Good morning, and welcome back! We were off yesterday celebrating America’s presidents, but today we’re back, and taking off to the Great White North to look at a pair of cars we never got here. But before we leave, let’s finish up with Friday’s LS swaps:
Well well well… Despite the howls of protest and cries of blasphemy, the RX7 emerges victorious. Sorry, purists, but a car on the road is worth two in the garage. I do love that Chevy van, though. Actually, come to think of it, this would make a decent two-car garage with a little work. And you’d only have to remember one oil filter number.
Today’s contestants come to us courtesy of Opposite Lock member “dogisbadob,” who found these two for sale up in Canada. I don’t know much about either of these vehicles, so bear with me. But who doesn’t like finding out stuff about cars from other places? (If you raised your hand, you might be on the wrong website.) Both are silver, both are manuals, and both, sadly, are still several years too new to bring into the US. But still, it’s fun to look. Let’s see which one you prefer.
2006 Nissan X-Trail – $2,000 Canadian
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, 5 speed manual, FWD/part-time 4WD
Location: Montcon, New Brunswick
Odometer reading: 180,000 kilometers
Runs/drives? Currently won’t start
Say the words “Nissan crossover” to Americans and they’ll picture some horrible Rogueish, Jukey blob with a CVT gearbox designed to last just until the warranty runs out. But Nissan makes some great trucks and SUVs, and in other parts of the world, they sold this little charmer: a car-based crossover with honest, boxy styling, selectable four-wheel-drive, and, crucially, a manual transmission. The first-generation X-Trail was only sold in Canada for two years, and nowadays it’s the same thing as a Rogue, so this happy little box is no more.
We don’t get a lot of photos in this ad, but what we can see looks good: a straight body, a clean interior, and the sort of honest, no-bullshit design that Nissan is not known for in the slightest in most recent US models. This thing reminds me favorably of an old Pathfinder I once had. I’m not sold on the centrally-mounted gauges, but I can understand why they do it: to make the dashboard more easily adapted to right- or left-hand drive. That sort of universality of design rubs salt in the wound of the US never getting this vehicle; it was meant for everybody but us, apparently.
This X-Trail is currently inoperative; the seller says the fuel pump was recently replaced, but it still won’t start. It apparently ran just fine before the pump went out, which means the new pump wasn’t installed correctly, or it wasn’t actually the problem. Time to put on your troubleshooting hat. And from the looks of it, for about $1500 US, it’s worth saving. Too bad it’s not welcome on this side of the border for another eight years.
2007 Mercedes-Benz B200 – $2,000 Canadian
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0 liter overhead cam inline 4, 5 speed manual, FWD
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Odometer reading: 190,000 kilometers
Runs/drives? Yes, but check engine light is on
This isn’t what Americans picture when you say the name Mercedes-Benz, either. Sturdy, comfortable sedans, yes. Two-seat luxury convertibles, sure. SUVs, yep. Even work vans these days. But compact hatchbacks? Again, everywhere but here. The B Class is a front-wheel-drive hatchback designed for Europe, but sold in Canada as well.
This B Class is powered by a four-cylinder engine paired with a five-speed manual, also almost unheard-of in US-market Benzes. There’s not much luxury to be had here either, but from what I know of European-market compacts, this should be a very comfortable and well-mannered little car. It’s not in great shape; the seller says it has some rust, and the check engine light is on.
It does look pretty rough. Dents and scrapes abound, the interior is a mess, and the rear wiper is apparently set to license-plate-cleaning mode. But it’s cheap enough, and if it does run all right, it could make a nice little winter beater for someone for a year or two. Unfortunately, that someone can’t be anyone here in the good old US of A.
Being a car nerd in the US has its share of frustrations, and chief among them is the “forbidden fruit” of other markets. Between the silly 25 year import rule and automakers only importing stuff they know will sell well, us enthusiasts are left longing for a chance to even see these cars in person. It’s especially frustrating when they’re right there in Canada, just on the other side of an arbitrary line on the map. But if you were able to bring either of these across, which one would it be?
