Comments: 1-15, 16
The vehicle is mechanically sound with no problems to report as of yet.
You can count on it getting you to point A to point B, which is about the only good thing I can say about it.
The Xterra is my mother-in-law ex-husband brainchild. He wasn't the sharpest knife is the kitchen. I would never buy this thing.
I'm 6'4", 230lbs. This thing is built for people 5'2" and a buck twenty.
The ride quality is awful. The Xterra has a way of making small bumps and dips in the roadway feel very large, and this is coming from someone who drove a lowered RSX for 3 years.
The spring rate front and rear are too weak for the weight of this vehicle.
The slightest braking will send the front plummeting to the ground. Perhaps Nissan thought it would be a good ideal to increase the forward viewing angle during stopping.
There is a very noticeable lag in pedal response. When the engine gets the clue that the driver is asking it to rev up and move forward it stops and ponders the thought for a second. Then is makes a tons of noise from the very restrictive exhaust system, rattles the whole vehicle, then swats like a sumo wrestler before jumping forward like all too edger dog. Then while you recovering from being tossed around, the Xterra is slowly advancing forward with all the roar and commotion of a big V8 but with the power and guts of a 3 banger Geo. My wife said it best when she said "We should take the Dakota if we want to be on time."
The rough take off is due to the torque converter having a very quick engagement. A steady foot is required to keep the SUX from launching forward and disturbing the passengers. This is the not the vehicle to get if you value your passage ride comfort.
The seat base angle has to be the steepest angle I have ever seen in a rear seat. This makes the seats feel very uncomfortable as it put the legs into an acute angle in relation the upper body. We have found an hour is the about max before someone starts complaining of discomfort. My 18-month-old daughter forward facing car seat looks a rear facing mounted backwards. Yes, even she hates the Xterra.
To fold down the rear seat, you have to remove the seat base. OK, so where do you put the seat base? How about in the "dirty underwear bin" on the roof? Rats, they won't fit. Nissan could've easily reduced the seat base angle allowing for the seats to fold neatly on top without removing the seat base.
A first aid kit is handy, but does it really need a pointless budge on the hatch for it? It just another example of how this was design to appear practical and "cool", but in fact isn't.
Every time I hop in I feel like I'm cramming myself into tin can. Compare the entry to this is a MDX, Explorer, Durango, 4 Runner, etc, and you'll see. Also watch out for the seat adjusters, they'll attack you every time!!
There absolutely no leg room for the driver. The front floorboard needs to be dropped 3 or 4 inches under the pedals.
The front seats belong in a car, not a SUV. Being in the driver seat feel like seating on the floor with you leg straight out.
The interior room is cramp for a vehicle this big.
The interior door handles are the same design from 1980.
I’m tired of people who get into SUV’s and expect them to handle like a Cadillac… They are the reason why companies like Buick and Mercedes build vans and call them SUV's, as if a Buick van (!) could ever do any serious off roading. Off road vehicles are meant to handle differently… Read the GENERAL NOTES under your sun visor when you get into a REAL SUV. Yes the ride is rough. Yes they will roll over if you drive them as if they were sports cars. And did you say the floorboard needs to be lowered?!? Excuse me, but would that not cut into your ground clearance?!? I guess you wouldn’t mind if the bottom of the car was taken out when off-roading huh?!? Its like getting on a dirt bike and complaining about the ride height and how they will not perform like a speed bike! HELLO??? Real suvs are designed to off-road not to be put to a slalom test on the highway; If that’s what you want you should look at going back to your RSX. I am sure it will beat the xterra on the highway on all the “issues” you mentioned.
Since 1992 I have owned two (1988 and 1993) pathfinders and currently driving an xterra. I still own the 1993 pathfinder with over 190 000 miles on it with hardly any problems with it other than regular maintenance. And the Xterra has been nothing, but a charm just like my old pathfinders in terms of reliability and performance… And now for you my friend I recommend the van the good people at Buick call an SUV. I am sure you will be much more pleased driving this low ride-height 4x4 van and the comfort level you get from it.
