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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  Best Buy in the Segment - 2006 Nissan Xterra
  By oski - January 24 - 11:20 am

  The Nissan Xterra is clearly the best buy in the mid-size SUV segment. You can get out the door with a fully loaded vehicle for under $28k and feel really good about it. Performance from the 265hp V-6 leaves nothing to be desired, and has the sporty handling of an extrememly well built truck. Dont believe the EPA fuel economy figures though, 21 mpg is difficult to acheieve unless driving 55 mph . . . and I dont.

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  A great off road truck - 2002 Nissan Xterra
  By enb74 - January 24 - 2:00 am

  I have own the Xterra for almost a year and I go everywhere with it. I bought this truck for Off-road and 4X4 driving as well as to serve me and my wife. The truck is GREAT. High capability and great ground clearance. Good transmission and performance. The seat could be better, they don’t give you much to play with even thou my is full loaded. The 6 CD in dash FM-AM radio with RDS system is great and the 6-speaker system has a good sound. The instruments panel is not a good point for the Xterra. It is hard to read and if you tilt the steering wheel down you can’t see the signaling lights.

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  2008 Xterra Experience - 2013 Nissan Xterra
  By suzuski - January 20 - 4:00 am

  Bought an 18 runabout w/ trailer so traded-in a 2004 RAV4 for a used (14kmi) Xterra in 2008. Couldnt be happier. Plenty of power and tows very well. Mileage? Average 19mpg with 16 the lowest and 24 the highest. Very practical load carrying. RAV4 very noisy. When I rep laced the tires I didnt care about longevity and asked for the quietest tires available. The Xterra has very little road noise. Interior is basic with little gingerbread, thus no trim to fall off or rattle. Im a Zen kind of guy and wish to keep things simple. There is only 63000 miles on it but when it comes time to buy a new car Ill seriously consider another Xterra (assuming Nissan stills builds them).

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  The Gentle Giant - 2006 Nissan Xterra
  By Super Picky! - January 19 - 3:40 pm

  After many hours of research. Narrowed my choices down to Jeep Liberty, Kia Sorento or Xterra. Edmonds comsumer reviews were a big part of my decision.Traded in my Hyundai mall crawler.When asked how does it drive? I respond: Its like driving a tank with good manners. In city driving it kind of rumbles along, but if you give it some gas, it goes into warp speed. My only complaint is the fold down front passenger seat. Very uncomfortable for me, its like a third of the seat is missing, but everyone else says they think its just fine. I highly recomend purchasing a print-out from Consomer Reports before going to the dealer. It took 4 hours, but we got the price we wanted.

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  A few words about the new Xterra - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By PL Muren - January 17 - 5:46 pm

  Having owned and liked the original Xterra; I still had a few things on my wish list. I wanted more power, an easier to use transfer case and better interior design, especially with regard to the folding of the rear seats. All of these things and more were fixed on the new model. The new engine delivers a rush of power one seldom experiences in a vehicle in this class. The new electronic transfer case is a joy to use even especially when the driver is tired. The rear seats fold flat without the need for removing and storing any cushions. While I thought the older model somewhat more attractive, nearly everthing else is better on the new one. The built-in XM radio is a joy to own!

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  After 100 miles - 2008 Nissan Xterra
  By Happysofar - January 7 - 5:30 pm

  Wanted the best of both worlds - hauling / towing power, decent fuel economy & off-road ability. Looked at the Toyota FJ which is not a vehicle for a family. Went back to Edmunds and saw the xterra FJ comparison. Bought the X manual 6 spd. It drives very well, its comfortable, great visibility & a fun ride. Interior is more than sufficient for our needs. Not sure what the "cheap plastic" complaint means. I cant see anything wrong with the vehicle - I really like everything about it.

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  Loving my Nissan! - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By LMVR - January 6 - 2:00 am

  This SUV is wonderful! We love it!

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  2002 to a 2005 - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By Zigler S - January 4 - 12:36 pm

  We had a 2002 SE 4WD SC, put 64,000 miles on it and needed another with a warranty, AC compressor went out, $1000 to replace. Loved it all but the mpg and the BF Goodwrench tires, wore out at 32,000. Stadium seating-great for the kids. 64/40 split-great for the carseat. No carpet in the back- bonus. Rockford Fosegate stereo-ROCK ON!good placement of subwoofer for wife. 265hp-nice punch when you need it. We had fun in the snow with the 2002, waiting to see with the 2005. We look foward to buy again.

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  Disappointing - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By Sirgwhiz - December 31 - 3:30 am

  Bought vehicle new; mpg ratings were 16-20. Had an 03 Maxima rated at 24-28 mpg; in 45k miles avged 31.5. Expected Xterra to avg 20 or better. Highest ever was 17. Service rep said it was within specs and offered no help. Dealer couldnt reprogram. Overall it is rugged, manages very well in snow and slush and truly is a stable multiple purpose vehicle. Circuit card for fan and AC burned out, $60; clunking in drive train after 35k miles, dealer replaced front and rear drive shafts did not fix the noise. Spare tire lift mechanism broke ($140 - replaced it myself); jack is cheap and bent in use; leak in tailgate corroded lock; wheel bearing went out at 65000, tow & repair $900

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  Fun SUV - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By TRO - December 31 - 2:00 am

  The SE S/C 2003 Xterra is a fun powerful SUV. Me and my wife argue who will drive it to work. She has a 2003 VW VR6 Jetta. Which is nice but more of a luxury car. Xterra is more fun.