(Image credits: Facebook Marketplace sellers)
There is an X-Trail GT for sale not far from me SR20VET 206kw, its very tempting.
I have my doubts that the X Trail really is just something simple like the seller says. That’s what they all say. Plus it has the QR20DE which wasn’t used in anything else that was sold in North America so I wouldn’t be surprised if the part you end up needing to actually fix it wasn’t easily available on this continent. There’s plenty of cars worth going through the hassle of sourcing parts from overseas for but I don’t think an X Trail is one of them.
It’s going to have to be the Benz for me. It runs right now and the novelty of having a manual Mercedes small van in North America sounds fun too.
It has the QR25DE, which was used in the Sentra, Altima, and later the Rogue
Ah, I was going off of the assumption it was the 2.0. That makes things a lot better, in fact better enough to where I’d change my choice if I really had to spend money on one of these.
My parents had a Nissan X-Trail from that era in Mexico, surprisingly good. I remember the fenders were made of plastic and if you put your weight on it, they will bent and scare you big time haha
I got a C- in Geography, but I believe Canada is located in America. I’ll show myself out.
Fun fact. The first gen B-class had a unique chassis design (shared with the A-class of that generation). The chassis used a sandwich floor construction. A bit like the skateboard chassis some EV makers are adopting. Apparently, this had some safety benefits. It also made the vehicle too expensive to build for it’s entry level market and was abandoned on subsequent generations.
Today’s showdown example has all of the hallmarks of a Montreal car. Montreal is where you take cars to punish them. That check engine light might even indicate a missing engine. It probably fell out after a pothole strike and is now lying by the side of the freeway.
Yes! The safety benefit is that the engine slides underneath the car in a crash.
Also, that engine is sideways, like a Previa’s engine, but transverse
It’s always an adventure driving through Montreal. Last time I was there, I ended up in some industrial area due to random road closures. No idea where I was and I’m sure I could never find it again.
The Nissan appears to be an easy project to get a winter beater for $1500 Freedom Dollars.
Yeah, I thought it would’ve been closer, given that the B-class actually runs and drives.
In this particular case, I’ll take a chance on the Nissan. Parts for Nissans are cheaper and this one has a manual… so no CVT issues.
The X-Trail’s automatic wasn’t a CVT, either. It had the RE4F04B 4-speed automatic. The CVT came with the Rogue 🙁
The W245 B-Class was available with a CVT though! And somehow, it was even worse than Nissan’s :O
Mercedes dropped the CVT with the next gen W246, and went to a DCT. Mercedes and Nissan switched places in that reagrd 😛
I feel bad for the little Merc. It looks like a beat-up puppy, with scrapes, dents, and busted rear wiper that looks like a tucked-in tail. I don’t feel THAT bad, tho. Hopefully it is in a no-kill shelter, as I’m adopting the plucky little Nissan, today.
I could use the X-trail as an alternative for a RZR I suppose. I choose that over the ugly duckling Merc
Some rust on a car from Montreal? Ya, pass. That thing will disintegrate before you can get the registration complete.
I like the X-Trail more, but in the battle of ratty cars that’ll never be worth more than bucket of spit you take the car that runs. Even if it may not be running particularly well.
Yeah, I’m surprised the B isn’t doing better for this reason.
Most of the time, you pick the car that runs over the one that doesn’t.
I had a Nissan Frontier from that era. Worst truck I’ve ever owned. Mercedes all the way on this one.
I have driven a B-Class on a few occasions. It is a great car. The B-Class to me is like a luxury version of a Honda Fit. Who wouldn’t want that? That this one actually runs (unlike the Nissan) makes it clear the better option. I’d pay 2000 Loonies for this car if I could register it here in ‘Murica.
You can register it in the US. Several B-Classes are already here 🙂
Really?? The 25 year rule doesn’t apply? I have seen several B-classes in the US, but only the electric ones that were sold here. I’m so confused about what cars can and cannot be imported/registered here.
