Nissan’s Xterra has always been aimed toward buyers with active lifestyles — camping in the wilderness one weekend, and the next carrying around bikes and kayaks. OK, so not all Xterra owners are going to that “xtreme.” The truth is, the capabilities of a body-on-frame SUV like the Xterra are wasted in the grind of daily driving when you don’t need them.
Fuel economy ratings of 14/20 mpg city/highway aren’t much of an attraction either. The Xterra has its appeal, of course, if you are that person who needs the utility and ruggedness of a capable SUV.
In his review of the 2008 Nissan Xterra, Cars.com editor Mike Hanley writes:
“Body-on-frame SUVs in general have fallen out of favor with consumers who've come to discover car-based crossovers and the more agreeable driving experience that comes with them. It's hard to fault the shift when you consider many buyers will never venture off-road with their vehicles.
”There will always be some buyers who do take to the trails, though, and for these buyers there are vehicles like the Xterra. It won't be as comfortable on city or suburban streets as a crossover, but it's not harsh to the point that you'll regret your purchase.”
Our resident Weekend Athlete, who ranks potentially weekend-athlete-friendly vehicles by loading and carrying gear like bicycles and camping equipment in them, has also evaluated the 2008 Xterra. See his review here.
Learn more
I wish Nissan would bring back the 2.5 I4 engine, and connect it to their new 7 speed automatic.
See if your question has already been asked and answered
Your question has been successfully submitted to Ask.cars.com. It will now be reviewed by our editors and we'll answer it soon if we think it's a useful question. You will be notified via e-mail when the answer is posted. Ask.cars.com tackles your questions about new cars and the car-buying process. Unfortunately we can't answer questions regarding:
Have our experts answer any of your questions about new cars.
Don't worry — we won't publish your last name or email.
i had a 2003 xterra, and doing mostly local driving i was happy with the truck. the few times i needed to use it offroad it preformed tremendously well. then i got a job further away and gas prices started to go up, thats when it was time to retire the vehicle. highway driveway was horrendous, as its bad gas mileage had me stopping every 250 miles for a fill up.