When Anita took a group of 18- to 25-year-olds through the Detroit auto show in January, the all-new 2000 Nissan Xterra was the hands-down favorite – after the $90,000 AM General Hummer. The Xterra’s simple but rugged good looks and affordable price tag were among its most appealing features with the blue-ribbon panel of young consumers.
Now the compact sport-utility has finally gone into production at Nissan’s Tennessee plant, and we’ve had a chance to sample one of the final prototypes. Our initial impression is that the vehicle has some flaws, but its simplicity and affordability still count for an awful lot in our book.
He: The Xterra is based heavily on Nissan’s compact Frontier pickup truck, and that really shows when you’re driving on rough pavement. You tend to bounce all over the place. But you know what? I suspect that may be part of its appeal. The Xterra is intended to steal away buyers who could only afford one of those smaller, car-based “crossover” models such as the Toyota RAV4 or the Honda CR-V, but who really wanted a more truck-like vehicle.
She: I hate to say it, but it’s one thing to swoon over the Xterra at an auto show, and another thing to drive it. My enduring impression is a series of disappointments about a vehicle I had really high expectations for. It’s like finally getting a date with the quarterback or the prom queen, and finding to your horror that he’s got lifts in his shoes and she’s got implants.
He: Nissan took great pains to make at least the entry-level two-wheel-drive Xterra affordable. It starts at under $18,000. But our well-equipped SE model costs more than $25,000, and I have to wonder how many younger buyers could afford it? That could be a problem since the vehicle is clearly aimed at that market.
She: Finish your thought about that entry-level two-wheel-drive model. It comes with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 143 horsepower. And you can’t even get the really cool items such as the tubular roof rack on that low-end model. Should I go on? It pretends to be so sporty, yet the cheap sunroof on the Xterra SE that we drove doesn’t work when the storage bin is screwed into the roof rack. Speaking of screws, as the mother of two young consumers in this age bracket, I’ll bet somebody in the aftermarket will make a fortune replacing lost screws for the bin. Why didn’t they come with little plastic tethers? And even when you go to the trouble of taking off the bin, the rest of the rack blocks all but 6 inches of sky. So what’s the point of the sunroof in the first place?
He: Whew-ee! Good thing you’re not the target audience for the Xterra. Much too critical and cranky.
She: But I might be co-signing the loan. And I would check out the vehicle before I did so.
He: In Nissan’s defense, they’ve made a really neat-looking sport-utility with lots of appeal to younger buyers, and I would count anyone who’s not as old as me as a “younger buyer.” Yes, the top-of-the-line SE is pretty pricey, but you can get into a 4×2 Xterra with the V-6 and a nice package of features for under $20,000. Our test model had all the bells and whistles, including the trick roof rack and nifty tubular running boards, plus a full slate of accessories. That’ll push the sticker price up quickly.
She: I’m still giving the Xterra two stars for inconsistency. Why do I get two emergency blankets in the first-aid kit and enough bandages to apply a tourniquet, but I don’t get vanity mirrors? Cheap, cheap, cheap. And male-oriented.
He: I know what you mean about the inconsistencies. You get standard anti-lock brakes, but no side air bags. You get a pretty modern, overhead-cam V-6 engine in the SE, but it still comes with a primitive pull-out parking brake and old-fashioned shift lever for the transfer case. I know Nissan did some of these things to save money, but I’m not sure some of the potential customers will appreciate how the company cut ners.
She: If it’s any consolation to Nissan, our 20-year-old and two of his college buddies will put the Xterra to the acid test in a couple weeks when they take an extended road trip to see some of their friends. Their chief concerns – that the Xterra had a CD player and a manual transmission, and was painted black. They may wind up proving the cranky mom is wrong.
2000 Nissan Xterra SE
Anita’s rating: acceptable
Paul’s rating: above average
Type: Front-engine, four-wheel drive, five-passenger sport-utility vehicle
Price: Base, $24,549; as tested, $25,148 (including $520 destination charge)
Engine: 3.3-liter V-6; 170 hp at 4,800 rpm; 200 lb-ft torque at 2,800 rpm
EPA fuel economy: 16 mpg city/18 mpg highway
12-month insurance cost, according to AAA Michigan*: $1,196 (Estimate. Rates may be higher or lower, depending on coverage and driving record.)
Where built: Smyrna, Tenn.
What we liked: Catchy styling; more sport-utility for the money; like the little touches, such as built-in first-aid kit; anti-lock brakes are standard; cool tubular running boards and roof rack on SE
What we didn’t like: Bouncy, truck-like ride on rough pavement; no side air bags yet; prefer a pushbutton shift into 4WD mode; no vanity mirrors on upscale SE (Anita); limited rear-seat legroom; cheap sunroof doesn’t work with roof storage bin; primitive parking brake and transfer-case shift lever; what kid can afford $25,000?
