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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  Love/Hate - 2012 Nissan Xterra
  By hhilde - November 19 - 6:47 pm

  If I had the need I would buy this truck again and have two of them. That means I like the truck and I am happy I can get a tuck with all its functional capability in this particular size. I feel like I can go anywhere in any condition living in MN. All the professional reviews seem accurate so use those but what they dont say that I dont like is: I think the breaks are touchy and lacking feel. I also think the accelerator is jumpy meaning when you step on the gas get ready to jump and go go go! I find this annoying when trying to get out of a parallel parking spot gracefully without hitting the car in from of me. Especially downtown Seattle on a hill. Yikes!

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  Ok for the money - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By Dawson1 - November 19 - 10:00 am

  The vehicle is ok. It tends to drink a lot of gas, and thn engine is not that large. The windows sometimes radle when the car hits rough spots. I also wish the tank was larger, that would cut down on the requent fill ups. All a round it is an ok vehicle.

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  Ill miss my Xterra - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By JP - November 15 - 2:50 pm

  I bought this truck new and in 4 years put over 90,000 miles on it. I knew I was getting a truck, and it rides and sounds like a truck (lots of road noise). The engine was good (a little underpowered), never giving me any problems; however the CD player borke, the power windows rarely worked after 40K miles, the A/C fan only worked on high and the gas mileage is not very good. However, I really liked this truck and if my wife was not going to be commuting 500 miles a week to grad school, I would have kept it and driven it into the ground. Ill miss this truck, and if they ever get the MPG up, would consider buying a newer model. I got a very good trade on it, $1000 above edmunds very easily.

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  This not your fathers SUV - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By R. Bahar - November 14 - 10:00 am

  This is a true SUV. It does what the ad says it does. This SUV is not just a raised car for those soccer moms. This is a vehicle for those who are truly outdoors and adventurous people and will need a truly a tough, solid and reliable SUV to take them there. The price, fully loaded w/o leather seats, is the best value for a quality SUV. The HP is not enough. Only 180 HP under the hood and could have easily used another 50 HP. Buy it if you want a true SUV and not a fancy raised car, but do not get it in yellow!

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  The good and bad.... - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By 1 Nut - November 14 - 10:00 am

  Now Ive been drooling over the XTerra for a couple years now so it was a dream come true to finally purchase this vehicle. Everything is like I thought it would be. For one thing I drive hard and rough. I love to go off- road, and this is what its made for. This thing is just a blast for me to play with. On the road driving is decent, cant complain. It takes a while for it to get up to top speed, but that something I can deal with. The MPG is insanely low. I average about 14 MPG, and thats just not right, but I deal with it. Comfort it great for the front seats, but in the back Im not to sure.

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  Solid - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By Brandon64 - November 9 - 8:06 am

  Purchased my Xterra in the summer of 01. It has been a reliable and durable truck. Its suffered the scorching summers of Phoenix, Az and the freezing winters of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and has never left us stranded. All parts still work. With regular maintenance itll last forever. At 110K still runs strong no big repairs except for a high hose leak in the air conditioner, the power steering pump leaks but was fixed with a $10 additive and the rear main seal (common amongst Nissan trucks) is leaking oil but was fixed with another $10 additive I picked up. Overall been a fantastic vehicle. You can always depend on your Xterra

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  Could not be better - 2008 Nissan Xterra
  By Nieves - November 5 - 3:40 pm

  Excellent vehicle quality. Very fun to drive. High visibility and very stylish. I use to drive a Jetta which is very compact. Before that I had a Ford Excursion, very comfortable, but terrible gas mileage. I am very happy with this vehicle so far.

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  2003 Nissan Xterra is a winner - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By Ramin - November 4 - 12:50 am

  This was the first time I bought an SUV.My first choice was a Hummer but the price was too high for me. My second choice was an Xterra. I bought this vehicle because I believe it delivers what it claims to. I enjoy driving it a lot but the front seats are too small and not comfortable as comfortable as they should be. The fron seats leg rooms are not sufficient. The engine could have used much more HP. 189 HP is too weak for the weight of this SUV. Fuel consumption is very high for a vehicle of this size. So far I have had one recall and two minor service works done. I am told that 2005 model is a much improved vehicle. Will I buy another one? Yes,I will.

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  dont buy one - 2000 Nissan Xterra
  By crap - October 27 - 10:00 am

  I would not recommend buying a nissan xterra. The plastic bumper turns white, the buttons on the radio come loose, the paint on the buttons to the radio lasted 2 years, shift gear broken, driver seat uncomfortable, entire car not quality made. I cant wait to trade in to buy a toyota. This is my first nissan, I miss my toyota.

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  Excellent tough suv - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By Goran Tomic - October 27 - 10:00 am

  Excellent tough suv with smart interior design and excellent performance. Looks meet performance!!