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Nissan X-TRAIL in Japan by Evander Klum

Japanese auto enthusiasts can now order the all-new Nissan X-TRAIL mid size sport utility vehicle (SUV) all over the country. Introduced in Japan in 2000, the X-TRAIL was sold in numerous markets including Japan, Europe, Canada, Latin America, Malaysia, Philippines, India, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, New Zealand, and Australia.

For 2007, Nissan made the second generation of the X-TRAIL equipped with a host of exterior and interior features for Japanese customers. Nissan said the X-TRAIL is "engineered to be a tough, versatile SUV that stimulates a driver's spirit of adventure."

The all-new second generation Nissan X-TRAIL model retained some of its exterior design cues from the previous model. But noticeable changes include an extended wheel arches along with the new front bumper design that highlights the SUV's intimidating and aggressive look. Other exterior features found on the all new Nissan X-TRAIL include inclined hood design, three-dimensional headlights, A-pillars obstruction angle reduced by 1.2 degrees, styled rear pillars with an "X" motial, three-dimensional rear combination lamps, and high-mounted LED stop lamp. Optional exterior features include the integrated "Hyper Roof Rail", Bi-level xenon headlights, and heated outside mirrors. Japanese customers can choose between the several exterior colors: Desert Amber (new), Burning Red, Sapphire Blue and Diamond Black. These paint colors comes with Nissan's Scratch Guard, a transparent coating containing a flexible resin compound to repair minor scratches easily.

The all new Nissan X-TRAIL is also equipped with a comfortable and roomy interior space for luggage. The vehicle's cargo capacity has been increased up to 603 liters, and features a washable luggage board, removable drawer, and movable partitions.

The interior trim and accents came from high quality materials. The vehicle's interior is water-repellant along with the seat cushion and the seatback. The seat sides are upholstered in an artificial leather and CVT shift lever, large gauges, and switches are finished with metallic accents. Other standard interior features of the Nissan X-TRAIL include increased front seat headroom, two-level rear-seat armrest, rear-seat air-conditioner vents, and covered heating/cooling cup holders.

In addition, inside the Nissan X-TRAIL also comes a host of entertainment and information systems that is offered as an optional feature. These include Nissan's latest HDD-based CARWINGS navigation system, Intelligent Key System, blind-spot monitor, and a back-view monitor.

Now for the safety feats, the Nissan X-TRAIL offers plenty of these like Zone Body construction, and other active and passive occupant protection system include front-seat Active Head Restraints, dual SRS air bag systems, SRS side air bag systems, double pretensioner seatbelt with two-stage load limiter, and a collapsible steering column.

At the heart of this model comes a 2.0-liter MR20DE or a 2.5-liter QR25DE engine. For the 2.0-liter variant, Nissan offers a 6-speed manual gearbox, while the 2.5-liter X-TRAIL model is equipped with an XTRONIC CVT-M6 transmission. Both powertrain are available with Nissan's patented ALL MODE 4x4-i four-wheel drive system. The X-TRAIL is also equipped with a catalytic converter, similar to Cadillac catalytic converter found on the SRX SUV.

About the Author

Evander Klum is a Business Administration graduate who hails from Alabama. He enjoys extreme sports and he is also a car racing fanatic. At present, he works as a marketing manager at an advertising agency in Cleveland.

Nissan Provides First Fuel-Cell Powered Vehicle For Hire

In the automotive industry, a common goal is set: to produce vehicles which are environment-friendly. One of the car makers dedicated to the production of clean cars is Nissan. They have recently developed a fuel-cell powered vehicle which they are making available for the public to experience. The X-Trail, Nissan’s sports utility vehicle, received a make over and part of it is the fuel-cell technology that it now employs. This hybrid version of the X-Trail can be accessible to commuters in Japan.

This is because the Nissan Motor Co., Ltd has recently delivered to Knagawa Toshi Kotsu Ltd. the latest version of the X-Trail. The hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle will be part of the company’s chauffer-driven hired-car fleet. Nissan is the first manufacturer to make available to a hired-car service a hired-car service. The use of the Nissan X-Trail fuel-cell powered vehicle will give commuters a chance to experience how it is like to ride in a vehicle that runs on fuel-cell technology.

The Nissan X-Trail FCV or fuel cell vehicle is equipped with a Nissan fuel-cell stack and a compact lithium-ion battery. The good combination of these gives the X-Trail FCV a performance like that of a gasoline-powered X-Trail. The fuel-cell stack provided by Nissan to the FCV is capable of producing as much as 90 kilowatts. This power gives the FCV a top speed and acceleration rate almost similar to that of the gasoline-powered X-Trail. The use of fuel cell in vehicles reduces the dependence on fossil fuel which is non-renewable source of energy. This means that once the supply of fossil fuel is gone, it is going to be gone forever. That fact makes the development of alternative source of energy of utmost importance.