Thanks.
Excuse me, but I didn't buy this thing. I'm not expecting it to handle like a Caddy. I'm expecting to ride a bit better then a civic with cut springs and blown shocks. I expect a SUV with big tires and lots of suspension travel to take minor bumps and bridge transitions without sending shock waves through out the truck and into my teeth. I like a firm ride, but I don't like to be rattled by small bumps in the road.
Just to let you know, I have driven "real SUVs" and real trucks. One of the best riding trucks I have driven is a Dodge Ram 3500 4x4. That thing has tons of room, ride smoothly, flatten out bumps, and is fun to drive.
I was impressed with the 4 Runners I drove. Nice firm ride, lots of room, no cheap plastics.
I like my Dakota. Supportive seats, firm ride, lots of power, and room for my legs.
A Nissan Xterra drives like a trud. Its cramp on the inside. It filled with cheap plastic, low grade carpets, and is very friendly. If you look closely at the underbody, the floor can be dropped without hurting the ground clearance. Heck, even the seats could be rised. Personal, a truck or SUV isn't a "real SUV" if it has seats better suited for a car.
If you like it so much, come buy this thing from us! Please, we would be more than happy to see it leave our life. If fact, we'll give it to you if we could!
Let's get this straight; you bought this vehicle new because an "idiot" told you to? It doesn't sound like you did your homework, and in not doing so, don't blame the Xterra! And your wife suggest you'll get somewhere faster by taking a "Dakota?" How do you drive, and what did you expect from a husky real off-road SUV?
So you're a "Big Boy," did you even sit in one before buying it? I've taken a ride in our X's back seats and really enjoy them. Not only do they have the stadium feel & view, but as my research shown - have more rear legroom than most copycat vehicles! The rear seats - with room for 3 - have such a comfortable feel, every time I look back to see how the kids are doing... they're asleep!
Yes, the 6 cylinder's an old dog, as most reviews here will admit. So I gotta ask; did you just discover this site after buying this rig? (before buying ours I read EVERY review in here and am thankful for all the advice!) It will be interesting to watch for Nissan's re-make of this vehicle next year, I'm sure the old 6 will be history - but we couldn't wait that long for an inexpensive, well built and reliable - REAL - SUV.
If I didn't know better... I'd suspect you're a Dodge salesman using this forum to badmouth the competition. Now I'm sure that's not true, but if you'd take any Dodge over a Nissan product, you're not much brighter than that "half-wit Mother-in-law's husband!"
PS, have you taken your Dakota in for the recall? - to keep the front wheels from falling off! No joke~
The Nissan Xterra is just a wannabe jeep "XHEADS". Your sorry supercharged motor only has 210 horsepower?
A word of caution to all Xterra drivers. A good friend of mine rolled his Xterra after driving into standing water during a heavy rain. His speed was 55 mph. I just watched a local TV station warn of accidents due to standing water... the vehicle being towed away was a Nissan Xterra. Perhaps the 'spongy' feeling front supension is a liability once the vehicle gets a little sideways. Be aware of the potential for disaster in heavy rains.
Hey "Jeepbuddy," if you could afford a Land-curser - your Jeep would be history! The same with my Xterra!! But we can't, so we drive what fills the bill. I've got the "4" - laugh if you want, but @ 24 MPG, it's looking better every day!
And "55 into standing water?" That move earned a roll-over! Don't drive like a car-commercial!! Someone innocent (like me) might be coming the other way... but thanks for the warning.
Please don't compare Jeeps to Landrovers. They are meant for different things. The Landrover Discovery is a fine automobile, but it has so many creature comforts and such that for the price, a jeep would be a better off-road vehicle. I'm not saying that they are bad off road either, because they rank among the top. If you were to look at the freelander which is in the price range of a jeep rubicon, the off-road capability would have to go to the rubicon. If you want something more than capable, and yet quite comfortable, then go for the freelander. Either way you won't be unhappy if you take in to account your priorities. In off=road capability for the price, Jeep definitely is better, but if you want a vehicle that is more than capable off-road, with a lot of civility, then go for a Landrover. However the defenders were really rough tough untility vehicles that could do as much as a tank could lol.
