Nissan Xterra
The stylish new Nissan Xterra SE is the voice of the new "X" generation.
February 1, 2004
It's a pretty safe bet that no letter of the alphabet has ever experienced a renaissance like X is
enjoying right now. Used to be, X meant bad. Then again, once upon a time, "bad" meant bad, too.
Not anymore. Nowadays, X is hotter than a $20 Rolex. All around us, companies are duking it out to
see just how many times they can use the letter X in connection with a product. It's everywhere.
You've got the all-inclusive X-Games, which allow Gen Xers who are into eXtreme sports eXtra air time on E"X"PN. For those of us who spend our recreational time on the water, MasterCraft has the X-Star. When wakeboarders toe the mu-mu and wind up with X's where their eyes used to be, they head on over and get X-rayed. It's most eXcellent.
To stay thematic, when it comes to getting our X-Star to and from the launch ramp, we've been using Nissan's Xterra SE. (We wanted the Xterra XE, but there was a waiting list.) Jerry Hirshberg, president of Nissan Design International, describes the Xterra as a "return to the soul of the sports utility vehicle (SUV)." Whether SUVs have soul is debatable, but the Xterra's bona fides as a working vehicle aren't.
Built on the Nissan Frontier 4x4's 104.3-inch wheelbase, the Xterra is actually longer (178 inches overall), wider (70.4 inches, without mirrors) and higher (8.4 inches of ground clearance for the test SE 4x4) than the Jeep Cherokee or the Toyota RAV4. That extra size translates into added stability if and when the Xterra goes off-road. The full-frame (not unibody) chassis with double-wishbone front suspension, solid rear axle with leaf springs and front and rear stabilizer bars also add to the Xterra's stability.
The on-demand
four-wheel drive comes with a two-speed transfer case, so you can gradually work your way up from a
mushy boat ramp to highway speeds (in two-wheel drive mode) without missing a beat. Power comes
from a choice of engines: a 143-hp, double overhead cam (DOHC), 2.4L, 16-valve, 4-cylinder; or a
170-hp, single overhead cam (SOHC), 3.3L V6 that comes with platinum spark plugs designed to go
60,000 miles between tuneups. The 4-cylinder engine comes with a five-speed manual transmission
that has a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds, while the V6 combined with a four-speed automatic
transmission is rated for up to 5,000 pounds, giving the Xterra as much towing power as some
full-size trucks.
While the V6 has nice low-end torque (200 feet per pound at 2800 rpm, according to Nissan) and runs well at highway speeds, the Xterra SE accelerates a little slowly in the all-important 40- to 60-mph range. And that's where you really need solid acceleration to merge smoothly into highway traffic. The transmission seems to shift properly, but there just isn't enough muscle there for our taste. On the highway, the Xterra runs well, even under load and on hilly country roads. Steep hills are no problem at slow speeds, so you won't have any problems getting a boat up a wicked public ramp.
The fact that the
Xterra actually has the guts of a workhorse may come as a surprise to those who cast a gimlet eye
on the Xterra's styling, which is popular with the under-35 age group. Okay, let's face it - the
Xterra's cute. And "cute" doesn't usually engender thoughts of ruggedly muscling over boulders en
route to a secret ski lake. Don't sweat it. The Xterra can get wherever you want to go. You'll just
be cute on the way.
You'll also be fairly comfortable in the Xterra. Not La-Z-Boy comfortable, where you sink into overstuffed leather seats and enjoy a ride that compares to a ‘73 Cadillac Fleetwood, but about as comfortable as you're going to get in a compact SUV with an interior that the designers describe as "putting the ‘utility' back in SUV." What's unique about the Xterra interior is the "stadium seating," with the 50/50 split rear fold-down bench seat raised a few inches higher than the front buckets, making it easier for the rear-seat passengers to see out the front windshield.
The stadium seating is okay if you carry more passengers than gear, but you run into problems if you have to fold down the back seat for added storage room. To fold the seat down, you have to completely remove the rear seat bottom cushions, and there's not a convenient place to stow them once they're out. We tried stuffing them between the folded-down rear seat and the front buckets (bad idea) before settling on strapping them onto the standard roof rack. Once you get the seats sorted out, the Xterra has 65.6 cubic feet of storage space (44.5 cubic feet with the rear seat up).