In this case, the Canadian B-Class was already US-certified before Mercedes decided not to sell them here. That is why they are legal. If it was certified to US standards, the 25-year rule does not apply.
The electric B was the next generation (W246, 2013-2019). And yes, there are a few of the first gen (W245) down here already.
In regards to the W246, you can probably convince the feds that in regards to safety, it’s “substantially similar” to the electric B sold here, and the gas engine likely has an EPA label under the hood, too.
I read nothing. I voted Nissan because I can afford to fix a cheap Nissan, but I can’t afford to fix a cheap Mercedes.
Yay you used my suggestion! 😀
The X-Trail and B-Class are two of my favorite cars, and I will have a manual one of each some day!
Just so you know, you CAN bring the B-Class to the US, and quite a few of them have been brought down here already. They were certified for US standards, and the owner’s manual even states “certified for Canada, the US, and California.”
Mercedes planned on selling them down here, but backed out at the last minute due to unfavorable euro-to-dollar exchange rates at the time, but since they already did the work to make it legal, they still sold it in Canada.
The X-Trail can probably be brought down here as well. Canadian standards are so similar to US standards that it’s just a matter of getting a letter from Nissan Canada.
The best part of the X-Trail is that huge sunroof. It’s like the Subaru Forester Done Right because it has a real engine instead of a shitty boxer. You can even change the spark plugs with the engine IN THE CAR!!!!!! 😀
Canadian here and @Dogisbadob is right. Our emissions and safety standards meet the DOT standards, so if it can be sold in Canada, it can be imported to the US. So go grab the X-Trail or B-Class of your choice from the Great White North. This also works the other way around with two modifications that can be done at Canadian Tire — you need to have “always on” daytime running lights for cars made after 1988 and child safety seat anchors.
A question that comes up often as well is will a Canadian market car pass smog in California. So long as the car has its OEM emissions equipment on it, it will pass. My ’85 Canadian market Celica is specifically labeled as having California emissions equipment on it.
I mean, I like all you said here, except about the boxer engine. If you had said head gaskets, etc., instead, I could agree.
Or, maybe you were right in the first place? I dunno.
Well yes, their shitty boxer engine has shitty head gaskets too 🙂
The problem is that anything like spark plugs, valve cover gaskets, and the famous head gaskets require removing the engine to service. That shit shouldn’t be an engine-out service!
A wide engine in a narrow car causes problems.
The Nissan is the better choice, but I just can’t deal with the center instruments. MB it is.
Agree – there was a QOTD on that other site about what feature was a red-line no go for you in a car….mine is center mounted instrument panel (or only a center mounted touchscreen).
Um… I LIKE centre-mounted instruments. They are closer to the view outside and further from your eyes, good for us old’uns.
I’ve never driven a vehicle with a does-everything centre-mounted touchscreen, but it sounds like the work of more than just one devil.
A broken Nissan is cheaper to make working than a broken Mercedes-Benz, so gotta go Nissan here.
I’ve always liked the X-Trail though. It’s charming.
in this case, the Mercedes is less broken, since it actually runs and drives :p
I always thought it a little odd Nissan didn’t sell the first X-Trail in the U.S. It wouldn’t have overlapped the XTerra which was mostly V6 powered (definitely so by 2006 like the example here) and likely would have done well against the I4 powered CR-V and RAV4 – and a number of buyers didn’t like the side hinged swing out tailgate of those two, vs. the X-Trail’s conventional setup.
Nissan would’ve sold a bunch of X-Trails to dissatisfied Subaru customers that got tired of replacing head gaskets on their Foresters 😀
The X-Trail is the Forester Done Right. It has a big sunroof like the Forester but with a real engine instead of a shitty boxer.
I like that comparison – Forester was still a bit quirky for the time. Granted the QR25 doesn’t have an amazing rep either, although by this point most of the bugs were known I think. (On that note I think the 2.5 is the only engine the Canadian X-trails came with?)
Correct. Canadian X-Trails only came with the QR25, but at least it has a timing chain rather than a stupid timing belt, and it’s miles ahead of any Subaru, especially an EJ25!
