When Nissan launched its X-Trail it chose the artifical ski-slopes of Milton Keynes. This month it is joined by the Sport-X, priced £18,995, in familiar snow scenes...

THE X-Trail catapulted Nissan into the sports utility vehicle or SUV sector as they call it in marketing land. Now, with the introduction of the Sport-X, the X-Trail will be better able to see where it is going due to twin, roof-mounted spot lamps that will light a track 200 metres ahead and 17 metres wide.

And at prices starting from £18,995, it makes the 165PS X-Trail 2.5-litre a whole £1,500 more accessible.

On sale from Monday, the Sport-X is a new addition to the range based on the Sport. It is aimed at those who want a flashier SUV, literally, with those spot lights - safari lamps in Nissan-speak - that come on when high beam is engaged and a dashboard mounted switch is prodded. They turn night into day making driving down a pitch black, country lane loads safer.

More wattage is provided by front bumper mounted, fog lamps. To ensure daytime privacy for back seat passengers, the rear windows are dark tinted.

Polished five-spoke 16-inch alloy wheels are pure flash. More practical but just as eye-catching is the substantial roof system first seen on the original X-Trail concept car. As well as providing a mounting point for the safari lamps, the roof system will carry up to 100kg of kit when the accessory crossbars are attached to the standard aluminium rails. Despite the roof system, the Sport-X retains the X-Trail's enormous electric glass sunroof that takes on a new application as a night-time observation hatch when used with the safari lamps.

Although the Sport-X has the same utility-themed interior as the standard X-Trail Sport, Nissan has made a few more flashy modifications. The brightest of these are vivid blue Matrix upholstery inserts on the seats. The steering wheel rim and handbrake are trimmed in blue stitched leather and the upper part of the doors is covered in the same hard-wearing cloth used for rucksacks. The Sport-X also gains steering wheel mounted audio controls and a big, lidded centre box.

A 2.2Di Sport-X is priced at £19,495 - just £500 more than the un-X-ed version. With a CO2 mass emissions figure of 190g/km, the X-Trail 2.2Di slots into the 23 per cent company car banding and will return 39.2 mpg on the combined cycle. This particular engine accounts for more than half of X-Trail sales. Destined to increase in popularity, though, is the 165PS 2.5-litre petrol engine that was previously only offered in £20,495 SVE form. The 2.5 Sport-X, at £18,995, is £1,000 more than the 2.0 Sport, which works out at £500 for the equipment and £500 for the extra 0.5 litres of engine. The 2.5-litre accelerates to 62mph in under 10 seconds, whereas the 2.0-litre takes 11.3 to get there, and it also has another 38Nm of torque plus the ability to tow up to two tonnes of braked trailer against the 2.0-litre's 1.5-tonne towing limit. That means with a 2.5-litre, you can get an extra horse in your horse-box!

Like every X-Trail, the Sport-X has an electronic - so faster reacting - four-wheel drive system. Known as All Mode 4x4, it offers a choice of three press-a-button settings. The first is front-wheel drive only for in-town pootling. The keener driver will select mode two, auto, for maximum security and fun on-road as well as traction, for the ten per cent of time the car goes off-roading. Mode three is Lock which predictably locks the drive front and rear for more serious cross country safaris. On such excursions, the chilled can holders will prove a literally refreshing idea, as will the electronic set-and-forget climate control. And if the scenery gets a bit samey, a 6CD autochanger will provide entertainment. Unusually, it is mounted on the dashboard so you do not need to stop the car and get out to change the music.

Other features include driver, passenger and front side airbags, three-point seatbelts for all five seats and Isofix child seat anchoring points, ultrasonic and perimetric alarm, electric tilt/slide panoramic sunroof, steering wheel mounted audio controls, climate control air-conditioning with pollen filter, rear side privacy glass, front centre console with lid, removable rear centre armrest with ski-hatch, and external temperature gauge.

Updated: 14:15 Friday, May 02, 2003