2006 Nissan Xterra Off Road V6 4x4

Perhaps the most extreme SUV on the market outside of the HUMMER lineup, the 2006 Nissan Xterra Off Road V6 4x4 is a dart aimed directly at the heart of Generation X. The 2006 Nissan Xterra carries a base price of $26,050 ($28,365 as tested), a 3 year/36,000 mile basic warranty, a 5 year/60,000 mile powertrain warranty and an EPA estimate of 17 mpg city/21 mpg highway. Toss in your mountain bike, strap your kayak to the roof and hop on in. Don't worry, I've got a first aid kit.

First Glance

My cousin's macho former husband bought a new Nissan Xterra when they first hit the market in 2000. This is a great family story. The first weekend he had it, he drove into a field and had to be towed out by a local farmer. Not really pertinent to this review, but it's all I can think about every time I drive an Xterra. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day, when macho posturing met up with the reality of a muddy field. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Xterra has only gotten bigger and more chiseled since then. Like a ballplayer on steroids, Xterra is still recognizable, just beefier through the hips and shoulders. If you're a fan of Mr. Universe pageants, you'll like the look. Xterra's sheet metal is stretched to emphasize every dimension -- great big fenders, a bulging nose, a tall greenhouse. Xterra shares some styling cues with stablemates Pathfinder and Armada, including oddly-placed rear door handles. They're at shoulder height rather than belt-high, which means you'll have to put down your Razor scooter before you try to open the door. Some useful footholds are molded into the sides of the rear bumper, making access to the roof somewhat easier. A very cool wet gear tray is at the front of the roof rack -- a great place for your wet suit after a day of surfing the curl, or whatever it is that you kids surf on these days.

Xterra's most recognizable feature is a lump in the tailgate that accommodates the storage of a first aid kit (included) inside the cargo hold. Extreme Band-Aids are essential to the new-fangled sports.

Continued below . . .

In the Driver's Seat

For such a rough and ready vehicle, Xterra is surprising comfortable and roomy inside. Firm, supportive seats are covered in a durable-feeling cloth, and all of the hard surfaces inside are high quality and nicely designed. Xterra feels as tough inside as it looks from the outside, but it doesn't make it tough on its occupants. There are plenty of amenities, including cup holders, cubby holes and clever storage compartments throughout the cabin.

Xterra's instrument panel and dash board are simple, elegant and functional -- no fake allen bolts or rugged-for-the-sake-of-rugged touches, just big rotary controls for the heat and air conditioning, big round analog gauges clustered above the steering wheel, and a neat, clean dashboard. I can only imagine how Jeep or HUMMER might have tarted up this layout, and I'm thankful that Nissan let form follow function.

Xterra's cargo hold is roomy and flexible, with a storage compartment beneath the load floor and several clever nooks and crannies along the side walls. The rear seats easily fold flat, and with the high roof you can get a couple of mountain bikes inside without removing the wheels. Xterra comes with a rubberized floor rather than carpeting, which is great for sliding gear in and out. It also lets gear slide around during cornering, so you'll want to use the standard Utili-Track system inside to secure your stuff before you carve any canyons. My test vehicle was equipped with a set of carpeted floor mats ($110) -- you can probably do better in the aftermarket with some cool sticky rubber ones instead.

On the Road

Even though the Xterra is an "Off Road" model, I kept it on the pavement -- I didn't want to repeat my cousin's former husband's embarrassing faux pas -- I don't know any farmers who would be willing to tow me out of the mud. On the road, Xterra's 4.0 liter V6 does a very good job of motivating the SUV down the road with 265 hp and 284 lb-ft of torque on tap. For a rugged vehicle, Xterra's got some high tech standard features: four-wheel anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution, vehicle dynamic control, speed sensitive rack-and-pinion steering, front driver and passenger airbags and tire pressure monitoring system. My test vehicle came with a $700 supplemental safety package that included roof-mounted curtain airbags and front seat-mounted side impact airbags, highly recommended features.

Once you start tossing the Xterra through its paces, you'll realize that you've got independent suspension in front but not out back, which is a good news/bad news situation. A solid rear axle has some advantages off of the pavement, but it makes for a bit of a rough ride in everyday driving, especially when the Xterra is unloaded. Body roll is reasonably well-controlled, but you really won't want to drive your Xterra too quickly around sharp curves -- it's a queasy feeling.

My test vehicle had a six-speed manual transmission, which worked perfectly well -- but I kept forgetting to shift into sixth gear. The positive engagement and free-revving engine would be great in off-road situations -- I hope to try it out some day.

Journey's End

I came away from my week with the Xterra actually liking this SUV. I honestly didn't expect much. I know that you can't judge a book by its cover, but sometimes you can. I thought that the Xterra was some kind of poser, a Gen-X HUMMER wannabe that would make me suffer behind the wheel. Xterra turned out to be a perfectly civilized, willing companion, eager to soak up the freeway miles and hop through the city streets without complaint. If you like to do a little bit of light off-roading on the weekends, but you still need to drive your SUV to work or school, Xterra can do double duty. You don't need to be an extreme athlete to appreciate its capabilities.

There are other vehicles that attempt the same tightrope walk. The Big Kahuna in off-roading is the Jeep Wrangler, and it will certainly hand the Xterra its lunch in the mud. But Xterra is easier to live with day-to-day. Don't overlook the HUMMER H3, a surprisingly reasonable offering from the folks who used to move Arnold around before he got all sensitive. I'm still very fond of the Toyota 4Runner -- my daily driver, Moose, is a 1994 4Runner -- and you should check it out before you buy an Xterra. For that matter, drive the Pathfinder as well -- you can get a higher level of luxury, as well as independent suspension for your rear wheels, and for not that much more money.

I don't know if my cousin's former husband still has his Xterra or not -- we've thankfully lost touch. But the memory of his off-road folly has been temporarily supplanted by my pleasant week with the Xterra. That was no easy feat.