How many time have you gotten into a truck or SUV and thought to yourself, "Damn, I bet this thing could go just about anywhere."
I would guess it hasn't happened that often, especially with SUVs.
Although more and more of these so-called sport utility vehicles come with four wheel drive or all wheel drive, whether it is the full-time variety or the only-when-you-need-it variety, how many of them actually go off road?
Very few I would guess.
The other question is, if you had to go off road, how many of these utes would not only be able to handle the terrain, but would make the occupants feel comfortable
doing so?
I'm not sure there are too many.
Yes, SUVs are good for hauling people and cargo, and yes the four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive systems are good additions, and are actually a safety feature in inclement weather, but for those who go off road something a little more rugged is required.
This is where the Nissan Xterra comes in.
Just the look of the Xterra hints at a go-anywhere capability. Big rubber, off-road shocks, full roof rails with cross beams for strapping the mountain bike down, roof lights at the front of the roof rails for trails that would obviously have no lights and a high ground clearance to avoid any loose rocks or other debris from doing damage to the
undercarriage.
If you ask anyone I'm sure they would all say they would like to avoid damage to their undercarriage.
The Xterra came equipped with hill descent control. According to Nissan, hill descent control automatically adjusts your speed and brake pressure to help keep you going at a controlled speed while going down hills.
The Xterra is capable of towing up to 5,000 pounds, and whether this is your camper, fifth wheel, several snowmobiles, or just the mother-in-law in her Barcalounger, the choice is yours.
The Xterra is large enough to throw a kayak on the roof and for those of us who need a little help getting up to strap the thing down, there is a nice step at the back of the vehicle providing that extra bit of boost.
Roomy on the inside, the Xterra has plenty of space for five adults and a ton of room in the truck area. With seats that fold flat the space becomes large enough to fit mountain bikes, ski equipment or even a small cow.
The Xterra, however, can be a little deceiving.
It is a big SUV. It looks rugged and you know you are in a no-nonsense vehicle when you start driving it.
But usually in large vehicles you feel like you are lumbering a bit as you drive down the street. You are doing 50 and it feels like you are doing 50.
The Xterra on the other hand feels like you are doing 50 when in fact you are doing 70.
I didn't expect this. I expected to feel like I was going slow when I was going slow, and when I was going fast I expected to feel like I was Scotty on Star Trek who was "giving her all I got captain. I can't give her any more." But that simply wasn't the case.
If I was captain James T. Kirk of the starship Nissan Xterra, I would promote Scotty, because the Xterra was way smoother than I thought and had me checking my speedo as I was going faster that I thought on most occasions.
There is always a faint rumble in the background while driving the Xterra, although not loud enough to make you raise your voice or be bothered by it, but it is there.
Outside the vehicle that rumble is definitely louder. It signals to others that you have some serious power under the hood, and it is only when you put your welly in to it that you get to hear the rumble close up. The four-litre V6 comes to life with raucous fervour and shoots you forward as if you were heading for warp speed.
As a package, the Nissan Xterra is a no-nonsense SUV that will probably go everywhere it claims to be able to go, and maybe, just maybe, you might see a Klingon or two on the way there.
Vehicle
NISSAN XTERRA
Vehicle type:
5-door SUV
Transmission:
5-speed automatic
Engine:
4.0-litre V6
Horsepower:
261 @ 5,600
Torque:
281 @ 4,000
Mileage:
14.5 l/100 km
19 mpg City
10.1 l/100 km
28 mpg Hwy
Price as tested:
$41,748
