Looks nice, good acceleration, head room, rugged, roof rack, tires and wheels, lots of other things

Mileage(not too bad, though) and the worst thing of all so far: the driver seat is too low, making my legs get tired easily.

I am really loving this car and almost everything about it. I constantly go snowboarding and never have a problem. The acceleration is enough for me, if you are looking for a solid rugged car with an original look, go for it. If you are looking for a mom-mobile, forget it. But the driver seat has been a pain: it is too low. Combined with the fact that it doesn't go further back, I can't stretch my legs at all. I'll probably pay a visit to an upholstery shop to get it adjusted. Besides that, everything is just great.

Similar Products Used:

Escape(looks too cheap), Rav4(just a high car), CRV(even worse), Cherokee(looks too old even when new), Discovery(great car but way too expensive)

Nissan Reliability, Looks, Functionality, Handling, Price, Tires, Wheels, Design

Compared to a "Car", the gas mileage, but if you consider what you are buying, a truck, there really is no glaring weakness I have found yet.

I did extensive searching on the web and at dealers for information. I wanted to buy a truck, a real SUV as I was tired of driving small compact cars for 20 years. The only two vehicles in my price range and desired "real SUV/truck class" were the Jeep Cherokee Limited or Sport (not the Grand version), or the Nissan Xterra. I did not really consider the Honda CRV, Toyota Rav-4 or the Ford Escape as they are really cars, and not trucks. Because the Xterra was reasonably priced, and you must consider what you are spending for, the Jeep came in second basically because Jeep/Chrysler products are notoriously unreliable as a whole. The deciding factor was in the Nissan extended warranty I purchased. I recommend extended warranties for anybody purchasing a new car. For about $1,200 if you have it, virtually everything on the Xterra is covered, except normally wearing parts like the clutch or brake pads. Once passed the manufacturer's 3/36,000 you may be stuck without it. Nissan's extended warranty was basically the same as the manufacturer's 3/36,000 warranty and covered over 1,500 parts compared to the Daimler-Chysler's at about 500 covered parts. Sorry, but you can almost count on an expensive repair over 6-7 years of ownership. Bottom Line for me: For just about $1,500 more, (Xterra price), you can get a higher degree of quality, bigger tires, more front driver room to name a few, than the Jeep Cherokee. The Jeep has thinner doors and frames and just did not feel, or drive as sturdy as the Xterra. In fact, my wife even owns a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and I still would rather drive (or purchase) an Xterra.

Similar Products Used:

Ford Escape, Honda CRV, Toyota Rav-4, Jeep Cherokee

Its fun to drive and you look good driving it. Very hip.
Like the 6-CD changer.
Tie down clips in the back (they rule)...
Lots of options for gear stowage.
The engine is quiet and clean sounding

The back seat cushions have to be removed to put the back seat down - no place to put them (weird).

Sunroof - have to remove the basket - kind of a pain

The stereo could probably be better - for the super trained ear - but I think its great for my purposes.

But these are minor given that I bought a top quality SUV at a much lower price.

Looks hip and not many of them on the road - you always get looks in an Xterra - especially as a woman! This is a guy's car - but its great for the right kind of girl with adventuring and camping on her mind. Its not like a Jeep - Everybody has one of them.

The Xterra has a place for all of my junk since I practically live out of it! It fits my SUV hook on tent like a charm. Great for adventuring - I'm not afraid of spilling anything in it or messing it up. I can't wait to take this puppy to the beach for some surf-fishing. My husband practically fights over who is going to drive it...he NEVER did that with our 95 Grand Cherokee!

The engine is quiet and clean sounding - it doesn't need to go 90mph down the freeway for me - I like its slow-climbing handling - thats the kind of power that impresses me.

I Love all the options for gear stowage - can throw my wet bathing suits, gear and other junk in the stow bin, attach a bungee and go! Its all set up for all of the yakima extras - like the bike rack(s) etc...It's
set up for medium off-road travel right away (Beginner trails, beach etc...) without massive modifications.

The Xterra just plain looks good, feels good and rides nice. This adventure gal gives it a thumbs up.

Similar Products Used:

Jeep Grand Cherokee - (nice but too many yuppie features - too many gadgets and "doo-hickies to break-owned one and it was in the shop constantly - Do you really need to be satellite linked to your home security system? Duh!), Land Rover Discovery (too much of a wannabe vehicle - you look like a joke off-roading it in the USA), Ford Explorer (NAH!), Toyota 4Runner (Okay but more expensive and makes me look old)

-great value
-legitimate off-road ability
-reliability

-SUV gas mileage
-mediocre stock tires

I test drove all the above except for the WRX (the dealers are treating WRXes like the crown jewels). I liked all but the RAV4, which my girlfriend begged me to take out. We both agreed that it sucked.

