Nissan has revealed its modest refresh of the 2009 Xterra, and it's more offroady outdoorsy than ever. The once iconic, now ironic vehicle is still ready to tackle trails or haul your more traditional domestic possessions. The enlarged 4.0-liter VQ V6 carries over, with 261 hp and 281 lb ft of torque, hooked-up to a five-speed slushbox or a six-speed stick. Only a few comments here, because the refresh really is very modest… First, if there was ever a vehicle ripe for a diesel, it's this one. Plenty of Xterra owners travel long distances to get to their off-road adventures and/or take the rug rats to the water park. Xterra owners are not acceleration addicts (ipso facto) and the diesel clatter (God forbid) would go with the image. Towing? Yes. Towing. Second, as a solid "lifestyle" vehicle with a strong image, the Xterra needs to really trade on that impression. The new [available] roof-mounted off-road lights are a good start, but they need to slam home the go-anywhere, no frills, off-roader style of this truck. That means keeping amenities to a minimum and avoiding the ever-present feature and content bloat.
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Glad to see that somebody is sticking to their guns. While sales for this type of vehicle are headed lower, there will always be a need (and a desire) for the genre of a four-wheel-drive, two-speed-transfer-case, carry-all (that’s olde english for SUV).
Xterra owners may not be acceleration addicts, but the current 4.0 mill does have more than its fair share of oomph.
With that said, I’d really love to have a diesel find its way into one. When I was in Kuwait, the base had a fleet of diesel powered Frontiers. Those were a hoot to drive, manual gearbox and all.
Personally, I think the lack of ‘gee-whiz’ features is the Xterra’s most appealing trait. Those looking for killer apps in an Xterra are better served behind the wheel of a Pathfinder, Murano, or even the Rogue.
Does anyone else miss the old Xterra? It was the new Jeep Cherokee, back in 2000-2004. The 2.0 version (now 2.1?) is too fat, too expensive, and too close to the Pathfinder. But I agree that a diesel would help a lot.
Nissan diesel…great idea. How about a TD while we’re at it. Perhaps used in their smaller pickups as well. I’d sign up for one. The lack of responce to this thread leads me to belive Nissan has to do something to appeal to a larger number of people.
OK, so basically they gave the 2009 XTerra the same interior refresh (center stack re-do, mostly) that the 2008 Pathfinder received. We used to own a 2005 Pathfinder, and I can definitely say that the old center stack was in need of improvement.
By the way, the Pixamo gallery says 2009 Nissan Murano under each picture.