Overview & Reviews

The Nissan Xterra is a traditional midsize SUV with seating for five and serious off-road capability. Thanks to stout body-on-frame construction shared with Nissan's Frontier pickup, the Xterra is a beast on the trail and can tolerate a fair amount of abuse. The downside is that this Nissan lacks the on-road polish of car-based crossover SUVs you might buy instead.

The Xterra debuted for the 2000 model year. Later Nissan Xterras are similar in appearance and personality to the early models but have a slightly longer wheelbase, a roomier interior, more power under the hood and a few extra features. If you want a reasonably priced off-roader and find the Jeep Wrangler too crude for everyday driving, the Xterra is worth a look.

User Reviews:

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  Xterra - Xtra Great - 2008 Nissan Xterra
  By Walter - December 25 - 6:36 pm

  After owning sports cars for 26 years, Toyota Turbo Supra, Dodge Stealth R/S, I finally bought a practical vehicle (of course I kept the Stealth as well!). To my surprise the performance of my 2008 Xterra has been great, Ive only lost about 1.5 seconds 0 to 60 (6.9 on timed track), handling is great and the fit and finish is wonderful. The 6 speed keeps it as a "drivers" SUV. My kids finally can fit comfortably and my over all mileage has been 22 MPG. Its a tough, beautiful performance SUV, I may just keep it forever.

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  Love it - 2007 Nissan Xterra
  By baramos - December 24 - 2:00 am

  We use this veh. heavily off-road and it is a performer, for sure. Now have 27K miles, with no problems ever. Have taken it over some really horrible roads, and it takes all in stride, keeping up with Jeep Rubicons, and all comers. my wife and I love it, and it is a pleasure to drive, both on road and off. Will keep it until it dies. We did beef up the suspension as it is weak stock----add- a-leafs in rear, and 2 1/2 inch leveling kit in front---helped a lot. I highly recommend this vehicle, especially with the up-graded suspension. Destroyed 2 of the stock BFG Rugged Trails tire, so replaced all with BFG All Terraign AT KOs---- they work great!

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  x - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By jjjjj - December 10 - 8:46 pm

  very cool, i love te body style and all of the little xtras that come along with it. the last thig i love is the little nissan emblem on the front, im proud to drive it!!!

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  Its been a ROCK - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By kkempskie - December 7 - 5:23 pm

  Gotta say this has been a solid truck. Bought new in late 02 and ever since my XT has been very reliable. Its no-nonsense and does what its supposed to do. Off-roading is a blast when we ride the dunes on the beach and it is a tank in the snow. My 1st set of tires got 50+ on them and 2nd sets of Coopers got 60+. It hauls everything Ive needed - dishwashers, plywood, kids, vacay stuff to the brim. Love my XT but may have to part with it soon since I need something that will tow a heavier boat! Great truck, so long as its properly maintained.

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  nissan x - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By jjjjj - December 7 - 5:13 pm

  awesome!!!!

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  One of the last traditional midsized SUVs - 2011 Nissan Xterra
  By zweibel - December 7 - 2:22 pm

  The Xterra PRO-4X is large enough for a family of four (although not long-legged teenagers in the back seats), but small enough to maneuver around town and offroad. It is powerful enough to easily tow my 2,000 lb boat at 75mph or climb Colorado mountain passes while fully loaded. I bought it because I wanted a midsized SUV with genuine offroad capability and decent performance on paved roads. My last two vehicles were overloaded with technology and too fragile for my tastes. Like the ads used to say, it has everything you need and nothing you dont.

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  From Old to New - 2010 Nissan Xterra
  By hirosfca - December 3 - 1:20 pm

  Upgraded from my 2002 Xterra 4x2 to the 4x4 Off Road package. I actually use this vehicle for the road trips, on and off road. Sometimes, I would venture onto a path or pseudo-road that turned off road and regret that I only had a 4x2 so this new addition of the total off road capability is very nice. Now I wont be worried about getting stuck or stopping our adventure short due to the vehicles off road capability. I love the sparse easy to clean interior and the tough chunky looks. I have the 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty and that is a great piece of mind to know that Nissan will back up the reliability of the vehicles they make.

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  Changed my mind - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By MN - December 2 - 2:00 am

  Like below, owned it for a week. Traded in a sports car for this b/c of a change in needs. Wasnt expecting to like it as much as my toy, but its definitely won me over. Surprisingly enough, Not sure Ill ever go back... Fun to drive, great sound system

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  XterraUTE - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By Sidewinder - November 21 - 10:00 am

  I see a lot of reviews which mention wanting a smoother riding SUV, well folks you probably got the wrong SUV. The Xterra is a truck based SUV, not some vehicle that evolve from a 4 door sedan. For the price and capability, it is an absolute bargain compare to other cute utes. Recommend you get the 4WD supercharge model, a fun to drive vehicle.

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  Solid SUV - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By DesignerX - November 13 - 10:23 am

  I bought this 4wd truck used almost 4yrs ago, it was a rental car for the first 13k miles and I have added 57k miles. This SUV is solid... Im not a gentle driver and have had no problems. This truck has endured 2.5 yrs of city driving (short trips and lots of stop and go) and over 4k miles pulling a 3500lb trailer. Its not the most luxurious truck, its no speed demon and the mpg isnt any better than a Chevrolet Tahoe v8... but to me the cost of ownership, reliability and functionality does the trick!