I'm thinking of getting for an old man who lives in shags. Roads are not very bad...only the last 1km to his house has many rocks that hit the underside of his current station wagon.

Is the X-trail a good choice - all things considered?

I have always assumed its a fuel gazzler and without resale value!

I think that is a great choice. It is affordable, has good ground clearance, better than a rav4 in mad, elegant etc etc. I once owned one and was very happy with it.

I'm not buying to sell! So re-sale value is of no consequence.

In that price range go for a Rav 4 or a Forester. Suzuki Grand Vitara is another reliable option but spares can be a challenge because of CMC.

The issue with Xtrail is it was based on Primera saloon car and the automatic transmission is known to fail.

1 km of rough road is a ka distance na hiyo itakuwa kutesa mzee, those cars are very uncomfortable and the mini is crap when it comes to space.
the cars coming out nowadays are very low, even the so called suv's - but in that price range the forester I think is the one that sits highest from the ground.

but if clearance is of utmost importance, and its mostly used away from the towns, then any of major brand pickups should serve the purpose well

I'd be more open minded. Isuzu D-Max doublecab is of great use for him in shags than an SUV. It all depends on intended use though.