Driving a compact SUV can be unnerving because many of them feel as if a strong wind would send you tumbling like an Olympic gymnast, but the Xterra feels solid and stable, even on winding roads at near highway speeds. And while the interior may seem a bit spartan in comparison to some of the higher-priced SUVs in the class, the Xterra delivers a quiet ride, even with a sunroof (which is a pain to open, requiring you to remove the plastic cargo tray from the roof rack). The six-speaker radio/cassette/CD player more than obliterates any road or wind noise, especially when a Sons of Hercules CD is being used as an audio test.
In retrospect, the test CD should have been something from X or Generation X, INXS or X-Ray-Spex. After all, this is the Age Of X, and the Xterra is here to help you ride it out. The new Nissan Xterra turns out to be a real value too (MSRP is about $17,000 for the basic two-wheel drive, five-speed manual transmission XE model), which is something Generation X can appreciate.
Engine: 170-hp; 3.3L single overhad cam
(SOHC) V6
Max Tow Rating: 5,000 lbs.
Wheelbase: 104.3 inches
Width: 70.4 inches
Height: 69.6 inches
(w/o roof rack)
Ground Clearance: 8.4 inches
Fuel Economy (city/highways) 16/18 (4WD,
manual transmission), 15/19 (4WD, automatic trasmisson)
Fuel Capacity: 19.4 gallons
Head Room: 38.6 inches (front), 37.8 (rear)
Leg Room: 41.4 inches (front), 32.8 inches (rear)
Max Cargo Volume: 65.6 cubic feet
MSRP: $24,799 (manual transmission),
$25,799 (automatic transmission)
Nissan North America Inc.
P.O. Box 191
Gardina, CA 90248
(310)771-5790
Verdict: A compact SUV delivers plenty of value for a pleasantly low price. The truck has a few idiosyncrasies that need to be remedied, such as having to completely remove the rear seat bottom cushions to fold down the rear seat, but for many buyers, the Xterra's styling will be the deal maker.
You've got the all-inclusive X-Games, which allow Gen Xers who are into eXtreme sports eXtra air time on E"X"PN. For those of us who spend our recreational time on the water, MasterCraft has the X-Star. When wakeboarders toe the mu-mu and wind up with X's where their eyes used to be, they head on over and get X-rayed. It's most eXcellent.
To stay thematic, when it comes to getting our X-Star to and from the launch ramp, we've been using Nissan's Xterra SE. (We wanted the Xterra XE, but there was a waiting list.) Jerry Hirshberg, president of Nissan Design International, describes the Xterra as a "return to the soul of the sports utility vehicle (SUV)." Whether SUVs have soul is debatable, but the Xterra's bona fides as a working vehicle aren't.
Built on the Nissan Frontier 4x4's 104.3-inch wheelbase, the Xterra is actually longer (178 inches overall), wider (70.4 inches, without mirrors) and higher (8.4 inches of ground clearance for the test SE 4x4) than the Jeep Cherokee or the Toyota RAV4. That extra size translates into added stability if and when the Xterra goes off-road. The full-frame (not unibody) chassis with double-wishbone front suspension, solid rear axle with leaf springs and front and rear stabilizer bars also add to the Xterra's stability.
The on-demand
four-wheel drive comes with a two-speed transfer case, so you can gradually work your way up from a
mushy boat ramp to highway speeds (in two-wheel drive mode) without missing a beat. Power comes
from a choice of engines: a 143-hp, double overhead cam (DOHC), 2.4L, 16-valve, 4-cylinder; or a
170-hp, single overhead cam (SOHC), 3.3L V6 that comes with platinum spark plugs designed to go
60,000 miles between tuneups. The 4-cylinder engine comes with a five-speed manual transmission
that has a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds, while the V6 combined with a four-speed automatic
transmission is rated for up to 5,000 pounds, giving the Xterra as much towing power as some
full-size trucks.