Basically, my decision came down to what type of vehicle I wanted, and I chose SUV over AWD sedan/wagon or pickup truck. I thought the Tacoma was sharp all around, and if I had chosen a pickup, it woudl have been my first choice. The Outback Sport was also really nice and a great value. But I wanted something a little more versatile--something with a lot of cargo room, significant towing ability, and legitimate off-road capability. Given my budget, the Xterra stood above the rest.

Yes, it gets truck SUV-type gas mileage, and it's not a luxury car inside, but I have nothing but good things to say about it so far. The ride is smooth for a truck chassis, it's pretty well-equipped inside and out for the price (SE, to me, was the best value), and I think the V6 is good, if not uber-powerful (a WRX it ain't). I'm a control freak, so it was a stick for me, but I had a chance to drive the auto, and it was pretty nice--well-matched to the V6.

I went to multiple Nissan dealerships, and I am glad I settled on Brown's Nissan (in Fairfax). The salesman had a good attitude, devoted a lot of time to me, and didn't shower me with BS. Their support so far has been first rate.

I can't wait to hit the trails on Assateague...

Similar Products Used:

Toyota Tacoma V6 SR5/TRD, Mazda B Series, Toyota RAV4, Subaru Outback Sport, Subaru WRX

Fun to drive one gets to feel the road, the kids love the ride and sitting higher in the back seat. It looks great - still haven't found another SUV that looks better and is reasonably priced. Great turning radius, easy switch to 4 wheel drive. Cruise at 70 - 80 on the highways, if it went faster it would probably tip over too easily.

Would love leather seats, installed new speakers and what a difference! For the price I don't mind missing a few items. My biggest complaint is how much Nissan charges to maintain it. My Lexus didn't cost as much and Nissan has a rigerous maintenance schedule check out the service costs before you buy. Also, they may or may not admit this but they have had problems with the brake calipers and the exhaust manifold. I found this out when they found a problem with my mainifold.

This SUV is a truck and I love it. I have over 22,000 miles on it and the car is loaded. I added a front cow catcher (put on by a non-Nissan dealer - no problems after 8 months), a new stereo - speakers and all, white headlights, and seat covers. It turns heads and gets comments and mine is the quiet blue - wish I had gotten the yellow :-). I use it for sales and it handles great. I like the fact that I feel the road, this is not a luxury vehicle in the way it drives though it handles well. After a year, I would not trade this car for any other that is within $5 - 7000 of its price. I would recommend using 4-wheel drive even in the rain, I've had it slide in light water, but the 4WD makes a difference. Handles well in the snow.

Similar Products Used:

Had a Lexus SUV... great car but no matter what I did you couldn't feel the road. Looked at a Cherokee - it didn't move me, glad I missed the Bronco with the Firestone tires. The Rav 4 is too small and grossly under-powered.

Lots of room for passenger and cargo. Unique looks. Torquey engine and
rugged suspensions. Built on ladder box frame making it suitable for real
off-road excursions. The vehicle is geared for off-roading. First and second gears are short, providing maximum torque early-on and to provide
adequate engine braking during downhill sojourns. Third gear is taller
and handy for slow-speed cruising (in parks or in rush hour traffic). Fourth and fifth are forgiving enough even if you are too lazy to change
in time. The hand-brake, though apparently 'old-fashioned' is mercifully
hand-operated to take care of uphill/downhill dead starts in forward or
reverse. Top it off with Nissan reliability (the engine has been around
for years under the hood of Pathfinders and Quest minivans) and you have
a hands down winner.

It is a TRUCK - Not a car or a car-like SUV. What that means is
(a) it has heavy duty suspensions that could jiggle you a bit on the highways - this is the price you pay for off-road ability.
(b) you cannot get away from stop lights in a hurry like a car since it is
not geared for that. Gearing is designed for torque rather than speed. This is an absolute must during slow-speed crawling over rocks/snow/sand.
(c) maximum comfortable cruising speeds on highways is around 80MPH after
which drag and wind noise becomes very noticable - again remember this
vehicle is basically designed for off-road/slow-speed cruising rather than
90MPH runs on highways.
(d) The torque does not come free. You pay for it in terms of gas mileage
Expect 16-19 MPG. The manual is better than the automatic if you prefer to
row your own boat.

I would whole heartedly recommend this vehicle to people who understand (and are looking for) genuine trucks - Not cars or car-like SUVs. I would also recommend the SE V6 Manual since you get the best out the engine with the manual.

