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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  Great & enjoyable car - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By B. Murali - April 21 - 11:46 pm

  After a lot of reserach we went in for this car. It has been a wonderful experience driving to various corners of US and in all different terrains. The reliability has been extraordinary and the drive was always a pleasure. Fairly low maintenance and running on regular unleaded have been great helps.

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  Loved It But It Let Me Down - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By NewJeepGirl - April 21 - 7:43 am

  I really loved this truck. Had great performance-never seemed to lack HP, 6 spd tranny lots of fun. ABS computer died at 400 miles none of the gauges worked. Cam seal started leaking at 23K, then dealership couldnt get parts claiming they were hopelessly backordered. Nissan Corporate was no help either. Nice truck if you get a reliable one (good luck-its a crap shoot). Family has had good luck with older Nissans-this one was definitely my last. Traded it for an 08 Jeep Patriot, and was so glad I did-AWD, Lifetime powertrain warentee, better ride and easier to get in/out of. Cant tow my camper like the X, but thats what my 97 Ford Expedition is for!

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  for the money, hard to beat - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By unionjack - April 21 - 2:00 am

  Have had the truck going on three years. Other than a couple of minor recalls, no problems. Have driven several times across the country and put 60,000 miles on it in three years. It runs like the day i drove it off the lot. I have to say, for the money, you would be hard pressed to find a better deal on the market.

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  Really cool SUV - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By DMS - April 19 - 5:56 am

  I bought this for Pennsic, an annual event with the SCA. My fiance and I were able to fit 2 weeks of camping stuff, a period tent, 2 suits of armor, a half dozen pole arms and 10 cases of beer in this with that much of a hitch. Engine is strong and fuel economy is good. Mine is fully loaded with all the options and I thought that the dealership gave me a very good price (250 over invoice... thank you Edmunds). I like the fact that I can take this anywhere... being on a TRUCK platform will do that for you. I would recommend this to active people that do alot of outdoors stuff... it can be a tough drive... if you dont go off black top go with a Murano.

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  Bullet proof and fun to drive - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By Marc - April 19 - 2:00 am

  After doing much research in the mini to mid size SUV market I ended up with the Xterra for multiple reasons: For starters, it is a blast to drive, extremely versatile (Have carried a snowblower, several of my friends couches, pulled large boats and tent trailers and never got stuck in mud or snow), and extremely reliable. Apart form regular maintenance, I have yet to have any problems with it. The only down side would be its thirst for fuel (Especially with the rising prices), but did not expect to get much better with much else out there that has its versatility and capabilities.

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  1ST SUV - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By YO - April 17 - 11:43 am

  This was my first time owning a SUV. I fell in love until I had to fill the gas tank. The gas mileage on this SUV is very bad for a 4cyl vehicle. There is no get up and go. How could you have a visor without vanity mirrors? Take this SUV and start over from scratch. And next time have a female design it.

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  After a years search, near perfection - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By JP - April 16 - 6:40 pm

  I must say that after searching for over a year and test driving dozens of new cars, i made the right choice with the X. Great ability, great looks, and yes it could stand a little spicing up on the inside, great power, great EVERYTHING. i drove land rover, jeep, and many more but none came close. it drives slightly like a truck (if youre used to cars) but it is supposed to, it IS a truck, a truck that can outperform, both on and off road, most others. maybe the Wrangler has it off road. so if you want a good ride, a lot of power, speed, fun and great styling this is the SUV for you. if you want a road SUV with a car like ride look else where, this one is for on and serious off Roading.

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  05 Xterra Rocks - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By xterraoffroader - April 14 - 7:33 pm

  I Love this suv, I bought it 3 weeks ago. Gas mileage isnt bad at all very similar to my isuzu amigo. Its definetly the quickest car ive had so far. No Hesitation and its a blast to ride. I did love my 99 Amigo but this surpasses it big time.

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  Nothing beats the Goat - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By LuvmyXterra - April 13 - 5:26 pm

  My husband and I refer to my truck as the Billy Goat or the X-terrible, because it gets out of anything. Frankly, its unstoppable. We tow our 24 foot trailer with it, and can get out of any snowy condition. I totally disagree with some of the other comments about the ride-we have 2 kids who love taking trips in our X. We recently took ours from CT to Penn, VT and RI. Its plenty comfortable, and we love the great capabilities and thoughtful extras. It was the only man shift available that could tow 5K lbs. Its got so much pickup, that it never seems winded on the hwy. Great multi-purpose ute. Great machine - buy it. What other vehicle has a tent that you can hook to the back?

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  Best for the price - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By TransitionX - April 13 - 4:56 pm

  I have the 05 off-road 4wd with a manual tranny for about a mth now. This SUV performs really well in moderate snow condition. Works great on steep climbs. The Rockford Fosgate sound package is not quite as impressive as they advertise it to be. I like the 6 spd transmission, but dont really see the use for the 6th gear. You probably will never need to use it unless you live in Montana or something. The overall look of this vehicle is quite impressive and I am very happy with it thus far. You cannot buy a better SUV for the price that these things are selling for.