The Nissan X-Trail officially turns 25 years old. If your knees crack while bending, then you’ll remember the first-generation X-Trail from the early and mid-2000s. They were spec’d with either a 2.0-liter or 2.5-liter gasoline engine, and were fairly capable on dirt roads and uneven terrain.
In fact, Nissan encouraged driving it on the rough stuff. With the name itself, the ‘X’ stood for ‘extreme activities,’ while ‘Trail’ stood for, well, trails. Nissan provided a versatile, fuel-efficient (for that era), fun package at an accessible price point. The first generation would usually go bumper-to-bumper with the family-focused Honda CR-V and the surfer-vibe Toyota RAV4.
Since its production in 2001, the X-Trail has sold more than eight million units worldwide. It remains a well-rounded compact SUV—especially with the addition of e-POWER and e-4ORCE AWD. It’s unfortunate we never got the fourth-generation X-Trail still isn't available here in the Philippines, but Nissan's recent activities tell us it could be finally arriving soon.
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It seems Nissan Philippines might be cooking something up here. Earlier this year, the new Nissan X-Trail was previewed at the Nissan Festival in Clark International Speedway. Before that, the SUV was also seen at the Philippine International Motor Show in 2024. Nothing official has been said, but the booming demand for hybrids in the country might be too tempting for Nissan to pass up.
In the meantime, the Nissan X-Trail can continue to drive us down memory lane. With 25 years of production, we’re reminded that while we might be getting older now, we’re not too old to welcome a comeback for the X-Trail nameplate—now, with more modern amenities for our aching backs. Did you own a Nissan X-Trail? Share a picture of it with everyone in the comments.
