Patent sketches showing what is believed to be the next-generation Nissan X-Trail have leaked onto the web and appear to show the rugged compact off-roader taking a more elegant tack.
As the trend of compact SUVs becoming more car-like in their looks and driving dynamics increasingly takes hold, it appears that the most purposeful-looking member of the segment, the Nissan X-Trail, is set to follow suit.
The design patent sketches that have wound up on the ‘web show what looks like a number of design cues inspired by the Nissan Hi-Cross concept that bowed at last year’s Geneva Motor Show. The current model’s boxy, utilitarian shape makes way for more curved lines while the nose gets a dose of the Murano’s straked-grill-sweeping-into-headlamp treatment.
While official information regarding this model is scarce, it is widely believed that the final product will emerge during the course of 2014.
