Ford EcoSport VS Nissan X-Trail

The EcoSport is marketed as a five seat, five door small SUV, or compact SUV, but really the rear compartment particularly, is designed best for two occupants. 

ISOFIX points are located in the rear but there are no provisions for charging or for ventilation, while in the front the sheer lack of dimension of the EcoSport means the driver and passenger are seated quite close together. 

In terms of storage there are a handful of very small oddment bins scattered on the centre console, along with two cupholders line astern. All four doors can take small bottles and there are another two cupholders in a rear pull-down armrest.

Probably the most distinctive - and probably most annoying - feature of the EcoSport is its rear tailgate. Instead of a traditional top hinged style, the EcoSport uses a side opening door with a single strut, with a full size spare wheel mounted to the rear of it. 

Finding the switch to open the door itself is hard enough, especially if you've never done it before, and the door itself is surprisingly heavy. As well, if you park the EcoSport in the wrong place you simply won't be able to open the door to access the boot area fully.

It's an anachronistic design in a world where practicality rules, and this will make or break a buying decision for a lot of people. Thankfully, Ford has responded, and will offer the EcoSport without a rear door-mounted spare wheel from the middle of 2018.

The cargo area itself has 743 litres of space with the seats up and 1178 litres with them down - isn't too bad in terms of floor space, although it does narrow up quite significantly when you get to the seat backs. 

Ford, though, has added a split-level floor that's designed to provide a flat loading surface when the two rear seats are tumbled forward. Oh, and you have to lift the seat bases up and away before you drop those seat backs, too.

Passenger accommodations are okay at best. The fitment of a sunroof to the top spec Titanium model doesn't do the car any favours, particularly in the rear, thanks to the deeper roof lining needed for a sunroof. If there is a taller driver up front, then you’ll need to find a very small rear passenger as legroom all but disappears, while fitting three across the rear really isn't an option for even a moderate journey.

ISOFIX seat points are provided for two baby seats, while the driving position itself is more than adequate with fair visibility. Something to note though, the porthole provided at the base of the A pillar to give the driver a slightly better view really does nothing at all thanks to the thickness of that pillar. 

The steep windscreen, a long dash, and slightly bulbous bonnet also means that front visibility, particularly when parking, is quite difficult and it's very hard to get a sense of where the front of the car actually is.

Ford's SYNC 3 system does provide an excellent interface for all operations with phones, media, and satellite navigation, though as mentioned the buttons on the steering wheel are quite numerous and very small, so a little bit of tactility is needed to operate them. 

Other than that, the rest of the main controls are pretty straightforward with a traditional automatic gear shift and manual handbrake.

The multimedia system is operated via a small screen that sits proud on the dash, while all instruments in the EcoSport are reasonably well labelled. The majority of buttons are clustered around the steering wheel and can be hard to discern their function given their lack of size. 

The top-spec Titanium offers a black leatherette style interior treatment, which is reasonably well presented… but the sheer volume of harder plastics does let the side down.

There are two USB ports up front but none in the rear, and the 12v points are very well hidden. 

At just under 4.7m long, a fraction over 1.8m wide and a bit more than 1.7m tall, the current Nissan X-Trail is a large mid-size SUV.

That allows for a generous amount of space up front with more than enough breathing room between the driver and co-pilot.

Storage is pretty handy, too, with a decent size lidded ‘butterfly door’ box between the seats (which doubles as a centre armrest), two cupholders in the centre console, a lower level tray underneath, door bins with space for large bottles and a decent glove box.

Move to the second row and at 183cm tall I have plenty of headroom and legroom, with the latter variable thanks to the seat’s ability to slide and open up more room for the two third-row occupants if required.

Again, there are bins in the doors with a cavity able to accommodate large-ish bottles, two cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest and map pockets on the front seat backs, while adjustable ventilation gets a big thumbs up.

Three full-size adults across the second-row seat is a recipe for discomfort but two grown-ups or a trio of up to mid-teenage kids will be fine and the rear doors deserve a big shout out. 

First, they open out to 90 degrees which makes getting in and out of there s-o-o much easier and second, pull-up sunshades are always a welcome addition.

The third row is a kids-only zone, but the flexibility those two spots offer is significant and Nissan’s provision of big outer armrests with storage and drink holders built in is a thoughtful touch.

Connectivity and power options run to USB-A and -C ports (for streaming and charging) plus a 12-volt socket and wireless device charging pad in the front. There’s an identical pair of (charge only) USBs in the centre row and another 12-volt outlet in the boot. 

Speaking of which, with all seats up the seven-seat X-Trail’s boot capacity shrinks to that of an oversize handbag (realistically, two or three soft bags), but with the 50/50 split third row folded down you’re provided with 465 litres of volume (to the roof) which is enough to easily swallow the three-piece CarsGuide suitcase set. And the 40/20/40 split second row’s sliding ability again allows you to play with the space available.

Worth noting a space-saver spare is provided (a much better option than a ‘roll of the dice’ repair/inflator kit) and maximum braked trailer towing capacity is a handy 2000kg (750kg unbraked).