Remember the early 2000s when Nissan in Malaysia could go toe-to-toe with the kings of the era like Toyota and Honda? 

The 2020 Nissan Almera is somewhat of a callback to those times (it's a compelling purchase, read the review here) but Edaran Tan Chong Motor's (ETCM) fortunes might improve even more with the all-new 2021 Nissan X-Trail. 

Eh, this is the wrong car! It says Nissan Rogue!

Hold on to your hats, this is the upcoming T33-generation Nissan X-Trail. It's called the Rogue in the United States and sold globally as the X-Trail. No, this isn't a new development - it's been this way since the second generation (T32, launched in 2013). 

For ease of understanding, we'll refer to it as the X-Trail as we go along.

What's new in the upcoming X-Trail?

Looks! The T33-generation X-Trail puts on a sharp new suit, ditching the subdued lines of the outgoing generation's. 

The front fascia is a bit 2020 Mitsubishi Xpander-ish with its two-tiered design, blocky LED lights flanking a redesigned V-Motion grille and all. 

Dual-tone wheels stay, albeit redesigned. The rear has also been resculputred to look wider, something that owes to the wider number-plate recess. 

Is it also riding on an all-new chassis then?

Nope! The upcoming X-Trail will ride on the same CMF-CD platform, just like the outgoing models. But everything else is new. 

What engine and transmission does it have?

The new engine in the US-market X-Trail is codenamed PR25DD. It's a 2.5-litre, naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine with 183 PS and 245 Nm on tap, paired to a CVT. 

Cool. What features can I expect?

We'd bet that 'flair, pizzazz and upmarket' were words that designers plastered on the mood board throughout the whole design process. An antithesis to the outgoing-generation's utilitarian interior, the new X-Trail gets several choice features. 

Specs inside include an LCD instrument cluster, up to a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment display (with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support) and even a Bose sound system. 

More importantly though, the new X-Trail gets memory seats, a head-up display (HUD) and a shift-by-wire gear lever - all things the previous model never got.

It's got a massive trunk too, coming in at 895 litres with the rear second-row seats up. That's 345 litres bigger than the current X-Trail we have!

No ADAS, no buy. How safe is it?

Nissan's heard you, so the US-market X-Trail will get the Nissan Safety Shield suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Here's the features: 

• Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection (AEB)
• Forward collision warning (FCW)
• Blind spot warning with rear cross-traffic alert (BSM, RCTA)
• Lane departure warning (LDW)
• Auto high-beam (AHB)
• Traffic sign recognition (TSR)

There's also 10 airbags and the customary anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD). 

What are its rivals?

Dimensions-wise, the T33-generation X-Trail really hasn't grown much compared to the outgoing model: 

As such, the X-Trail will be fighting for market share alongside the Proton X70, Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5.

When can we expect the 2021 Nissan X-Trail in Malaysia?

The 2021 X-Trail only recently went on sale in North America. Right-hand drive market cars aren't expected to be out until next year (the T32-generation X-Trail is still on sale in Japan), so Malaysians can expect the new X-Trail sometime around 2022 or 2023. 

However - the current-gen X-Trail has been discontinued in Thailand. If they get it by next year, then it bodes well for us too. 

Do you have reviews for the current-gen X-Trail?

Yes we do, and we think it's underrated and overlooked. Agree or disagree? Read our review and watch the video, then come debate with us in the comments section.