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Review: Nissan XTerra

January 7, 2014 by Tom Williams Leave a Comment

2013 Nissan Xterra‘Kickin’ it old school’ and ‘Keepin’ it real’ are two much abused phrases today, but in the case of the Nissan XTerra, these are absolute truths. The first XTerra saw the light of day as a 2000 model, followed by a second generation bowing in 2005, and that is essentially the same XTerra you will find at a Nissan dealer lot in 2014. So yes, change with the Xterra tends to move at a glacial pace, but you need to understand what the XTerra is about to understand why that is perfectly acceptable.

The XTerra is based off of the Nissan Frontier pick up truck, the way every car company did its SUV’s before the crossover existed. In appearance, the XTerra is upright, purposeful, and most of all, dead serious. With an imposing front fascia, knobby tires, over the top roof rack and sharply sculpted fender flares, the XTerra in stock form almost looks as if it do duty as a Dakar Rally support vehicle. Backing up that persona are roof mounted off-road lights, roof mounted air dam gear basket, rear side bumper steps and a front tow hook. From the outside, the XTerra puts the ‘U’ in Utility, and the overall look is classic SUV, looks terrific, and oozes character in a growing sea of wishy-washy crossovers. Put another way, this is not a vehicle you will spot your typical suburban housewife flitting between Starbuck’s and her mani/pedi appointment.

2013 Nissan XterraClimb inside, and the utility theme continues. There is nothing superfluous or fancy to be found here. No nod whatsoever to style. In fact, the XTerra’s dashboard and controls are so simple compared to its contemporaries it is almost shocking. To some, the minimalism shown here may be extreme, bordering on the austere, but pause here for a moment, and look again. Acres of unforgiving hard plastic and a lack of gimmicks all add up to an interior that is ready to be beaten up. The XTerra’s cabin was designed to be abused. Yet for as primitive the XTerra’s interior appears, all the tech features one would expect to find on a current SUV are accounted for.

All XTerra’s share the same engine, a 4.0L V-6, rated at 261hp. You can order your XTerra as a 4×2 or 4×4. Rear-wheel drive only XTerra’s are only available with a five-speed automatic. Go for the 4×4 (honestly, if you are committing to this car, why wouldn’t you?), and you have a choice of a six-speed manual or the automatic. Our 4×4 was fitted with the automatic. Acceleration was more than adequate, and no doubt offers enough grunt in difficult off-road situations. And the XTerra should shine off-road. I know, because I have driven both am XTerra and the Frontier on which it is based at IMPA’s Test Days off-road course, set up and designed by Land Rover, the benchmark of all off-roaders. Trust me, the XTerra has the chops it takes for some brutal off-roading. And it’s fun too.

That’s important to keep in mind, because around town, the XTerra, while fully capable, never lets you forget you are essentially driving a truck ready for severe off-roading. If you’re OK with that, no problem. But if you are contemplating an XTerra, knowing full well you will never subject it to anything harsher than a dirt road, you should really ask yourself if you are willing to live with the compromises an SUV with such impressive off-road capabilities comes with. And if your answer is yes, then my next question is who are you trying to impress? There are simply too many other alternatives offering the space and utility of an XTerra that are much easier to live with on a daily basis. Buying an XTerra with the intent of never taking it off-road makes as much sense as buying a Nissan GT-R and never intending to exceed the speed limit.

2013 Nissan XterraThe XTerra is available in three trim levels: base X, S, and top-spec PRO-4X. Our test car was the PRO-4X. Standard equipment backs up the off-road ability with features such as Bilstein shocks, Hill Descent Control, Hill Start Assist and OWL rugged trail tires. Other standard features include navigation, Rockford Fosgate premium audio, SiriusXM satellite radio, iPod connectivity, Bluetooth, RearView Monitor, First Aid Kit, and multiple 12V DC outlets. Fitted with only a couple accessories, our XTerra rings in at a respectable $31,925USD, including destination charges.

The XTerra is impressive in that it has remained true to its mission since day one as a no-frills, no-nonsense, go-anywhere SUV. That type of vehicle is quickly becoming extinct. Toyota announced that 2014 will be the FJ’s last year, and that pretty much leaves the XTerra and Jeep Wrangler, not to mention stripped versions of the Toyota 4Runner as the last of their kind. Is it the SUV for everyone? No, and it was never intended to be. And to those who own XTerra’s and never ventured further than a dirt path, you owe it to yourself to find a local off-road club and discover all the fun you’ve been missing. You’ll thank me later.