The use of fuel-cell technology is a good alternative to gasoline since a vehicle powered by this technology gives off no emission harmful to the environment. The only thing that a vehicle with fuel-cell gives off is water vapor. The process involves the fusion of oxygen and hydrogen, both of which are abundant in the atmosphere. The fusion of the said elements will produce a chemical reaction from which electricity can be extracted. This is then stored in the lithium-ion battery of the car where it is called upon to power the electric motor that drives the vehicle. These parts are all made to be reliable and not prone to breakdown just like Volvo 940 parts. During the fusion of hydrogen and oxygen, the only by-product is water.

The use of fuel cell technology has indeed been explored and further developments are also being made. With more advances in this field of alternative fuel, the cost of production will surely be lowered. This means that more and more of these clean cars will be available to the public. Nissan is already embarking on a crusade to help in the effort of the global community to reduce harmful CO¬2 emission. This effort involves further development in the fuel-cell technology field. They are developing fuel cells which are not fragile and can take on the bumps on the road. The cost of fuel cell is also an issue they are addressing; they are developing ways on how to make inexpensive fuel cells. Once they found a way to overcome the production cost issue, they may be able to mass produce fuel cell vehicles.

Aside from the Nissan X-Trail fuel cell vehicle made available for a hired-car fleet, Nissan also allows consumers to have a fuel cell vehicle driving experience to test its performance and advantages. They allow consumers to test-drive fuel cell vehicles at their Nissan Gallery in Ginza, Tokyo.

Glady Reign is a 32 year old is a consultant for an automotive firm based in Detroit, Mi. She is a native of the motor city and grew up around cars hence her expertise in the automotive field. For more information, visit Volvo 940 parts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Glady_Reign

All - New X-Trail Unveiled At Geneva Auto Show

The ongoing Geneva Auto Show has seen the unveiling of many advanced vehicles. From concept to production cars, the event has seen them all. One of the production vehicles to have graced the event is the all-new X-Trail from Nissan.

The Asian brand has finally shown the European auto scene what they have developed to replace the previous generation of the X-Trail. It can be remembered that the first generation of X-Trail received a very warm acceptance from car buyers across the global market. Nissan is now hard pressed to come up with a new version of the X-Trail which will exhibit the characteristics of the old X-Trail and which also will add to the mix new features that will make the new Nissan X-Trail more convincing for car buyers to purchase.

To come up with an idea of what they need to do to the second generation of X-Trails, Nissan has conducted a survey among their customers and asked what areas and features of the X-Trail did they like. The result showed that the majority of Nissan X-Trail owners loved the vehicle for its practicality, design, ease of use, and, of course, driving performance.

Nissan’s Executive Vice President for Corporate Strategy and Product Planning, Carlos Tavares, emphasized on these attributes of the X-Trail in his speech at the unveiling of the vehicle. “Customers love X-Trail’s convenience, its practicality, its strong performance and off-road capability. When we planned the new X-Trail, we were determined to keep those X-Trail roots, but enhance the entire vehicle,” Tavares said.

It is apparent that Nissan has restyled the new generation X-Trail but it still retains the robust and strong shape that auto enthusiasts liked about the original X-Trail. The shoulder line, glasshouse, and the window lines are similar to the first generation X-Trail. The new generation of the vehicle looks good enough even without.

While there are design concepts copied from the original Nissan X-Trail, the newest version offers an improved interior comfort and a new kind of practicality for every driver or passenger. While the interior of the vehicle offers comfort and convenience, it also offers practicality. This is shown in the placement of the instrument cluster behind the steering wheel which makes it easily visible to the driver. While allowing that, the placement also provides ample room for the center console.

The versatility and practicality of the new generation Nissan X-Trail is evident in its trunk. When compared to the previously released X-Trail, the new generation sports 145 liters more of trunk space at 555 liters. The design of the trunk and the enlargement of the area behind the last row of seats allowed the integration of a sliding drawer under the trunk floor. The space underneath the floor gives the Nissan X-Trail owners extra luggage space and a place to stow away valuable items.

The versatility of the X-Trail is further exhibited in the drawer with its partition walls which can be positioned in various ways. But if the owner of the new X-Trail needs more luggage space without having to use the drawer underneath the floor, both the drawer and the floor can be taken out.

Since the Nissan X-Trail is made to handle not so ordinary road conditions, it is equipped with a four-wheel drive configuration. Nissan has introduced their all-wheel drive system ALL MODE for the first generation X-Trail. It is only logical that the new version of the vehicle should also have an improved version of the all-wheel drive system. The current version of the system is now called as the ALL MODE 4x4i.

