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 vehicle, weak dealerships - 2005 Nissan Xterra
  By Cedric - April 17 - 3:26 am

  After 16 months, Im still completely satisfied with the Xterra. Nissans support network is another matter. One dealership totally botched the recall work on the factory trailer hitch; another botched a simple repair on some interior trim. My experience is that theres great design and quality control at the factory, but the dealer network needs to be brought up to a higher standard. Nonetheless its an easy to drive, well designed SUV with versatile interior space and good ergonomics. Just hope you can avoid the dealers service department!

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  good quality bad gas milage - 2000 Nissan Xterra
  By afda - April 14 - 2:43 am

  the car has been reliable. Everything works. No troubles for years. But its kind of noisy, and sluggish. The gas milage is really poor.

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  Good Buy - 2010 Nissan Xterra
  By ficklest - April 7 - 4:50 am

  I purchased the Xterra because I wanted the, up-high road view, safety and comfort of an SUV, but didnt want to spend over $30K. Also, the style of the X has always turned my head; I got the gun metal gray - great looking vehicle. So, I got exactly what I wanted. Nothing fancy about the X, but I have what I need, but no toys. Toys are nice. I miss them, but dont need them. I commute 104 miles per day and find the X to be a comfortable ride - not rough as so many have said. Im getting 21 MPG on a stop-and-go highway ride - much better than I expected. With gas prices on the rise, I will most likely go back to a small, gas efficient vehicle next purchase, but I am enjoying the X.

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  A Real SUV - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By Kipling - April 4 - 2:00 am

  I love my X-terra. They only flaws are rediculous gas milage (they let you know before you buy it) and some cheap interior items such as the head rests are coming undone after a year. It is built to drive off road and can handle anything i put it through. I missed my old puck-up truck but with my family I needed to have the back seat. I got the best of both worlds with this Truck.

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  Swiss Army Xterra - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By Ren da Canadian - March 30 - 10:00 am

  After comparing all the small and midsized SUV out there, this one stood out. First, its a REAL SUV based on a truck (Frontier). Second, it has the bas tow load (5,000lbs) and Third, the most exciting look. My wife and I bought the Xterra to do many duties include hauling my tools/building materials and traveling in any condition. Our Solar Yellow Xterra stands out from all the cute utes and posers. The HID lights light up everything for miles too! If you are looking for a serious mid/small SUV take a look at the Xterra.

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  Very Nice SUV for the Money - 2010 Nissan Xterra
  By Mark - March 25 - 12:30 am

  I bought a 2010 Xterra S 4X4. The X is a ruggedly built vehicle with plenty of power. The seats are very comfortable and the X drives like a truck - no luxury ride here!!! The downsides to the X are mileage and you will do well to get 19 MPG. Im not worry about the resale, but I plan to keep it until it dies and I only have 500 miles on it now. Great stopping power and acceleration, along with decent gas mileage for the size of the car. it drives so smoothly. It is good on gas and for the price (compared to other SUVs in the same category) you just canÂ’t go wrong with it! I would recommend that anyone buy this car as I couldnt have picked

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  Still going strong at 115k - 2000 Nissan Xterra
  By Great SUV - March 19 - 1:46 am

  This SUVs great. Not anything like JD Powers review. Practical, fun, low maintenance. Just do the maintenance and everything works fine. Still a very tight sounding vehicle 5 years and 100k+ miles later. Not too many vehicles can pull that off.

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  Xterra is perfect because.. - 2003 Nissan Xterra
  By Yoon - March 18 - 10:00 am

  Xterra is perfect for a college kid. It looks cool, you can drive your friends around and you can do lots of stuff with it. It is designed to be rugged, and actually is. The only problem is gas effeciency.

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  Better than any Jeep available now - 2008 Nissan Xterra
  By xterrable - March 14 - 1:36 pm

  Ive owned several Jeeps from 1951 to 2001 models. This Xterra has the newer jeeps beat hands down.

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  Sturdy, Reliable SUV - 2007 Nissan Xterra
  By Hiker / Camper - March 13 - 8:30 am

  Just returned from a 3-week Colorado vacation. The S Trim XTerra performed admirably and was a pleasure to drive. Handled easy back roads with some rocks, pot holes, ruts and washboarding well -- was reluctant to try anything seriously challenging due to inexperience. Best gas mileage was 26 mpg. Mileage varies depending on driving technique, etc. Best to have a "light foot" on the accelerator. Had to replace in-cabin air filter upon return -- very dirty from dust. Since purchasing, have added skid plates, fog lamps and wind deflectors. Good investments. Happy XTerra owner.