Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Our Funkadellic Xterra was ready to leave Bluesy Chicago behind in search of more GenXers out in L.A. Besides, who wants to chance a November snowstorm in Chicago? So off we went, but not before packing the Xterra to the roof. Pulling off the cross-beam housing the sunshade from the rear compartment was easy enough. Loading boxes was easy enough. But when it was time to load clothing and a hanging bar across the cabin, we ran into a hitch. The metal loops on the ends of the hanging bar usually fit over the hanger hooks on either side of a car's cabin. The Xterra has little hanging apparatuses, yes, but they're not hooks. Rather they're loops with a hole in the middle. So in short, we had no way of hanging our clothing bar across the cabin. Jeez! A quick trip to the hardware store remedied the problem with a couple of S-hooks.

After the Xterra had swallowed every last morsel we were ready to hit the road. All was fine over the long haul until Little Red Riding Truck met the Big Bad Wolf by nearly running out of gas IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MOHAVE DESERT! Let us explain. Apparently a "next services" sign had some misinformation on it. We passed one which claimed the next gas station was 35 miles ahead. Looking down at the trip-meter, we figured we had at least 70 miles in the tank. Well, 35 miles came and went, so did 50, and yes 60, and then...no we didn't run out of gas, then we stopped.

Our map told us that the next town (there are no cities out here) was about 20 miles ahead. Could we make it? Perhaps... if we turned off the A/C and drove at 50 M.P.H. We weren't about to chance it though (running out of gas can cause potential injector and fuel component damage), and called for help on a callbox. The California Highway Patrol tracked our location, contacted a tow truck, and dispatched one which they said would arrive in about 30 minutes.

So there we were in the Mojave Desert, baking in the 100 degree sun, our mouths parched, several poisonous serpents encircling us. OK, OK, we actually remained calm and used our time for a photo shoot and sun bathing! As promised (apparently the C.H.P. has got their stranded motorist thing down pat) a tow truck showed up on time carrying a 5 gallon tank of gas. We gratefully took our 5 gallons for a charge of $57.50 including the gas. Off we went again, making a bee-line for the nearest gas station, which we found, and which must know how precious their petrol really is. We paid $1.80 per gallon for low octane gas. Top that!

We arrived in L.A. just in time for the Xterra to get its first taste of freeway traffic - Los Angeles style! We plodded along like everyone else, and hours later, like everyone else, made it to our destination. The Xterra was unloaded and ready to serve staffers, but not before a good wash, and floss as the case may be to remove all the bugs stuck in our truck's teeth.

Xterra newbies first noticed the sheetmetal and the dimensions over which it was stretched. First was the color, which everyone thought was a welcome break from all the Silver and Yellow ones mulling about southern California. The general looks of the truck evoked some strong comments. Said one driver, "It is definitely a city slicker's car, and the tag line which states 'Choose your sick days wisely' is a proper fit - one can imagine an office-bound drone taking off for the slopes with fun gear on its roof rack."

After all the ooohing and ahhing subsided, one staffer, keys in hand, proclaimed, "The environmentally and socially conscious me cringed at the thought of driving a view blocking, parking space hogging, gas-guzzling behemoth." Well, our driver got over all the moral issues, after the pleasing lines and general hipness of SUVs had their way with her.

The dimensions of the vehicle proved to be challenging for some of our drivers that this month described the Xterra as tall and narrow, like a leggy model. What's wrong with a leggy model you may ask. Well, for one, we couldn't fit it into a garage which has housed a Lexus LX470 and our long-term GMC Sierra. Bummer. And one frightened driver exclaimed, "Like a leggy model it could lend itself to questionable balance - the car swayed alarmingly when I took a sharp turn during a bout with the Santa Anas."

Handling and steering in general though were praised thoroughly. All thought it to be precise and nimble. We felt it was far more amenable than our long-term Jeep when it came time to turn the wheel. The steering is very car-like - taut, responsive, with decent feedback. The engine's power around town was no problem, but one driver commented that he could understand previous driver's criticism about its wheeziness at highway speeds.

Inside, driver's noticed how Nissan was able to "value price" the vehicle. Lack of mirrors on flimsy visors for one. A shifter and center console area that was described as "toylike." But at $26,000, it is a decent value, although one driver pointed out that Nissan may be misleading people with an under $18,000 claim.

We noticed a squeaking sound which emanated from the right rear brake when we reversed and decided to have it checked out, as it was time for another oil change this month (yes, we've been racking up cross-country miles). We were greeted by the service personnel at Santa Monica Nissan who cheerfully told us that they suspected our truck would be ready in a couple of hours. Sure enough, two hours later we received a call that new black blood had been injected and that a rock had been removed from the right rear drum. Apparently it had gotten wedged and was scraping, creating a squealing sound. The total for the oil change came to $49.95. We found our service experience to be pleasant and efficient this time around, and in fact, a couple days later received a thank you card (with embossed writing no less) from the dealer - nice touch.

One spatially challenged driver scraped our new truck (or gave it some character lines as she put it). Apparently, in a dark parking lot, our staffer scraped against a light pole, causing a scrape on the right body-side-molding and a dent in the side-step-rail. We'll get it taken care of when the next service comes due.

All were pleasantly surprised by the Xterra. Wrote one driver: "You basically get a big, gutsy SUV for the price of a mini-SUV. The recipe is so simple that the other automakers must be kicking themselves for not coming up with it first." Next month we'll do a little off-roading along with a Land Rover Discovery and an Isuzu Rodeo. Yeah, they're not direct competitors, but we've got 'em around, so why not see how it all stacks up?

Total Odometer Reading: 10,141
Best Fuel Economy: 20.4 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 14.2 mpg
Running Average Over Life of Vehicle: 16 mpg
Body Damage Repair: $0
Maintenance Costs: $49.95
Problems: Squeaky right rear brake.