Cars are rated one (forget it) to four ('bout as good as it gets) James Deans

 GOOD STUFF

     Big-truck feel, small-truck footprint
     Aggressive styling
     Attractive prices
     Standard ABS and A/C
     Really works off-road
     Roughest, toughest of the mini-utes


 


 BAD STUFF
         
     Roof rack renders sunroof nearly useless
     Rear door opening is small at foot level
     4-cylinder is anemic

• Style: 4-door sport utility
• Engine: 2.4 liter L4
• Transmission: Five-speed manual
• Drivetrain: Rear-wheel-drive
• Horsepower: 143 hp @ 5,200 rpm
• Torque: 154 ft-lbs @ 4,000 rpm
• EPA mileage: 19 city/24 highway
• Weight: 3,504 lb.
• Base price: $17,599
• Price as tested: $18,119

• Style: 4-door sport utility
• Engine: 3.3 liter V6
• Transmission: Five-speed manual
• Drivetrain: Part-time four-wheel-drive
• Horsepower: 170 hp @ 4,800 rpm
• Torque: 200 ft-lbs @ 2,800 rpm
• EPA mileage: 19 city/24 highway
• Weight: 4,092 lb.
• Base price: $24,799
• Price as tested: $25,398

Remember the original Pathfinder? Man, what a great truck. Youthful, affordable, and tough as nails, it was a truck for all seasons -- trek to the mountains on Saturday, haul lumber on Sunday, commute to the office on Monday.

Since then the Pathfinder (and its target audience) has moved upscale, and the new-for-2000 XTerra has been brought in to fill the gap left behind. The XTerra retains the simple, rugged character that gives Nissan trucks their appeal. If you're lamenting the loss of the simpler Pathfinders of yore -- or if you're one of the millions who have logged seat time in an old Nissan pickup -- you will be pleased to know that your truck is back.

You can afford it, too. Shared parts with the Frontier pickup (front sheet metal, dashboard, and many of the mechanical bits are the same) and a narrow range of trim levels and options help keep the XTerra's prices within reach. The range starts at $17,599 for the four-cylinder XE, with antilock brakes and air conditioning standard at that price. The line tops out at $24,799 for the 4WD SE, which comes with just about everything you'll want. The most you can spend on an XTerra, including delivery charge, is $26,846.

Most buyers will spring for the better-equipped XTerras, so I arranged to drive the SE 4x4. But I also wanted to see how much XTerra one could get for less than 18 grand. Most car companies stock their press fleets with well-kitted-out examples, but Nissan also keeps a stripped-down, bare-bones, $17,599 4-cylinder XTerra XE on their fleet. Thank you, Nissan! The high-spec SE was great - but so was the basic XE. Read on.

Hats off to Nissan for making antilock brakes standard on the XTerra. In my opinion, ABS is one of the most important pieces of safety hardware you can get. SUVs tend to be less than graceful under hard braking, but the XTerra stays straight and true in panic stops.

For passive equipment, you'll find the usual stuff - dual airbags, height-adjustable belts, and side door beams. No side airbags, though.

So what about accident avoidance? The XTerra is a truck-based SUV, and it handles accordingy, so it's not as nimble as, say, a Subaru Forester. Speaking of which, let's discuss . . .

The XTerra's typical-SUV suspension -- independent in front, with a non-independent solid axle at rear -- delivers typical-SUV handling. Body lean is well controlled for an SUV, though more severe than you'd find in a car. Keep pushing, and the XTerra slides, just like a car, albeit with a bit more drama.

But the ride is truly outstanding. Sure, it's bouncy - after all, the XTerra is supposed to feel like a truck - but the suspension does a remarkable job of smoothing out rough roads. One evening I found myself headed straight for a crater-sized pothole - traffic on my left, curb on my right, and no place to go but straight through. I braced for impact, but the XTerra bounded over the pothole as if it were no more than a tiny rut. The steering wheel barely twitched. Color me impressed. Seriously impressed.

It's worth noting that the lighter four-cylinder two-wheel-drive XTerra's ride is less bouncy and better controlled than the V6 4x4, and its steering is much more precise. The 4x4 has a big on-center dead spot, but the 4x2 steers with car-like accuracy.

Size is a definite advantage. The XTerra has a smaller footprint than many cars, so it's easy to thread through traffic and it fits into small parking spaces.

In order to find out if the XTerra lived up to its brutish exterior, I took the SE 4x4 down to the local sanctioned off-road course for what turned out to be a rather extended jaunt through the mud. Ground clearance is good, though the test truck didn't have skid plates to protect underbody mechanicals, so I had to exercise extra care when climbing over large rocks.

