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 4x4 - 2007 Nissan Xterra
  By rthinchey - May 14 - 8:37 pm

  Great truck to drive on and off road. Very easy to maintain. Works very well off road, Ive never been stuck or left stranded. Great vehicle in the snow, mud, rain, sand, and anything else you can throw at it

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  Xterra - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By Rach - May 13 - 9:00 pm

  I love the way this vehicle rides and drives. My only complaint is the sunroof. It is extremely noisy on the highway and there is nothing you can do to fix it.

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  01 Xterra - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By ks4oc - May 13 - 10:00 am

  With only 4000 miles on the vehicle, I drove it to Northern Quebec from Augusta Georgia, towing a 4000 pound trailer. The vehicle never had a problem. Towed the trailer, kept up with traffic. Gas mileage was only 10.0 mpg, but what do you expect when dragging a barn down the highway at 70 mph?

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  Solid SUV...worth a look - 2010 Nissan Xterra
  By Anonymous - May 12 - 2:00 am

  The Xterra is a true off-road capable SUV. We have about 6k miles on ours and its been great so far. We bought the Xterra because we wanted a true 4wd that could eventually take the place of my aging Toyota Tacoma. We drove a lot of vehicles before deciding on the Xterra. No regrets. Pros- Its fun to drive and well appointed. The V6 is very powerful. Good size, not too big or too small. Cons- Its not fuel efficient. My guess is that 20 mpg is the best you can expect on the hwy, 15 in the city. Interior plastics scratch easily which is a little annoying.

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  Great Ride - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By ckorejko - May 9 - 2:00 am

  Love this ride. Its fun - Its goodlooking - Large cargo space with really usable roof rack. Very functional interior layout. Great ride for camping, getting to the hiking trails, or any offroad activity. Cleans up easily inside after those offroad activities because of the material that covers the seats. Not bad for gas milage for what it is. If one is worried about the money for gas, an SUV should not even be an option considered. It gets about 20mpg but my foot gets heavy sometimes. When the cruise control is used and I keep it on 55 it does better.

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  Just Right - 2007 Nissan Xterra
  By JT - May 8 - 8:43 am

  We have been extremely happy with our Xterra. It is not full of "creature comforts" but makes up for it with functionality. It is easy to carry bikes, dogs or haul 8 ft pieces of lumber. Pleasant on road manners for a truck. Off road ability is impressive. If you want a true sport utility vehicle this is an excellent choice.

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  OVERPRICED - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By RAUTRY72 - May 7 - 10:00 am

  THIS VEHICLE IS VERY OVERPRICED. IT IS 24 GRAND AND DOESNT EVEN HAVE MIRRORS ON THE BACK SIDE OF VISOR. IT ALSO RIDES LIKE A LOG TRUCK. VERY ROUGH. THIS VEHICLE MIGHT BE WORTH 19 OR 20 GRAND. VERY DISAPPOINTED.

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  FUN 4X4 - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By RH13 - May 4 - 10:00 am

  I HAVE THE XTERRA 2 YEARS NOW,MINE IS A SUPERCHARGED STICK AND ITS ALOT OF FUN. HANDLES GREAT IN SNOW, LOTS OF SNOW. RIDES LIKE A TRUCK, WHICH IT IS. LOW MILEAGE IS ITS WORST PROBLEM.

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  Awesme - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By KK - May 3 - 4:33 pm

  I love this truck. Wasnt planning on taking off-road, but this truck is amazing off-road. Have used the locker a number of times. Already made a bunch of modifications. Will fit 33" without trimming or lift.

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  Cool SUV for the price - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By gcguzman - April 25 - 2:00 am

  After test driving 8 or 9 SUVs, I ended up purchasing the Xterra because its overall quality is great and it was the most affordable. The gas consumption is a bit high, but I can live with it since Im happy with everything else about the Xterra.