Nissan Australia is finally bringing two-wheel drive versions of its X-Trail SUV to Australia. For many years, and close to 100,000, sales the Nissan X-Trail has been seen as one of the toughest of the compacts 4WDs.

That tough reputation is partly due to styling that plays on the square macho look, but also because the X-Trail in 4WD form is genuinely capable of tackling fairly tough off-road situations. Not heavy-duty 4WD operations, you need a Nissan Patrol or Pathfinder for that, but the X-Trail makes ideal transport for a manageable mid-sized vehicle that can be used as a compact people mover during the week, and as an adventure machine at weekends.

A machine that can take to the beach, explore forest trails or even have a go at the real outback. The Nissan X-Trail can carry out that sort of work in the hands of a reasonably experienced driver, but there are others who have absolutely no interest in doing anything other than drive around the suburbs.

Nissan Australia can now supply a front-wheel drive of the X-Trail, and is doing so with a price list that starts at $27,990, including on-road costs. So you can have a new Nissan sitting in your driveway for that amazingly small sum. Part of that price is due to the continuing rise of the Australian dollar and the fact that it uses a smaller engine (2.0 litres versus 2.5 litres in the 4WD), but we feel that Nissan Australia is trimming its profits, and possibly the profits of its dealers, to the bone to get the latest X-Trail squarely in front of buyers faces.

With the new Micra about to hit the market Nissan Australia is very bullish at the moment - and smart buyers can take advantage of this. But they’ll need to move quickly because Nissan Australia’s chief, Dan Thompson, has indicated the price will move to $28,490 plus on-road charges once the excitement of the introductory price is over.

These prices are for the five-speed manual Nissan X-Trail in ST guise, the same vehicle with a continuously variable automatic transmission has a recommended retail price of $30,990 and isn’t subject to an introductory launch campaign.

Nissan X-Trail ST 2WD isn’t a stripped to the bone special as it comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, a Bluetooth hands-free phone system, an audio system with MP3 input and a six-CD stacker. On the safety side it has ESP (Electronic Stability Program) to assist in avoiding crashes, and six airbags if a collision still occurs.

Nissan Australia is far from being the first entrant in the 2WD SUV arena but the launch price and high levels of equipment are really going to put the cats amongst the pigeons in this highly competitive market segment.

The full Nissan X-Trail price list, including 2WD and 4WD models is:
ST 2.5-litre petrol 2WD: $27,990 driveaway (manual)*, $28,490 (manual), $30,990 (CVT automatic)
ST-L 2.5-litre petrol 2WD: $34,990 (CVT automatic)
ST 2.5-litre petrol 4WD: $32,490 (manual), $39,490 (CVT automatic)
ST-L 2.5-litre petrol: $38,490 (CVT automatic)
Ti 2.5-litre petrol: $44,490 (CVT automatic)
TS 2.0-litre turbo-diesel: $35,990 (manual), $38,240 (automatic)
TL 2.0-litre turbo-diesel: $42,990 (manual), $45,240 (automatic)

Note that, with the exception of the special driveaway launch price on the ST petrol 2WD model*, these prices do not include government and dealer charges. Contact your local Nissan dealer for all other driveaway prices.