The front suspension is independent, which generally limits travel, but I found that the solid rear axle had plenty of twist to make up for it. Off-idle torque could have been better, but I didn't have too many problems with the XTerra stalling. It did an excellent job over rocks, loose sand, and through water.

And it did really well in the mud. Too well, in fact. As I crept along, I noticed that the mud a few dozen yards away looks pretty scary, and that some other trucks have already gotten stuck. I decided to turn around, only to discover that the mud over there was the same as the mud over here.

Unfortunately, this realization came to me just as the XTerra, wheels still turning, ceased to make forward motion. A couple of tried-and-true off-road tricks proved fruitless - the XTerra wasn't going to get free under its own power. I enlisted the help of a fellow off-roader and his heavily modified Toyota pickup. His modifications included big mud tires, low gearing, and a Chevy V8, and his truck liberated the XTerra without breaking a sweat.

Blame the mud bath not on the truck but on the driver, who should have walked the terrain before driving into it. The XTerra proved that it has what it takes to perform off-road.

The 4-cylinder XE gets a 2.4 liter four-cylinder engine good for 143 HP and 154 ft-lbs of torque, coupled to a five-speed manual transmission that drives the rear wheels. If you want an automatic or four-wheel-drive you'll have to opt for the V6.

Suffice it to say that the four-cylinder XTerra is never in a hurry. Power is acceptable around town, though a lot of gear-changing is required -- a pleasure, not a chore, thanks to the light clutch and precise gearshift. High-speed cruising, however, is not this truck's forte. Revving the engine produced more unpleasant noise than raw acceleration, and sustained speeds above 75 MPH were rough on the ears. The 4-cylinder XTerra has no problem keeping pace on the highway, but it's happier if you don't rush it.

The 3.3 liter V6, producing 170 HP and 200 ft-lbs of torque, is the way to go. It develops a smooth, even flow of power accompanied by a satisfying growl. The V6 XTerra isn't fast enough to quicken the pulse, but it can handle itself well on the open road, and the mileage penalty over the 4-cylinder is narrow, especially in town -- 17 city/19 highway for the 5-speed V6, vs 19/city 24/highway for the four-cylinder.

Let's talk about the XE, and how much XTerra you can get for under $18 large. The bargain-bin XTerra gets crank-up windows and manual door locks. No delay wipers. No rear wiper. No map lights. Not even the trademark roof rack. And, as I mentioned, it's only available with a manual transmission and rear-wheel-drive.

But let's talk about what you do get. You get four-wheel antilock brakes, air conditioning, and a decent sounding cassette stereo. And you get the solid, big-truck feel of an SUV costing thousands of dollars more. As I wheeled the 4-cylinder XE around the SUV-clogged streets of LA, I never felt inferior to the other truckers, many who paid twice what the XTerra cost. Maybe I couldn't keep up with them, but I didn't feel inferior to them.

To me, that makes the base-model XTerra an outstanding value that far outweighs that detail about hand-crank windows. (Besides, with the standard A/C, you can just leave 'em closed.) Many of the XE's options are standard equipment on the SE, including power windows and locks, V6 engine, alloy wheels, a glass sunroof, and the roof rack.

Let's talk about the latter two, because they make a lousy combination. To open the sunroof - it doesn't slide, it doesn't come off, it just tilts up at the back - you have to remove the large luggage basket from the roof rack. Even then, the rack's front airdam blocks half of the sunroof. With the luggage rack in place, almost no sun comes through the sunroof. What's the point?

Front seats are comfortable and roomy, and all of the switches and controls have the high-quality feel that is typical of Nissan's products. Switch blanks - those empty pieces of plastic that scream "WHAT DIDN'T YOU BUY?" - are kept to a minimum in the base-model XE.

The back seat is reasonably roomy, but entry and exit are another limited. The doors look big enough, but the actual opening is smaller than the door, and the aperature at foot level is very narrow. That said, there's a surprising amount of room back there. Keep going back and you'll find a cargo cover, standard across the range, and a first aid kit stored in the XTerra's rear hatch.

Let's get practical. The Suzuki Vitara (and its twin, the Chevrolet Tracker) offers more equipment for the price, the Honda CR-V makes a more sensible family hauler, and the Subaru Forester handles better. And all three are far more car-like. For some people, that's just fine.

For the rest of you - those who want a real SUV, but can't make the car payments on one of the trendy mainstream trucks - the XTerra is a dream come true.

I won't waste time on a bloated Parting Shot. It all comes down to this: If you're looking for a beefy, brawny SUV, nothing else delivers so much truck for such a reasonable price. Congratulations, Nissan: the XTerra is a grand slam.


Home, James