Hey there, you must mean "me?" Though I didn't spell it right ~ it's the Toyota Landcruiser - not a Landrover. And, it was: "Xterra to Jeep" - no Landrover was mentioned...
My mentioning the cruiser was to give an example of nearly everyone's preferred off-road vehicle (including the heads of Alkida!). But just as Toyota's Landcruiser has morphed from a "jeep-like vehicle" into a ground-based space-shuttle in its complexity and "creature comforts," the Nissan Pathfinder & Toyota 4-runner have done the same; and in doing so have priced themselves out of many of our lives. And pricey or not, who needs all that crap?
Now here-we-go with the Xterra's... they "bate & hook" a younger generation (X) - then lead-them-along with an ever-increasingly complex and expensive vehicle. Sure glad I got to X last year - I'd no longer consider this road-tank of a "redesign" they're offering now. But just watch - America will eat 'em up!
I have an X-Terra and I love mine. The acceleration at first was disappointing until my husband pointed out to me that I was not driving a "car" anymore. My only complaint is the the rear wheel drive because I am use to driving only a front wheel drive car so I don't feel comfortable in snowy mush. But the fault is the driver not the car as my husband has no problems driving in snowy mush. I love the room and the cargo as do my children and dogs which combined living in a rural area is the main reason for trading in my "car" for a more rugged SUV. As more time goes by and I learn to drive this SUV and get over the fact I am no longer in a car, I have come to love my X-Terra more. Gas mileage hasn't been a problem and we have driven the X-terra across the U.S. without any comfort problems. Again it was just mind over matter and as long as I don't treat my X-Terra like a car, (and sometimes I do cause I am very comfortable with it now) the X-Terra is great. I love it and have had it for 4 yrs now with no problems.
Wow! Who would have thought that there was such passion for a vehicle? Lighten up guys. It's just a car! An underpowered one at that.
It's all personal preference. Basically, if you do your homework on the car you won't have this many complaints about it. I can see unexpected mechanical issues being a problem. All of the above complained about issues could have been detected with ONE test drive.
It all boils down to, if you don't like it, get rid of it.
Believe me there are hundreds of people into buying a rugged, moderate sized SUV fairly cheaply - I'm sure you'll sale it right quick.
I agree, these are not the softest riding trucks, but they were by no means designed that way either; I too have a rough riding suv, an Isuzu Rodeo, it's 10yrs old now and I still love it.
This is not "bash another automaker" comment area. If people would just stick to the topic at hand, then there wouldn't be any useless comments about garbage!
Anyway, to correct a comment: the XTERRA is not a car, it is a SUV!
Also, the "X" does not stand for "Generation X". The "X" is short for "CROSS" and the "TERRA" is short for "TERRAIN". Therefore, "CROSS TERRAIN" is what "XTERRA" is short for. I have an "XTRAIL" and that is short for "CROSS TRAIL". Think of "XMAS" and you will get the idea.
Too many people rush into a purchase, and complain, when they realize that they have lacked the research and homework that is necessary when making a purchase. If you don't do the research, then you lose in the end. Just to clarify another point, if you were driving a non-off-road-SUV, before you purchased the XTERRA, then chances are the XTERRA will be bigger, higher, stiffer ride, consume more fuel, etc.
Do the research and save yourself the problems/surprises. Buyer beware.
To the guy talking about the "land-curser" or "cruiser" or whatever; what does the Kool-Aid you are drinking taste like? What flavor?
Why would you buy a vehicle that doesn't fit your body size?
Those Xterras are a little underpowered, but are one of the most reliable trucks on the road, so relax, take a deep breath, and keep on truckin bud, and I'll see you at 300000 miles and still running alright.