Nissan provides a vast array of crossovers and also SUVs nowadays, yet none of ’em are what we would certainly call amazing. Yeah, certain, a Pathfinder Rock Creek is rugged-ish and also will certainly look cool parked beside a melting snowbank in the shopping center parking area, yet it’s not the kind of SUV you ‘d in fact attack and also obtain sloppy. Also the full-size Armada is tailored even more in the direction of tarmac than routes.
That’s why we’ll constantly have a soft area for the Nissan Xterra. Provided from 2000 to 2015, the Xterra’s body-on-frame design and also midsize pick-up foundations made it a powerful off-roader while its blocky layout and also deliberate attributes aided it stick out. It had the exact same use-me-and-abuse-me perspective of a Jeep Wrangler yet really did not really feel as spartan inside.
No infraction to the second-generation Nissan Xterra– which was marketed from 2005 up until the SUV’s fatality in 2015– yet it’s the previous, 2000-2004 design that we’ll concentrate on below. Truthfully, the first-gen Xterra is the one many people bear in mind and also the variation we constantly suched as ideal (and also it’s the one that Nissan eliminated of the “globe’s biggest knapsack,” as you’ll see down listed below). It’s additionally the one marketed throughout a time when the Xterra really seemed like a vital part of Nissan’s schedule; a lot of the second-gen SUVs were simply overlooked carryover designs.
Why is the Nissan Xterra a future standard?
Penciled at Nissan’s workshop in Southern The golden state, the Xterra was made with performance in mind. Its two-tier roofing system permitted arena seats in the 2nd row and also it made it so the standard roofing system rails can suit a detachable reduced basket in between the An and also B columns. The back door manages were installed on the C columns and also the back home window was unbalanced, and also do not ignore the famous lump on the vehicle driver’s side of the tailgate, which is where Nissan placed an emergency treatment set. The Xterra constantly shared its front fascia with the Frontier pickup, and also in 2002, the SUV got a brand-new schnoz with rounded fronts lights and also a smoothed-out front bumper.
Throughout its life, the Xterra’s base engine was a 2.4-liter normally aspirated inline-4 with 143 horse power, though you can additionally tip up to a 3.3-liter V6, which generated 170 hp at first yet was updated to 180 hp in2003 A five-speed handbook transmission was typical throughout the board, though V6 designs can be had with a four-speed automated. , if you desired four-wheel drive– and also you did– you had to obtain the V6..
What is the optimal instance of the Nissan Xterra?
This is where we’re torn. While we certainly like the designing of the 2000 and also 2001 designs, the 2002 Xterra was readily available with a supercharged 3.3-liter V6 engine, making 210 hp and also either 231 or 246 pound-feet of torque, relying on if you obtained the five-speed handbook (231 lb-ft) or four-speed automated (246 lb-ft) transmission. No matter the transmission, you can obtain the supercharged Xterra with 2- or 4×4.
Surprisingly, the supercharged/manual mix was gone down for 2003, so in spite of our designing choices, a 2002 Xterra with this powertrain and also 4×4 is completely the method to go. In yellow, clearly.
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Exist any type of excellent options to the Nissan Xterra?
The initial Xterra completed in the heart of the midsize SUV market, fighting every little thing from the Chevrolet Sports Jacket to the Jeep Cherokee and also Freedom. Perhaps the Xterra’s stiffest competitors came from the Toyota 4Runner, an SUV that– in spite of reasonably very little modifications– still soldiers on today.
Provided the 4Runner’s devoted follower base and also America’s solid hunger for off-road SUVs, could a brand-new Xterra based upon the upgraded Frontier revive Nissan’s fire in this sector? We have actually listened to reports recommending as much. Till something certain comes to fulfillment, we’ll take a first-gen to our preferred routes any type of day.
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