Sport/utility vehicles have become, well...soft.
Sport/utility vehicles have become, well...soft. Most of the car-based crossovers are essentially tall station wagons with butch bodywork--an eight-year-old in a cowboy hat wearing plastic six guns, perhaps.
Nissan bucks the trend with the Xterra, an unashamedly trucklike SUV aimed at outside-living, extreme-everything Gen-Xers. Introduced for 2000, the Xterra earned Motor Trend's Sport/Utility of the Year honors. In overall size and heft, the Xterra took up the big end of the mini-SUV market, styled with enough swagger to send the cute 'utes back to their brie and chardonnay. In true truck fashion, you get a lumpy ride and numbish steering at no extra charge.
OUR TAKE
What's Hot
• Plenty of goodies for the money
• Off-road abilities to go with out-there styling
• Won't mind if you get mud all over the place
What's Not
• Wheezy base engine, average midrange V-6
• Not as kind to the backside as a Pathfinder
• Tupperware interior
Don't Miss
• Head straight for supercharged V-6 and 4WD Bottom Line
• Nissan's thumb in the eye of softie SUVs is perfect pretty-boy antidote |
Base models get a 2.4-liter I-4 with 143 or 153 horsepower, while the stouter option is a 3.3-liter SOHC V-6 with 170 horses--either way, that's not a lot of power for a 3900-pound truck. By 2002, Nissan dropped a supercharged 3.3-liter V-6 beneath a raised hood, packing an impressive 210 horsepower and an even more thrilling 246 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed manual is standard across the board, with a four-speed automatic available with either V-6. A 4WD system with two-speed transfer case (real off-road stuff) is optional on V-6s. Don't even mess with the four; the standard V-6 should be your minimum consideration, and the supercharged V-6 is the plum.
Inside, you won't mistake the Xterra for an upmarket snob, but the hose-it-out clientele will like it just fine. Two trim levels--XE and SE--were offered all years and even the base XE is generously equipped, including antilock brakes, air-conditioning, and a CD stereo. The SE is slightly lusher, with larger wheels; the supercharged engine is available only in SE guise.
The robust appearance is backed by the Xterra's maintenance reality. Recalls and Technical Service Bulletins show good health, with no widespread problems in evidence. Who says Jeep is the only outfit that can build a tough off-roader?