Not long ago, a friend and I were arguing about a topic: Does the sales of a car represent product strength? I think the answer to this question is not absolute. Because there are many factors that affect sales, product strength is only a part, of course, it is a more important part. Simply put, applause is not necessarily a seat. And the car we want to talk about today is more or less related to this topic, it is Dongfeng Nissan's new X-Trail.
At the end of July last year, the new X-Trail ushered in the listing, and as one of the invited media, individuals went to Xiangshawan to participate in the listing conference of the new X-Trail. Remember at that time, everyone was still predicting, after the internal and external innovation of the new X-Jun, the future market performance? Since the product strength has gone up, can sales be further improved?
Of course, everyone's attitude is optimistic, including me. And 9 months have passed, what kind of report card has Qijun handed over? I remember that in the second month after the launch of this car, that is, in August last year, The single-month sales of Qijun reached 9228 units. However, the subsequent sales volume, the new Qijun also fell to 3,000, 4,000 units. You know, in the past, Qijun, monthly sales were almost 10,000, 20,000 levels. Does the decline in sales mean that the product is not strong? Personally, I think that at least for the new X-Jun, the answer is no.
The change and change of the new X-Trail
In fact, I would like to start from the change and invariance of the new Qijun, since it is a new generation, and it has brought about a change in sales, there must be something "strange" in it. In the past, as the mainstream model of Japanese urban SUVs, X-Trail has more distinctive characteristics than its competitors, such as Toyota Rongfang and Honda CR-V. For example, good passing, the four-wheel drive system is strong, and the comfort is good, in addition, the power is smooth and fuel-efficient, which is also a major advantage.
The arrival of the new X-Trail has made some innovations on the basis of the original. First of all, let's talk about the unchanged places, such as passivity, although the appearance and interior have become more "beautiful", but it does not affect the strong passability of the new X-Gun at all, its minimum ground clearance is 220mm, and it is equipped with a 4X4-i intelligent four-wheel drive system, which can achieve more power distribution at the rear wheel.
In addition, after being equipped with new power, the 1.5T engine can output 204 horsepower and 300 Nm of peak torque, which is smaller than the previous 2.5L self-priming engine, but the performance is better. In particular, thanks to the blessing of variable compression ratio technology, the new X-Trail has more room in power performance. Simply put, when you need to save fuel, save it, and when you need performance, take it out. This is an improvement over past momentum.
Three-cylinder power is the point of contention
Therefore, the change around the power is a core point of the new X-Trail change. More power, better passability, and improved daily driving. However, it is also the power that makes the new X-Trail fall into "criticism" because it is a three-cylinder engine. For many people, they will think in their bones that three cylinders are not good.
In fact, for such a problem, I don't think there is any need to fight for a win or lose. For manufacturers, pushing three cylinders naturally has its reason, which is determined by the general environment; for consumers, everyone also has the right to choose, questioning or trusting, it doesn't matter, it is a normal performance. In my opinion, it is these choices that make the original X-Jun's intended customers fall into disagreement.
What do you mean by that? From a macro point of view, why Japanese SUVs are popular, it is because Japanese products emphasize peace of mind and durability, it does not need more technical blessings, do not need to try new, and the past Qijun is like this, a word to describe - stable. The emergence of the new X-Trail seems to have broken the calm, the so-called technology Nissan, the new X-Trail began to take the innovative route of challenges, and the power is the best embodiment. The use of new technologies, although there is controversy, but in terms of actual experience, the new Qijun does not have the problems that are rumored, such as the three-cylinder engine jitter. Even so, there will still be some people who will question it, saying that this is not good and that is not good. (Text/Nic)
Ah Chuan commented on the car
Finally, what are our conclusions? Is the new X-Trail good or not? I think that this conclusion is not something that anyone can make. Personally, the actual experience of this urban SUV is good, compared to the past, the four-wheel drive passability is still strong, which is still an advantage, and the handling is better (and then the comfort will be compromised). The most important point is that compared with the past "look", the new X-Trail is younger and the design is more mainstream.
As for what three-cylinder power, I think it can be a technical problem or a conceptual problem. If it is a technical problem, it can be discussed, but if it is a conceptual problem, I think it will vary from person to person.