The X-Trail’s QR25 was found in lots of cars in the US, including the Sentra, Altima, and Rogue.
Yeah, that motor was common, just the first few years of wasn’t known for reliability of older Nissan motors – though I still see quite a few of those Altimas around. I thought about the chain vs. belt too, but chains were iffy on the first few years of the VQ35 too. All some of the first fruits of the Renault partnership and Ghosn’s direction…
These X-Trails are extremely capable and durable. Really fantastic little vehicle with surprisingly good ground clearance and approach/departure angles.
This is the second time the Nissan X-Trail has come to my attention in a week. I’m getting some Baader-Meinhof phenomenon over here.
My wife and I were watching God’s Favorite Idiot the other night – a show that’s supposed to be set in the U.S. – when the X-Trail made a pretty prominent appearance in a scene. I made my wife pause and rewind three times so I could figure out what the hell it was.
I love making little spots like that. I see it in a number of TV commercials for like for pharmaceuticals or that sort too. Even just overseas-spec versions of U.S./Canadian models – like Chrysler vans circa ~2000 stick in my mind as a common spot, due to the taillights with amber rear turn signals in other markets.
Yes! Allstate had a series of spots a little while ago that featured not-quite-USDM cars … a Chrysler minivan with Euro taillights as you mention, a recent-gen Chevy Captiva … and after some research, learned the commercials were produced in the Netherlands. For some reason.
I remember the Allstate ones! Has to be something like the ad agency home base or some tax break.
I voted Benz solely because Mercedes makes some very cool hatchbacks that we don’t get here in the states and I’m fond of the more utilitarian side of Benz. They may be a clout chasing luxury marquee that specializes in leasing crossovers to people who can’t afford them here but internationally they make lots of regular cars and I’ll always be fond of their design language. Even if their designs tend to be fairly conservative they really don’t miss and you can always tell when something is a Merc.
I really dug the A-Class Mercedes when I checked one out in der Vaterland. The B looks to be at least somewhat similar, and I’d vote for it if it wasn’t showing signs of having been severely unloved. At least the “You should have checked the engine a long damn time ago” light isn’t on. Or is it?
The Nissan is probably a sturdy beast, and is merely homely, not Juke-y. It’s usable, and my bet’s on the starting issue being relatively minor.
Fortunately, the 25-year rule keeps both off my list.
That Nissan sold me. Although life in the Canadian Maritimes has me worried about what the underside looks like. Still, real 4WD in a plucky little box can’t be half bad.
Mercedes-Benz did sell the B-Class in the USA!
But only as the electric B250e, which is apparently a pretty nice car, though it’s definitely in the compliance car zone with 85 miles of range and no fast charging.
I almost bought a B-Class electric a few years ago. I ended up buying a Leaf instead, but only because I thought a replacement battery would be cheaper (and more available) for a Leaf than a B-Class. I like my Leaf, but I regret not buying the B-Class. The B-Class was a few thousand dollars more (both were 3 years old off-lease vehicles with ~25,000 miles), but the cars aren’t even comparable. The Leaf is a typical econoshitbox, but with an electric drivetrain. The B-Class is a small luxury vehicle. The B-Class interior is as nice as any other M-B product. It would be nice if M-B would release an updated electric B-Class. It struck a good balance between affordability and luxury.
The electric B-Class is the second generation W246 (2013-2019). And yes, Canada got both the gas and electric W246. The gas engines probably have an EPA label under the hood, so those probably can be imported down here.
The electric motor in those comes from Tesla, which is even scarier than M-B!
The car in today’s shitbox showdown is the first-gen W245 (2006-2011). These actually were certified to US standards, but M-B made a last-minute decision not to sell them here due to unfavorable exchange rates. But since they were already certified, they still sold them in Canada. A few of the first-gens have been brought down here.
The B class wins, barely. It has a droopy rear wiper, rust, and check engine. At least it starts. The Nissan screams, needs parts cannon – unload it.
Yeah, but ammo for the Nissan parts cannon is generally much cheaper than the Mercedes parts cannon.