First time post here, but I thought I'd give my $.02 seeing as how I've driven an X-Trail from England to Pakistan (so far - I intend to continue down through South Asia to finish in Oz).
I understand the apprehension of it being a lifestyle vehicle, but it's been nothing but reliable and tough for all 16,000 miles of my drive so far. It's no offroad vehicle to be sure, unless you outfitted it with new suspension and tires. I've driven it completely stock with regular M&S tires over some of the worst "roads" the Asian continent can provide - mud, rocks, low water, sand, even through a bentonite-covered Pakistani construction site in the Himalayas - and it hasn't failed me yet. The only problem I've had with it was after 9 consecutive days of crap road and bashing the undercarriage (my fault - I was going too fast) did the exhaust tubing underneath crack and split. With a bit of wire and a 20-dollar weld job back in Islamabad, it is good to go again.
Point is that you're not going to be rock-crawling and mudding with it, but it's a pretty great vehicle, from my entirely anecdotal perspective.
BTW, it's a 2003 1.9 Cdi, and I picked it up near London for just over 3000 pounds. It gets almost 30 mpg, too.
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