Editor-in-chief Chris Wardlaw wouldn't buy an Xterra, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't recommend it to someone else. During his time with the Xterra, Wardlaw realized that the truck was designed for short-legged, long-trunked folk (Wardlaw's of the short torso, long-legged variety). So when he sits in the driver's seat (which he found rather uncomfortable and the fabric cheap-feeling), his legs are splayed left and right, rubbing against hard plastic on the door panel and the transfer-case shifter. Then, because of the tall cowl and lack of a seat height adjuster, he felt he had to pull himself up with the steering wheel to peer over the top of the towering dash. To correct this problem, Wardlaw recommends Nissan a) install a seat height adjuster, and b) design about 2 more inches of seat track travel.

Unfortunately, if this were to happen, there would be no room for another adult occupant behind his seat. "Because Nissan has decided to keep lanky front seat occupants uncomfortable with short seat track travel, rear riders, perched atop the Xterra's fuel tank, get one of the most comfortable backseats in a modern mini-SUV. The tall, supportive bench seat and raised roofline cater to passengers, and mask what otherwise could be construed as a lack of rear legroom."

Despite his discomfort in the truck, the Xterra's styling has grown on Wardlaw, but he still doesn't like the featureless matte-black front end. Also, the front mud flaps are seemingly useless at combating road spray. When the truck was clean, Wardlaw drove slowly on some wet side streets and the sides of the Xterra got streaked with dirty water. Now, if we would have received the splash guards we ordered (and paid for) from Fremont Nissan when we bought our vehicle, we wouldn't be having this problem.

Wardlaw found the Xterra's engine adequate, but noted "the thrashing 3.3-liter V6 under Xterra's hood is not the pinnacle of sophistication." When the engine is pushed, it's loud and harsh, and around turns, the Xterra "squeals and squawks" at any speed. "Accelerate out of a turn, and the inside rear wheel chirps. Go around a corner at anything more than a crawl, and the beefy all-terrain tires howl under the weight."

Remember that the Xterra is based on the Nissan Frontier pickup truck. "Its underpinnings are medieval at best. It offers a distinctly truck-like ride on pavement, and handling is mediocre." However, the good thing about this kind of construction is the low price tag, towing ability, and off-road capability. Wardlaw cautions those buying the Xterra for its image to ask themselves if the long-term trade-off in ride comfort and handling is worth the sacrifice for style.

Overall, Wardlaw thinks the Xterra is well-built, adequately powerful and reasonably priced, not to mention it has a stunning personality. And if you like the styling and find it comfortable (and can live with the bumpiness) you might like it, at least for a little while. However, due to its popularity (it recently won the North American Truck of the Year award) and dealers charging as much as $4,000 over MSRP, the Xterra can hit almost $30K, which is not such a bargain anymore, especially when you consider the upcoming birth of Ford's Escape and Mazda's Tribute.


Total Odometer Reading: 11,519
Best Fuel Economy: 17.4 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 15.1 mpg
Running Average Over Life of Vehicle: 16.2 mpg
Body Damage Repair: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: None.