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Nissan Looking to Trim Models?

November 28, 2011 by Tom Williams Leave a Comment

In an article from Automotive News, an organization that caters to automotive media and industry types, reported that Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn has hopes of raising Nissan market share here in North America, but not by adding models for greater appeal, but by possibly scrapping some. He did not name any models, but the bottom line as I heard it was looking for overlap, and weeding out undesirable cars. Which got me thinking-what Nissan cars could be at risk? And what are their chances of survival?

Pathfinder

It’s hard to believe, I know. The Pathfinder was huge for Nissan, and a significant player in the SUV market throughout the 1990’s. But that was when the SUV reigned supreme. Buyer’s preferences have shifted, however. Realizing that off-roading is an unlikely venture, buyers have migrated to the more car-like crossover, and the proof is in the numbers. For every Pathfinder Nissan sells, more than two Muranos go out the dealer’s doors. Considering the current Pathfinder has been with us since 2005, the vehicle is practically ancient, and seemingly forgotten by Nissan. That lack of development is a troubling sign that Nissan may be on the fence of the future of the Pathfinder.

Xterra

The Xterra is just as old as the current Pathfinder-the last time a new model was introduced was in 2005. So, once again we have a relic residing in the Nissan line, with no news of an upcoming replacement. It’s also the slowest selling SUV/CUV in Nissan’s line. But the Xterra sits on the same platform as the Frontier and Titan, which makes it cheaper to keep on going.  While a slow seller for the brand, the Xterra gives Nissan some street cred for being a legit old school SUV capable of doing off-road duty. Given its ties to Nissan’s trucks, and the rugged image it provides the brand, I stand to reason that the Xterra’s future may not be guaranteed, but the reasons for keeping it around outweigh forgo scrapping it.

Maxima

Like the Pathfinder, the Maxima is a long-time member of the Nissan family, and it’s hard to imagine not having it around. But the Altima has taken the place as Nissan’s mainstream mid-size sedan, easily outselling it by a 2:1 margin. Given the raging success of the Altima, I’m left a bit confused of where the Maxima fits in Nissan’s portfolio. While the Altima dukes it out with the Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry, does the Maxima go head on with their larger cars, namely the Taurus and Avalon? The message from Nissan is blurred, since it continues to market it as a ‘four door sports car’, a tag that fit years ago. But today, with front-wheel drive and a boring CVT transmission, the Maxima hardly comes off as to what I’d consider to be an honest sports sedan today.

Nissan airs a TV commercial where a guy awakes to find his wife is expecting a baby. He then stands in the driveway, gazing longingly at his Nissan 370Z. He then ‘pulls’ the car, transforming it into a Maxima. Let’s be real. If I owned a 370Z and needed a car with a back seat, and did not want to give up on performance, Nissan already builds that car, and it is not the Maxima. It’s called the Infiniti G37. Rear or all-wheel drive? Option of a manual tranny or a 7-speed automatic? The G37 is the obvious choice. If Nissan wants to continue with the Maxima, it needs to seriously rethink just who they are targeting.

cube

The cube is a tough one to figure out. We sampled one, and generally came away impressed. But I’m an automotive journalist who tends to like something new and different, and the cube does just that. While I applaud the cube for its individuality, it is the market that ultimately speaks. The notion of a small, boxy utility vehicle is a distinctly Asian innovation that did get some traction in the North American marketplace. But Honda has abandoned the Element, and the once popular Scion xB has seen its sales dwindle. The Kia Soul enjoys a good level of success, and is highly promoted by Kia with their catchy hamster TV commercials. In comparison, Nissan does little to promote the cube. Despite its lack of sales volume, Nissan indicated they remain committed to keeping the cube in the current product line, for now at least.

Murano CrossCabriolet

Again, a vehicle that really leaves us scratching our heads. The Murano CrossCabriolet, the first convertible crossover looks like an answer to a question no one ever asked. While The Garage has yet to sample one, the automotive media has bashed the car in reviews. While I’m all for niche marketing, this car just goes to an extreme that I simply cannot rationalize. If Nissan wanted to add a drop top to its line, I feel their money would have been much better spent on taking the Altima Coupe and turning that into a convertible, not to mention filling the void when Toyota cancelled the Solara coupe and convertible.