While the V6 has nice low-end torque (200 feet per pound at 2800 rpm, according to Nissan) and runs well at highway speeds, the Xterra SE accelerates a little slowly in the all-important 40- to 60-mph range. And that's where you really need solid acceleration to merge smoothly into highway traffic. The transmission seems to shift properly, but there just isn't enough muscle there for our taste. On the highway, the Xterra runs well, even under load and on hilly country roads. Steep hills are no problem at slow speeds, so you won't have any problems getting a boat up a wicked public ramp.
The fact that the
Xterra actually has the guts of a workhorse may come as a surprise to those who cast a gimlet eye
on the Xterra's styling, which is popular with the under-35 age group. Okay, let's face it - the
Xterra's cute. And "cute" doesn't usually engender thoughts of ruggedly muscling over boulders en
route to a secret ski lake. Don't sweat it. The Xterra can get wherever you want to go. You'll just
be cute on the way.
You'll also be fairly comfortable in the Xterra. Not La-Z-Boy comfortable, where you sink into overstuffed leather seats and enjoy a ride that compares to a ‘73 Cadillac Fleetwood, but about as comfortable as you're going to get in a compact SUV with an interior that the designers describe as "putting the ‘utility' back in SUV." What's unique about the Xterra interior is the "stadium seating," with the 50/50 split rear fold-down bench seat raised a few inches higher than the front buckets, making it easier for the rear-seat passengers to see out the front windshield.
The stadium seating is okay if you carry more passengers than gear, but you run into problems if you have to fold down the back seat for added storage room. To fold the seat down, you have to completely remove the rear seat bottom cushions, and there's not a convenient place to stow them once they're out. We tried stuffing them between the folded-down rear seat and the front buckets (bad idea) before settling on strapping them onto the standard roof rack. Once you get the seats sorted out, the Xterra has 65.6 cubic feet of storage space (44.5 cubic feet with the rear seat up).
Driving a compact SUV can be unnerving because many of them feel as if a strong wind would send you tumbling like an Olympic gymnast, but the Xterra feels solid and stable, even on winding roads at near highway speeds. And while the interior may seem a bit spartan in comparison to some of the higher-priced SUVs in the class, the Xterra delivers a quiet ride, even with a sunroof (which is a pain to open, requiring you to remove the plastic cargo tray from the roof rack). The six-speaker radio/cassette/CD player more than obliterates any road or wind noise, especially when a Sons of Hercules CD is being used as an audio test.
In retrospect, the test CD should have been something from X or Generation X, INXS or X-Ray-Spex. After all, this is the Age Of X, and the Xterra is here to help you ride it out. The new Nissan Xterra turns out to be a real value too (MSRP is about $17,000 for the basic two-wheel drive, five-speed manual transmission XE model), which is something Generation X can appreciate.
Engine: 170-hp; 3.3L single overhad cam
(SOHC) V6
Max Tow Rating: 5,000 lbs.
Wheelbase: 104.3 inches
Width: 70.4 inches
Height: 69.6 inches
(w/o roof rack)
Ground Clearance: 8.4 inches
Fuel Economy (city/highways) 16/18 (4WD,
manual transmission), 15/19 (4WD, automatic trasmisson)
Fuel Capacity: 19.4 gallons
Head Room: 38.6 inches (front), 37.8 (rear)
Leg Room: 41.4 inches (front), 32.8 inches (rear)
Max Cargo Volume: 65.6 cubic feet
MSRP: $24,799 (manual transmission),
$25,799 (automatic transmission)
Nissan North America Inc.
P.O. Box 191
Gardina, CA 90248
(310)771-5790
Verdict: A compact SUV delivers plenty of value for a pleasantly low price. The truck has a few idiosyncrasies that need to be remedied, such as having to completely remove the rear seat bottom cushions to fold down the rear seat, but for many buyers, the Xterra's styling will be the deal maker.
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Stepping Up: VW enters the SUV field with the new Touareg, an impressive blend of cutting-edge technology and luxury.
Nissan Xterra: The stylish new Nissan Xterra SE is the voice of the new "X" generation.
Nissan Frontier Crew Cab: SUVs may be getting all the press these days, but for a lot of people, the best tow vehicle is still the one with an open bed in the back.
Nissan Frontier Crew Cab XE: Nissan's new Frontier Crew Cab XE takes the compact truck/tow vehicle concept further.