Expect tolerable rides on highways upto 80 MPH, good off-road ability, roomy interior for people/cargo in its class, and Nissan reliability. Dealership experience at Michael Jordan Nissan has been very pleasant too. They have drop-off/pick-up service and good service advisors.

For first-time SUV buyers, take it easy during turns (applies to all SUVs).

For first-time manual transmission SUV buyers, row through first/second gears early if you are not off-roading in order to get good mileage and prolong the life of your engine/transmission.

Similar Products Used:

Test drove the Isuzu Trooper (very good but not worth the money), Jeep
Cherokee (same characteristics as the Xterra but Consumer Reports says it
is unreliable), Suzuki Grand Vitara (too small), Chevy Tahoe (a good vehicle but way too expensive for me).

The acceleration is wonderful. The interior is spacious. Compared with the other SUV I drove, the X-Terra sits more like a car than other SUV's, which I believe is much more comfortable. There is plenty of room to haul around all my musical equipment, with room to spare. Nissan generally has a high resale value, although I don't understand why that would be important when buying a great car like this!

I expected to get @ 18-25 MPG, but ended up getting @ 13-16. And this is not in heavy traffic. Other than the gas mileage, there's not really anything else really negative about this SUV.

I would HIGHLY recommend this car. The price is very reasonable. It looks great. It drives great. A great car. I would recommend this car for new SUV owners, and new drivers in general. This is my first car, and I will drive it as long as I can, and then probably upgrade to a newer model.

Similar Products Used:

I like this much better than the '99 Grand Cherokee Limited that I drove for a year before getting the X-Terra.

Roomy, with lots of little hiding places for gear. Fits my lifestyle as an avid off road bicyclist and family guy. Low price compared to the others (Cherokee, 4Runner, Explorer) Much more rugged than any of the other mini-suvs, though this is hardly mini! Overall value is rated high.

The engine could be stronger, but it has poor mileage for such a weak motor. I mean, it sucks fuel much faster than I imagined.

I would recommend it for almost anyone with a little money to spend. WHile it does cost less than a lot of SUV's, it is by no means CHEAP. Nissan doesn't make money giving away vehicles. I was used to 22-25 mpg in my Hondas, plus I drive in heavy stop and go traffic, so the gas mileage is a big shock. But at least in GA you can get 87 octane for 1.20 a gal.

Similar Products Used:

Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee

This truck looks great. Especially the roof rack. Its body on frame construction makes for a vehicle that is rigid and durable. This vehicle handles very well in the snow and the standard block heater is a welcome touch considering the climate that I live in.

This vehicle could use a little more horsepower. A "headlights on" warning chime when the ignition is turned off would be nice. Also a vanity mirror on both visors on all models would be a welcome option.

I would heartily recommend this vehicle to anyone looking for a rigid no nonsense truck. The value is excellent when you compare it to the other offerings on the market right now. Some of the other offerings which utilize unibody construction I would somewhat hesitant to take off-road. This vehicle drives like a truck and handles like a truck because that is what it is. If you are looking for a "pretend" truck that is cute with lots of creature comforts this is not the vehicle for you. Buy one of the "Yuppie Station Wagons" instead. But if you are looking for a vehicle that is fun with plenty of utility then this is a vehicle for you.

Similar Products Used:

Toyota Rav4 (variable valve timing engine is great but kind of small with not much cargo room), Honda CRV, Ford Escape (very quick but kind of cheap looking inside), Subaru Forrester (nice drive and good looking but too small for my needs. I have a yellow lab.) and Nissan Pathfinder (excellent drive and nicely appointed).

Excellent vehicle for my outdoors lifestyle. Hauls my camping gear with ease as well as my boat and other necessities. Easy to modify for the most part and handles real well off-road.

Needs more horsies. Also more room under hood. No room under there for any add-on accessories such as dual batteries. Plastic bumper on front is a wimp. Also needs more ground clearance on the 4WD models.

I would not recommend the X if you are looking for a minivan. It is a truck to the bone. It rides like a truck handles like a truck and is very utilitarian. It is a step away from the SUV luxury liners that cost an arm and a leg. It's the perfect vehicle for myself and other outdoors sports nuts. Stop by http://www.geocities.com/floridaxtremexterra/ to see what we have put our X's through, it is one tough truck!

Similar Products Used:

Ford Explorer, Cadillac Escalade. It isn't a luxury liner, which makes it perfect for my lifestyle. I am not afraid to throw my wet PFDs or my bicycle in the back.