Mr. Ghosn’s remarks struck me as quite interesting, not because Nissan is not selling well, but because they are. As a whole, Nissan is a fairly successful car company. In the small sedan market, the Versa completely dominates. Nissan is on a roll with the Altima, selling over 222,000 cars in the US by the end of October, an increase of 18% from a year ago. The Rogue and Murano crossovers are also sales successes. But in the hyper-competitive car business, there is always room for improvement, and I can see where Mr. Ghosn is thinking of the ‘less is more’ concept. What vehicles remain is unknown, but it is definitely food for thought.

 

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2008 Nissan Xterra: Wheel lifting fun in The Poconos

November 29, 2008 by Gary Grant 4 Comments

In 2007 we were a tiny bit disappointed that Nissan chose not to bring an Xterra to the IMPA Test Days. We were delighted that the X made an appearance at the 2008 event and even more delighted to catch it on video for our views.

Check out the sloppy, wet, wheel lifting action after the break. Be sure to use the full screen, as this is shot in full HD!
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Today I learn the power of M

September 10, 2008 by Gary Grant 3 Comments

Today was supposed to be off road day, but it turned into something completely different. I had a road car awakening. You could even say that I broke my BMW cherry. I discovered M.

To say that I didn’t understand before would be wrong, but I truly fell madly, deeply in love with the experience that is built into M Cars and that was by driving the convertible M3. Not to mention a hoonage filmed photo session with the boys from NYC and an AMG SL.

There are tons of photos and more importantly, some great video to go along with our time with the M3. Unfortunately, the hotel wireless won’t allow me to upload any pics for now.

As for the off road stuuf, we only drove 3 trucks today. We’ll have full video reviews of the 2 door Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, Nissan Xterra and the HUMMER H3T. That’s right, the H3T started rolling off the production line on Friday and we got one dirty today! Not to worry, the videos and photos will be worth the wait.

We’ll get some photos up when we can, but for now there is a cocktail party calling my name!

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IMPA Test Days: Road trip Diary pt 2

September 6, 2007 by Gary Grant 1 Comment

xterra-i85.jpg

The trip from Watertown New York took longer than expected today, given that every interstate in Pennsylvania is under construction. Other than construction, the drive was just sweet. Great scenery, little traffic and a couple of mp3 players full of tunes for the new stereo.
[Read more…]

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How to: Install a stereo

September 4, 2007 by Gary Grant 3 Comments

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These days, most new cars leave the factory with a pretty decent sound system. While they may not always satisfy the audiophile, they do just fine for the majority and they are pretty reliable to boot. Working in the industry, I’ve come across plenty of aftermarket stereo installs that made a total mess of the functionality of the vehicle. From butchered fitments, to botched wiring it is often a nightmare for the tech who is asked to fix some installer or owner’s mistakes.

For all of these reasons, I usually stay away from replacement radios but the used Xterra we picked up a couple of months ago had been fitted with a Pyle radio that really was a pile. FM was the only function that worked, though even that was a bit of a crap shoot as the display did not work. I’m not an audiophile, so I went on a hunt for an inexpensive basic radio that included a CD player. A search through a few major chain sale flyers turned up the Sony cdx-GT110 for a great deal. As an added bonus, it also has a front jack for and mp3 player.
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Used car buying tips: know what you want, then become a specialist

June 27, 2007 by Gary Grant 2 Comments

xterra-wash.jpg

It’s been a while since I’ve posted on the challenges of buying a used up car. Given that we’ve just had a new addition to The Garage, it might make some sense to touch on used car buying again. This time though, we’ll go over how you can educate yourself about a specific car and save a bunch of cash along the way, without using the help of a sales pro.
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Racing season is here!

April 19, 2006 by Gary Grant 3 Comments

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Finally the warm weather has arrived and along with it comes the first lapping day of the season. On Sunday, Shelby and I packed the kart and all the associated gear into the back of the Xterra and headed up to Mosport. This was our first visit to the new Mosport International Karting Academy track and we were excited. We had heard a lot about the layout of the track, along with the healthy elevation changes. We did not race last year, so this was Shelby’s first time driving in a year & a half so the plan was to just get out and run as many laps as possible before having to head home for Easter dinner.

