some conscientious developers also have been rather upfront in disseminating information on their condo brochures, like it is compact 3br or 2+1 (instead of naming it plainly as 3-bedder).  I wouldn't expect car sellers to do the same but it is therefore not surprising for anyone visiting the showrooms to get disappointed and only natural to voice it out. 

It is like when you are looking for a property. 

 

If a property has an area of 850sf (say compact 3BR) and it has 3 bedrooms, then you cannot possibly go for a viewing and keep lamenting why one of the rooms is so small. And if one still chooses to take a look at that place, he/she will probably need to understand why that particular room is smaller than it should as compared to his notion of how big a normal bedroom should be.

 

So if having 3 'decent' bedrooms is important to me, i will not even bother looking at any place that is less than 1000sf as that is probably the minimum base area required. 

 

[BenTong]

I think I am going to be hantam saying this. Actually what you all talking about huh? What prize the winner gets huh? Haiya relax la. I am only interested when my new ride is coming..

And it's not an Xtrail.

Though must say the Xtrail is Swee. So much more Swee than the previous model.

[kmttan]

I think I am going to be hantam saying this. Actually what you all talking about huh? What prize the winner gets huh? Haiya relax la. I am only interested when my new ride is coming..

And it's not an Xtrail.

Though must say the Xtrail is Swee. So much more Swee than the previous model.

I really like XT's masculine look. Nobody will dare bully XT on the road. I imagine I could just challenge all taxis. Sadly, I need the 3rd row all the time. Hence, I have to go for a MPV. 5 + 2 not equal to 7. So, pick your poison: look vs seat.

[Vratenza]

I also don't know why I am hot about someone saying they felt cheated because the last row is not full sized as they had expected.

 

Xtrail is currently at the bottom of my shopping list.

 

Anyway, even if talking about misrepresentation, maybe I should complain about the underpower feeling of the 2.0L engine and the fact I don't like how Nissan tune the CVT? But I don't come here to complain that my feelings are hurt because I had expected a more powerful engine and a less draggy transmission because the website did not tell me so...

 

 

[BenTong]

I also don't know why I am hot about someone saying they felt cheated because the last row is not full sized as they had expected.

 

Xtrail is currently at the bottom of my shopping list.

 

Anyway, even if talking about misrepresentation, maybe I should complain about the underpower feeling of the 2.0L engine and the fact I don't like how Nissan tune the CVT? But I don't come here to complain that my feelings are hurt because I had expected a more powerful engine and a less draggy transmission because the website did not tell me so...

 

 

Bro.. I thought you going for the Tesla?

[BenTong]

I really like XT's masculine look. Nobody will dare bully XT on the road. I imagine I could just challenge all taxis. Sadly, I need the 3rd row all the time. Hence, I have to go for a MPV. 5 + 2 not equal to 7. So, pick your poison: look vs seat.

You hit the nail on the head. We buy cars depending on current needs and also Budget. Let's congratulate all who can afford owning a car whatever the model. Enjoy your ride. Make your love ones happy. Relax all relax.. Keep to the speed limit. Give way. Keep our roads safe. Edited March 4, 2016 by BenTong