Improvements over the previous version of the vehicle include the Downhill Drive Support (DDS), and Uphill Drive Support (UPS). The DDS is activated manually via a switch in the center console. This system maintains a speed of 7 km/h when going downhill. This means that the driver can concentrate solely on steering instead of having to worry about the speed of the vehicle. The UDS, on the other hand, is automatic in nature. The system kicks in when it detects more than a 10 percent incline. The system activates the brakes until the driver starts to move forward.

Mike Bartley, 49, is a professional automotive journalist domiciled in Irvine, CA. He travels from one state to another to cover the hottest auto shows, racing events and automotive revelations. His penned compositions cover press releases, reviews, and suggestions. Where the auto action is, that’s exactly where you can find Mike. mikebartley@yahoo.com Irvine, CA 92602 http://www.speedyperformanceparts.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Bartley

All New Nissan X-Trail Revealed In Geneva

At this year’s International Geneva Motor Show, the Nissan Motor Company has chosen to use the event as the venue for unveiling the newly updated and all new Nissan X-Trail. And according to the company this new one would be coming with loads of new features plus it would also be offering owners and users a better performance, more convenience, exciting comfort and quality as well as lower fuel consumption and emissions.

“Customers love X-trail’s convenience, its practicality, its strong performance and off-road capability. When we planned the new X-Trail, we were determined to keep those X-Trail roots, but enhance the entire vehicle,” explains Carlos Tavares, the executive vice president of the company for corporate strategy and product planning. Tavares mentioned such during the press conference which Nissan held as part of the unveiling of the vehicle.

Despite the claims that this Nissan X-Trail is all new, most people still can make out that definite characteristic which reminds most of us of the old model. Of course, with the previous one being quite a hit in the market, Nissan still had to retain some portions of the old version. That way, people would still be reminded that the new one is still the same old Nissan X-Trail, only made better.

If you are asking about the kind of power that this one has, we all would have to wait for Nissan has yet to inform the public about its power source and just how powerful it can be. Plus, most of the parts under the hood have to be revealed. But we all sure do know that this vehicle is not going to come using an AEM Acura intake.

Taking a quick chance to gaze at the interior of the vehicle, one would find that the vehicle really does provide utmost comfort. Plus, the materials used inside sure do look like quality ones so owners would not have to worry about experiencing damages to the owner after a day of traveling with the kids or with their pets.

For long trips, the Nissan X-Trail is not going to disappoint you. In fact, you are going to be quite surprised with the amount of cargo that this vehicle can hold. Inspect the trunk of the vehicle and you would see that it has got a larger and more spacious trunk where you can put in all of your luggage and equipment.

Mike Bartley, 49, is a professional automotive journalist domiciled in Irvine, CA. He travels from one state to another to cover the hottest auto shows, racing events and automotive revelations. His penned compositions cover press releases, reviews, and suggestions. Where the auto action is, that’s exactly where you can find Mike. You can visit AEM Acura intake for more information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Bartley

Japanese Used Car Exporters Recommend Importing Nissan X-Trail to Russia

With the advent of the Russian Federation after the fall of the USSR, a big market for automakers has been born. It provides a very big opportunity for various car makers from all over the world. The Russian Market has been a growing market for Japanese carmakers and especially for Nissan. The Nissan brand is one of the five most imported cars in the Russian Federation. However especially the success of SUV's have been one of the major reasons why Nissan X - rail has become one of the most selling cars in the Russian Federation.

Especially in the last five years, SUV vehicles have become quite popular with the Russian elite. SUV type cars are especially suited to the road conditions and weather conditions in Russia. With the harsh winter conditions all over Russia, Luxury vehicle SUV's like Nissan X - trail will continue to be the leading choice vehicles in the Russian Market.

It has a good carrying capacity, which makes it ideal for traditionally large Russian families. Nissan X - TRail provides the best elegance possible in a used imported car. However the name Nissan is also responsible for the popularity of X - Trail in the imported used car market in the Russian Federation. Nissan has sold over 110 thousand cars in the year 2007 and this alone shows the interest the Russian public has on Nissan cars. Thus this success has caused Nissan to invest in the Russian federation with a new car plant which will begin its operation in the year 2009. In fact, this plant will also manufacture brand new Nissan X - Trail starting in the year 2009.

In any case, Nissan X - Trail continues to be leading choice in used imported cars in to Russia. In addition, the fact that the spare parts are found easily in the Russian market also creates an advantage for the Nissan X - Trail. Compared to other luxury style SUV's; Nissan X-Trail provides a more family like interior for the Russian market. Thus for many years to come, X - Trail will continue to lead the imported used car market in Russia.

Japanese used car has been proactively recommending such Nissan SUV for export as it proves to be one of the more reliable and durable used Japanese car in Russia.

Michael Koh is an used car expert who writes about the pro and cons of used car and each country preferences to a particular Japanese used car.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Koh
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