The first session saw it’s share of spins, due to a rusty driver and old, hard tires. Then she was gone. I could just see her head bobbing around over the hump of the esses leading into a left hand Monza curve. The chain had come off & she was moving the kart off to the side of the track. Dad was in trouble. After damn near killing myself pushing the kart back across the infield, I readjusted the chain and out she went for the next session.

Overall, the kart ran well all day and Shelby’s driving steadily improved as the day went on. The track looks great and Shelby had a blast driving it. She says she likes it better than the other tracks over at the Mosport Driver Development Track and she really likes those.

We are waiting for Glen Arnold over at Arnold Racing Engines to complete our new engine for the season and then we’ll be ready to roll. It’s looking like we’ll miss the first few races of the season, but then the points chase will be on.

shel kart.jpg

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Gas prices from hell!

April 11, 2006 by Gary Grant 3 Comments

I’m not usually one to complain too much about gas prices. I drive an suv, mainly by choice, but partially because we need at least one vehicle with some cargo space and towing capacity. I refuse to drive a minivan on principle, not that a Quest gets any better gas mileage than an Xterra.

This morning, the low fuel light was on so I had no choice to stop and put in gas. Or perhaps I should say liquid gold!$1.02 a liter!! I put in $35 and it only filled the tank half way. This is freakin brutal. Of course Karting starts this weekend, so switching to a car won’t be happening any time soon.

To put all of this into perspective for all you American readers, there are roughly 4 liters to a gallon. At the current exchange rate, that works out to roughly $3.27 US dollars a gallon! A quick online search shows gas prices in Buffalo taday ranging from $2.52 to $2.85 a gallon. Buffalo is about an hour long drive from downtown Toronto.

Us Canadians are a quiet bunch who don’t freak out about stuff, but perhaps this is something we should start sounding off about.

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Pucker Factor

March 9, 2006 by Gary Grant 2 Comments

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PUCKER FACTOR: the direct effect caused when the severity of one’s actions exceed the limits of rational thought.

The incident had a pucker factor of 10. The moment the laws of physics threatened to punish me for testing the boundaries, my nether regions clamped up tight as a vise.

I have joined the Southern Ontario Xterra Club for their 2nd Annual Adventure Weekend. 3 days of trail riding, biking, swimming and loads of great food while camping on crown land directly beside lovely Cooper’s Falls. Located on the border between the Muskoka & Kawartha regions, the Cooper’s Falls area is the entry point to a network of trails that lead across the rugged Canadian Shield. It has been a hot, dry summer so the trails are dry & dusty with the occasional puddle of mud caused where small rivers once crossed the road. For the most part, the trails are pretty tame, with only the occasion bump from a rock touching the bottom of the truck. There are some sections however that require the assistance of spotters to guide the drivers over large chunks of rock that look poised to break any vehicle that dares try to pass. It was on one of these sections where I became verklempt.

I was driving a 2003 Nissan Frontier, the pick up truck brother of the Xterra. The truck is more that a foot longer than the Xterra, which actually helps it when climbing these steep steps of rock. But the problem with the extra length is that the back end sticks out farther and tends to get caught up when coming back down these same hazards. And so it was that when I approached a whale sized rock with a nearly vertical drop off, that I decided to take the easier path down. I chickened out & took the simple route. Of course the simple route involved sweeping wide to the right to avoid a large rock on the left, while traveling so slowly the speedometer does not even move. I had watched an Xterra take this route and it was a piece of cake. Where life became difficult was when the longer truck took up more space on the hill and suddenly the road fell away from below the left front wheel. The truck dropped so fast that I thought for sure it would roll over, until a quick thinking Xterra owner jumped on the back bumper. The drop stopped and the truck teetered on the edge while balanced on 2 wheels. When it became clear that we had some stability, I crept forward until a third wheel touched the ground, and then the fourth.

The rest of the ride was smooth sailing and was rewarded with a cold swim beneath Cooper’s falls, a cold beer, a great meal and good times with some new friends. Next time maybe a shorter vehicle will help prevent another dose of Pucker.

This article originally posted on an old site I owned which has been retired.

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